Page 42 of Entirely Yours
“Call the landlord,” Dad instructs. “I can’t do much while the water is still on.”
I quickly find my phone and dial our landlord, Kathy, who does not answer even after three back to back calls.
“Go ask Louie!” Dad suggests, still attempting to manage the water flow.
Chloe’s little hand finds mine, and I run out our front door, across the hall, and pound on the Bardot brothers’ door.
Gabe answers. “Woah, Thea everything okay?” His eyes flash down to my stomach.
“Can you watch Chloe for a second? One of our pipes burst,and I need to go find Louie because Kathy isn’t answering her damn phone!”
He doesn’t even hesitate before saying, “Go, go! I’ve got Chloe.”
As I’m racing down the stairs I hear Chloe say, “I’d rather have Ben.” The cheek on that one. I wonder where she gets it.
Thankfully, Louie knows just what to do, and we finally get the water off, but not before it floods both bedrooms and part of the living room.
Once we’ve cleared as much as we can out of the path of water, I go back down to Louie’s to check and see if he had any damage. He confirms he’s fine, shooing me back upstairs.
Instead, I take a moment to breathe, the cool night air a shock to my system. I amthis closeto breaking down in tears when I spot a tall, brooding, and dark man running down the street toward me. TBD to the rescue, again.
“Thea! Is everything okay? Gabe called.”
This fucking man isn’t even out of breath.
I open my mouth to answer him but all that comes out is a weird half-hiccup, half-whimper.
He wraps me in another one of his hugs that I like way too much. He’s so solid and warm and I really want to play with his hair.
That thought makes me laugh, and all of a sudden I’m laugh-crying into the shirt of the man who put a baby in me.
He gives me one last squeeze before he says, “C’mon. Let’s get some bags packed for you guys. You’ll stay at my house tonight.”
And I really don’t feel like arguing.
Obviously I’ve been to Jules’ house before. What I didn’t realize last time was that its got four fucking bedrooms. FOUR. I’ve never lived in a place with four bedrooms. What does he do withall of the space? When I asked him why all four of his bedrooms had actual beds in them, he rubbed the back of his neck and said something about not knowing what else to do with them.
The room he put me in does have several instruments and a whole computer set up that looks like it’s built specifically for musicians. Little slidey knobs on a board and a mic that looks like it cost more than a month’s rent.
Chloe, of course, flipped her shit when she realized she would get her own room. “Just for tonight,” I reminded her several times.
Jules and Dad both responded to that line with, “We’ll see about that,” before eyeing each other warily. It was pretty cute, actually.
Jules is going to be a great dad. It’s confusing because he exudes protective-dad energy but alsodaddyenergy at the same time. The whole situation is messing with my head.
Chloe was also thrilled when we arrived last night because Jules still hasn’t found the owner of the cat we made posters for. She decided on a very original name of Mayor Cattington the Third or “Cat” for short. Dad snorted and asked what happened to Mayor Cattington the First and Second—“They died, obviously,” Chloe informed him—I rolled my eyes, and I’m pretty sure I saw Jules quickly order an entire cat mansion to make Chloe happy.
Now the morning has rolled around, and I’m refusing to get out of the bed that gave me the best night’s sleep I’ve had in years.
I’m refusing, but—is that bacon I smell?
Slowly, I peel the covers off and trudge into the kitchen. Not only is there bacon, but there’s also fancy coffee because apparently Jules has no flaws.
“Mama! Look! JuJu made me coffee, too!” Chloe chirps.
“It’s hot chocolate,” he whispers as he passes me a mug.
I walk over and sit down next to Chloe at the breakfast table,ruffling her hair. “That’s fun, my little chicken. How’d you sleep?”
