Page 44 of The Complication
Yeah, there was a whole undertone of past shit I did not understand, but there was no way in hell I was going to wade into that mess.
While Pierce glared at Simon, Sebastian and Rome attempted to steer the conversation in a new direction. It was as if they thought being loud helped to make things less awkward. I glanced over my shoulder at Declan to find that he was watching me with a look of concern. What did I care about their drama? Like it could touch me.
Okay, fine. I cared. I was a nosy little fucker, and I was dying to ask why the air was rippling with unresolved hostility between Pierce and Simon. But at least I had enough common sense to know that I shouldn’t ask while we were standing right there.
No. I waited like a civilized human being.
Until we were alone in his car.
15
DECLAN FOSTER
That dinner had been difficult.
I fought the urge to sigh with relief as we drove away from Sebastian’s house. The world was growing dark, and the stars popped out against the dark velvety sky.
A cool evening breeze swept through the lowered windows of the car, carrying with it the scent of green grass and a hint of honeysuckle from the giant bushes near the edge of Sebastian’s property.
I wasn’t quite sure what I’d hoped to accomplish by dragging Parker to this dinner with my odd friends. Had I been trying to silence their questions or show him off? That made no sense. He wasn’t mine.
I wanted him to be, though.
Before Joy and the fire, Parker had been my special secret. My weekly escape. A treasure I’d tucked away from the world, locked in a nice and neat box.
Then he’d started working at Courtland, spilling out of his box and into more of my life, and…I’d loved it. The secret had become more tantalizing and dangerous. I’d never been more excited or turned-on in my life.
Now he and Joy were living in my house, eating meals withme, spreading into every part of my day. They were constantly in my thoughts. While I would have expected to hate losing my life to what felt like chaos, I actually loved it. I wanted more of Parker and Joy in my life. Parker needed to be sleeping in my bed every night, not just having sex with me. He needed to share all his worries and thoughts with me, and I wanted to feel free to share my concerns with him. They needed to no longer be my secret but the thing I was most proud of. I wanted to share with the world that I had the best family of all.
But they weren’t mine. Parker and I weren’ttechnicallydating, so I had no avenue for making this wonderful shift in my life permanent.
Tonight, he’d been introduced as my friend. Not boyfriend. My roommate. Yes, he’d said we fucked, but he’d never referred to me as his lover.
Not mine.
This needed to be fixed. Now. I had to make sure Parker stayed with me.
A low chuckle drew my eyes from the road to Parker. The glow of his phone pushed back some of the shadows, revealing his warm smile and laughing eyes.
“Franks sent me a video of Joy eating the carrots Donovan made for her while she was sleeping. I had no idea babies could eat and sleep at the same time until Joy. I’ve gotta forward this video on to my mom. She’s going to get a kick out of it.”
“Mn. I thought I saw a text saying she was an angel all evening.”
“Yep. No problems.” He sighed and lowered his phone to his lap. “It’s nice having someone I can trust to watch over her in an emergency, but I need to find a more regular babysitting service for Joy.”
“Why?”
“Seriously?” Parker shifted in his seat so that he was facingme. “While keeping up with the house and meals for the three of us might not be the most taxing job, I know for a fact that babysitting wasn’t part of their job description when you hired them.”
“That is true,” I conceded as I turned onto the quiet, meandering road off Sebastian’s driveway. “But have you considered that Franks and Donovan offered to babysit because they like Joy and not because they saw it as part of their jobs?”
“Maybe. I figured they were trying to make you happy.”
“No. They know my expectations are good, timely meals and a clean, organized home. Childcare does not come into that.”
Parker turned in his seat and faced forward again. “I’ll have a talk with Franks and Donovan before I try to find another sitter. I don’t want to hurt their feelings or take advantage of them.”
“Thank you.”
