Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Suzie
Without saying goodbye to Annie, I cut the call and put my cell phone in my back pocket.
"Hey, Suzie," Pete says, straightening up as I approach. "We've been waiting for you."
Those words. One simple sentence. Five short words. And still it hits so damn hard.
"Yeah, I can see that," I reply as if he didn't just knock my feet out from under me. I try to keep my voice steady, but the weight of the moment hangs heavy in the air.
"We feel like we've given you enough time to settle in, and we want to talk," Dexter adds, his gaze intense.
"This is a rather far distance to travel for a talk," I snark back.
Pete lifts a lone eyebrow as Dexter narrows his gaze on me.
"If you'd answered the phone, unblocked Pete's number, or responded to any of my texts we wouldn't have had to come as far as we did, now would we have?"
"Catch a hint?"
At this, Dexter pushes away from his perch against the door and Pete starts pacing.
"Fucking hell, Suze. Don't be dense. You know as well as we do that there's something to talk about."
I cross my arms, instantly defensive. There’s a lot to talk about. More than they know. "I'm not sure I'm ready for a talk," I say, thinking back on how Pete hurt me before. "What happened between you and me? The way we left things. It still stings, you know?"
That's more vulnerability than I'm truly comfortable sharing with them, especially considering the damn news I just got from the clinic. I don't have time for this right now. I need to get into my apartment so I can unpack all my feelings and figure out where the fuck I'm going from here.
Pete looks down at his feet and rubs at the back of his neck. "We're not interested in pushing or rushing you, Suzie. But we can't just ignore things anymore. When you left for London, I should have gone after you. I'll regret that for as long as I live. I couldn't let that happen again. So here I am, showing you how important you are to me."
This time it's my stare that narrows on them. "You're not alone anymore, though, are you? How does your boyfriend feel about you coming halfway across the country to chase some girl?"
Dexter outright growls at my verbal slap and storms at me. I take a step back, and he pushes me up against the wall opposite my front door. "I'm right here, brat. Why don't you ask me yourself? Better yet, why don't I just tell you?" He's so close I can feel his breath on me. Dexter's hand comes up to cup my face, his thumb tracing my bottom lip.
I should push him away, force him to stop what he's doing, but I don't have the energy to fight my own desires right now.
"I can't stop thinking about you, Suzie. The feel of your body against mine haunts my dreams. I might not know how you prefer your coffee, or if you get cranky in the mornings, but I know that we have more than enough chemistry between the two of us to make this thing between us worth exploring. Especially if it makes Pete happy." Dexter's mouth descends on mine, and he gives me the softest of kisses.
When he pulls away, I have to stop myself from following him. "What the hell do you two want?"
"A date."
"A date?" The words feel foreign on my tongue. "What the hell do you mean you want a date?"
"We're here for a month. We're interested in seeing if things will work with you, and took the time off work to give it a go. So give us a date," Pete says, his voice low.
As much as them showing up here, today of all days, messes with my head, I can't help but admit that the sound of a date with them excites me.
I bite my lip, caught between longing and hesitation. Longing for the promise of more and hesitation because I do not need to get my hopes up. With everything else going on in my life I can't afford any more upheaval. Not to mention the fact that I will need to tell them at some point about the baby I'm carrying. "I'm not sure. There's a lot?—"
"We're here for a month, Suzie. If you want us to give you space after that, we will," Pete assures me. "All we ask for is a chance."
I sigh, weighing my options. There's so much to consider.
"If I say yes, will you two go away for now, and wait for me to contact you?"
Pete's worried expression morphs into one filled with hope and it cracks the wall I've been building around my heart the last few weeks.
"Only if you promise not to make us wait too long.”
My only response is to nod.
"Deal," Dexter says, a grin spreading across his face. "We'll wait to hear from you."
As they leave, I'm left standing in front of my door, the thrill of anticipation mingling with the burden of my secret. I glance down at my still-flat stomach, a wave of resolve washing over me.
No matter what happens between us, I'll keep my pregnancy to myself for now. I want to figure things out without the pressure of their expectations—or the risk of complicating everything before it even begins.
I also want to know that they're sticking around for me .
I unlock my door and step inside, the familiar scent of my new home welcoming me. The apartment feels too quiet after the confrontation, the silence pressing down on me. I wanted this. Space and time to think, but now that I have it, it almost feels overwhelming. I lean against the door and close my eyes, trying to ground myself. They're giving me a month. One month to figure out if I can open my heart again. After that month I'll make my choice and then tell them about our baby.
I push off the door, heading towards the kitchen to grab some water. As I drink, I try to shake off the anxiety wrapping tight around my chest. I've been working hard at being more independent. Of being my own person. And now that I'm finally getting my footing, all of this has to happen.
My hand drifts to my stomach. I catch myself and pull it away, like touching it too much might reveal my secret to the world.
Ugh! This is too freaking much, and I hate being all over the place like this. Taking my phone out of my back pocket, I realize I'd hung up on my friend.
She answers after the first ring. "What happened?"
"They told me they want to date. Like we're in high school or something." I throw myself down on the couch and put my feet up on the coffee table.
"What did you say?" Annie's cautious tone fills my ears. She soothes me in a way that very few people can.
"I told them I'll think about it. There's so much to consider, Annie. And I'm not sure I can take it if Pete breaks my heart again." My fingers rub at my temple, trying to massage away the headache that's been steadily building since I woke up on the hot shop floor. My gut clenches with guilt at not telling Annie about my secret. It's one thing keeping it from the men, and a completely different kettle of fish all together when it comes to my best friend.
"I think you should go for it," Annie responds, confident and positive. "If it doesn't work, then you know for sure. If you send them away now, you never will."
I bite my lower lip, weighing up all the pros and cons. "Annie, babe. I'm still not over him."
"Oh baby, I wish I was there so I could give you a cuddle," she coos at me. "I know you're not. And I know what a big risk you'd be taking, but it would be so worth it if it all worked out."
"Fine," I push out. "I'll text them once we're done on the call."
Annie squeals in excitement, but instead of cutting our call short, like I'd expected her to, she instead settles in and catches me up on all her news before asking me about my latest project.
This is what I needed. A moment of normalcy with my best friend.
And when we finally hang up and say goodnight?
I unblock Pete and text him.
Pick me up tomorrow at 6. Nothing too fancy. I'm tired after work.
Pete's quick to respond and let me know that they'll be there.
I already regret sending the message. Just one month, I remind myself. I can handle a month. And if at any point it becomes too much I'll tell them I'm done and send them back home.
Now I just need to hope I can get some sleep tonight, so Bobby doesn't just send me straight home in the morning.