Page 86 of Accidental Theirs
“Am I in the habit of saying things I don’t mean?”
She smiles weakly. “But what if it’s not yours?”
I shrug. “What if it’s not? You’re still my friend, right? And Richard would want me to take care of you.”
She smiles, shaking her head. “He’s going tokillyou.”
I sigh. “I know. But after he calms down, he’ll want someone he trusts in your corner.”
“Bash, you…you don’t know what this means to me.” She hitches in a sobbing breath.
I hug her close, kissing the top of her head before pulling away.
She looks at me, narrowing her eyes. “How drunk are you? Are you even going to remember this tomorrow?”
“I feel pretty sobernow.”
She barks out a laugh, and I smile, glad that she’s feeling better.
She shifts on the couch, resting her back against the couch arm and draping her legs in my lap.
I put my arms around them instinctively.
“Now, tell me what’s going on with you.”
I stiffen. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re sloppy drunk on a Tuesday night, alone. That’s not like you.”
“How would you know?”
She gives me a withering look. “Iknowyou, Bash.”
I groan, settling back against the couch and rubbing my thumb across her ankle. “It’s not your business, Olivia.”
She shrugs. “If we’re going to be co-parents, it’s kind of my business, isn’t it?”
“We’re not co-parents yet.”
She hums in the back of her throat, looking at me curiously. “All right. Keep your secrets.”
“They’re not secrets. I just... I keep my private life private.”
“As long as you’re okay.”
I hesitate. “I’m okay.”
“I’m not terribly convinced, but I can tell I’m not going to get anywhere with you tonight.”
I’m comfortable despite the shock, and I grumble when she moves her legs out of my lap, standing up.
“I’ll get out of your hair. Let you go back to...” She gestures to my apartment in general. “Whatever this is.”
I almost want to ask her to stay.
Maybe today doesn’thaveto be such a bad day. Maybe I can share my feelings with her, have someone to talk to.
But I remember what it was like when I lost Sophie. I remember the yawning void inside me that I have still not been able to fill, even after all these years.
