Page 68 of Thinking It Over

“No,” I said, surprising the two of us if his wide eyes were anything to go by. I smiled a little. “Sorry, but no. I don’t buy that. ‘Okay’ is just as bad as ‘fine.’” I grinned then. “I didn’t peg you for a ‘fine’ type of guy.”

I pulled a laugh from him, loving that I was able to. “Okay,” he emphasized, “maybe neither of those, but I will be. I’m just trying to figure everything out, work out what to do for the best.” He pressed his lips together before exhaling loudly. “Frankie wants me to look after Tyler.”

I froze, letting his words sink in, and wondering what that meant. Pulling myself together quickly when the silence stretched, I asked, “And what does that mean exactly?” My heart beat heavily against my chest, constricting my lungs as I grappled to control my reaction. Austin needed my support and understanding now more than ever.

“Shit, I don’t even know.”

Tears filled his eyes, and my heart squeezed tightly.

“I love you,” I said, barely louder than a whisper. “You’ll do what you need to do and get this all figured out.”

“Fuck.” His palm swiped over his face, though not quick enough to catch the lone tear trickling down his cheek.

“I wish I could be there for you.” Emotion clogged my voice.

“Me too.” He puffed out his cheeks, then smiled, seeming to gather himself. “But you being there, with Penny, at home, helps.”

My lips curved a little. “I’m glad. I’m here for you.”

He nodded. “Thank you.” A cough followed, and he shook himself. “Anyway, everything okay there? School all right? Donnie being an asshole still?”

My snort caused amusement to flare in his eyes. “When’s he not?” I shook my head. “But not really. He’s fine. I think he’s got it out of his system with a few distasteful looks sent my way. The good news is, I think he finally realizes I’m not sucking your dick just because you’re the boss and I want a job.”

Heat blazed in his gaze, and I squirmed under hisscrutiny. “If cock sucking was a prerequisite, you’d have his job by now.” His brow quirked, and a loud laugh burst from me. He then sobered a little. “You have the interview tomorrow?”

My humor dissipated. “Yes, tomorrow afternoon. I’ll drive out in the morning.”

He bobbed his head. “You’ll nail it.”

It was clear he was as pained by the whole thing as I was, but with so much else going on, we had to suck it up. I was lucky I had an interview. I forced myself to remember that. “Thank you.”

“And Penny?”

“She’s great.”

“Thanks for taking such good care of her.”

I shook my head. “It’s Billy who’s all over her care. I’m just here for the company at night.”

“But still, thank you.”

“I love cuddling up with her. She’s good company.”

A single brow flicked back at me. “You’ve let her on the bed, haven’t you?”

It was an absolute statement buried behind that question. There was no denying it as a wide grin stretched across my mouth. “She’s such a cuddler, though.”

Laughter danced in his gaze. “She’ll only get used to it and be a nightmare to get down and break the habit.”He gave a careless shrug. “She’ll end up sleeping between us, and then how am I going to wake you up with my mouth on you?” The words had the desired effect—my smile slipped.

“I’ll make sure she’s in her own bed tonight,” I said quickly.

His pleasure at my response was immediate, and my heart stumbled over itself that I was able to pull him out of the harsh reality he was facing, if only for a short while.

“I miss you.” Tenderness eased through his words, his happiness still riding them. “I’d better get going. I promised to meet Debbie for a drink. She’s heading back home tomorrow.”

I nodded my understanding. “I’ll call you tomorrow after the interview.”

“Sounds good. Sleep well.”

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