Page 25 of Give My Everything
All that matters is that Remmy serves as a means to an end.
“I can do tonight,” I reply, knowing the sooner we get moving on this, the better. “Do you want to come to mine?”
She nods, her eyes still on something behind me. Probably Hannah again. “Yeah, just text me the address and I’ll meet you there.”
And then, without another word, she spins and heads back out the front door.
I shake my head and let out a long sigh, rubbing at the back of my neck.
If all that matters is the means to an end, why do I get the feeling this is going to be a lot more complicated than I intended.
CHAPTER5
BEN
She reaches out to accept the glass of ginger ale from me, a soft “Thanks”coming from her mouth before she takes a sip.
When I pulled up to my house twenty minutes ago, I found Remmy throwing up into the bushes that border my property, my next-door neighbor’s window shades closing when I looked that way.
Alice has always been a bit of a snoop, though I’ve kept my life boring enough that she doesn’t have anything to share with her book club about me.
So instead of paying her any attention, I focused on Remmy. She looked miserable. I got her inside and into one of the bathrooms with a new toothbrush and some mouthwash, followed by some saltines and a can of ginger ale left over from a horrible stomach flu I had earlier this year.
Hopefully she’ll start to feel better soon, because I’m exhausted just looking at her.
“Sorry about the bushes,” she says.
I laugh. “Remmy, I’m not worried about the bushes, okay? You’re growing a human. You’re allowed to be sick and sad and tired and anything else you feel.”
She gives me a gentle smile.
“How’d you get to be such a softy when it comes to pregnant ladies?” she asks, setting her glass down on the coffee table and adjusting herself so she’s more comfortable under the throw blanket.
I scoff. “I have a thirteen-year-old sister—I was in my teens when my mom was pregnant. Wyatt and I took on a very active role with Ivy and all the stuff that comes along with pregnancy and newborns, so I know all about how crazy it can get.”
Her eyes narrow, her mouth curving a bit. “First rule: Don’t use the word crazy.”
I grin at her. “I’ll only use it when it’s well deserved.”
“That is not a thing.”
“It absolutely is.”
“No it’s not! Men think women are crazy all the time. That’s like…that’s like…just…completely unfair.”
I lift a shoulder, completely aware that I’m baiting her and, surprisingly, enjoying every second of it.
There’s something about seeing Remmy a little bit flustered that makes me smile.
“Oh we are absolutely coming back to this later, because I willnotmarry someone who will call me crazy at the drop of a hat.”
Chuckling, I settle back into my own corner of the couch, feeling oddly comfortable with Remmy sitting across from me.
“Well, let’s not spend too much time on that tonight since we’re supposed to be talking about our relationship timeline.”
Remmy perks up, suddenly becoming all business. “Yes. That’s what we need to talk about. I feel like it would be a good idea for us to get on the same page about…everything. What we are doing when and who we should tell about it.” She pauses, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. “I don’t like to feel ambushed, and that’s how I felt at the country club. If we lay things out, we won’t have confusion like that again.”
I nod, seeing her logic and, not for the first time, wishing I hadn’t been such a pushy bastard. “That makes sense,” I say, making sure she can see the sincerity in my eyes.
