Page 56 of Redeeming Rabbit

“You don’t understand. This isn’t about me. It’s about what’s best for Dylan. He’s not just getting Darius—who is amazing with my kid, by the way—he’s getting an entire family. A host of people who already love him and have committed to caring for him should something ever happen to me.”

She sounded crazy. “Nothing will happen to you.”

“El, Matt tried to kill me. If I’ve learned anything over the past year, it’s that I might not be around forever.”

Which was something I tried very hard not to think about. “He’s in jail, where he should rot.”

“But there’s a chance he’ll get out. Look, this club somehow convinced my ex to relinquish custody of Dylan. I don’t want to know how they made that happen, but I’m glad they did. Now, I won’t have to worry about him.”

“What about me?” The desperation in my tone made me wince, so I cleared my throat and tried again. “In your absence, I would raise Dylan.”

“And if something happens to you?”

“Why are you inventing a scenario where both of us are dead? Statistically speaking that—”

“Please don’t reason with me right now. That’s not what I need.” She lifted her water glass and drained it before toying with the glass.

I sighed, feeling like I’d somehow dug a chasm between us. Tina was my best friend, but I would never fully understand her. Despite our shared genetics, we were too different. “What do you need from me?”

“Support. Understanding. El, you and I know first-hand how quickly life can snatch the rug from beneath your feet. But we always had each other. If something happened to you and me, Dylan would be completely alone.”

I now understood her concern. “But his grandparents…?”

“What grandparents? You mean the ones I called to set up visitation with Dylan because, you know, I’m not a total bitch and want my child to have some freaking family!”

Good god, what had they said to her? I hadn’t seen her this worked up in a long time. “I take it the conversation didn’t go well.”

“They blocked my calls. Blocked their grandson.”

“Bastards.”

“Yeah, well, who knows what Matt has told them.”

“No. Don’t make excuses for those cuntwaffles. It’s highly likely that he showed signs of his narcissistic, abusive behavior before, and they chose to ignore it. Why didn’t you tell me?”

She laughed, sounding more manic than amused. “Bitch, you have been dodging my calls. Thanks for reminding me, by the way. I’m still super pissed at you for that. We were reconnecting when I was living with you, but then you freaking ghosted me. This no-communication bullshit won’t work for me. I miss you. You may be an island that doesn’t need anyone or anything, butIneedyou. At least… in my lake. And there should be an accessible bridge between us.”

“That metaphor got away from you, but I believe I catch your drift.”

“I don’t want to crowd out your solo vibe, but I need you to at least be accessible.”

“Understood. I’m sorry I ghosted you, but I reasoned you’d ask about Rabbit, and I wasn’t ready to discuss him yet.”

“Then you pick up the phone and tell me certain topics are off-limits. Look, I know this relationship shit is new to you and will take some time to process, but you don’t get to block me out. You never would have pulled that shit when we were kids.”

“Of course not. You would have beaten down my door.”

She frowned. “Yeah, I would have. That’s a practice I never should have stopped.”

I returned her frown. “You don’t get to shoulder all the blame for that since I’m clearly an expert at pushing people away.”

Tina draped an arm over my shoulder and pulled me against her. “Werean expert. Past tense, since next time Iwillbreak down your door.”

A smile tugged at my lips, and I let it loose. “Deal.”

We slipped into the kitchen, and I said good morning to Rabbit, who appeared delighted that I’d raided his dresser.

“You look damn good in my clothes,” he said, giving me a thoroughly inappropriate public display of affection that included an ass-grab and a lingering kiss.

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