“Trust me, I remember. I couldn’t forget if I tried.”
I was ninety-nine percent sure our daughter had been conceived in that bathroom.
CHAPTER 22
Zane
Alicia’s face changed in an instant.
I frowned and wrapped my arms around her waist. Something was troubling her, but I was too drunk and exhausted to wonder what it was. I held her closer and waited for my breathing to return to normal. When it did, I took her hand and pulled her gently toward the door.
“Maybe another drink or two? Then I’ll walk you home?”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Give me a minute. I want to clean up a little before I head back out.”
“I’ll wait for you.”
“No. No need to. I’ll be quick. You go order us some drinks and I’ll meet you at the table.”
“Are you sure?” I searched her face for a clue as to what was suddenly bothering her.
“Positive,” she said.
Part of me wanted to stay put, but I knew she needed space for some reason. So I turned and unlocked the bathroom door. With a glance back at her, I pushed it open and let myself out into the hallway. When the door swung shut behind me, I stared at it for a fraction of a second.
It won’t do any good to wait outside the door, I told myself.
With a sigh, I walked slowly up to the bar. “Two more,” I said to the bartender. He nodded and went to work pouring our drinks. All around me, people were getting rowdier. It was almost midnight and even in Savage, things always began to heat up around this time.
I glanced around and noticed the people in the pub. There were a lot more than there had been before Alicia and I had disappeared into the bathroom. Most of the tables were packed now, and there were even a few guys standing by the jukebox.
I realized I recognized one of them.
I looked away quickly, my heart beginning to race.
“Prewitt!” a voice called from behind me.
Shit. The last thing I needed was a run in with McCoys. I pretended like I didn’t hear him until he was standing directly behind me.
“Hey, Zane!”
I turned around slowly and plastered a smile on my face. “McCoys,” I said. “What the hell are you doing here, man?”
“Just making the rounds. Visiting some friends. Thought we’d take a little road trip. I didn’t know you still lived around here!”
“Yeah, man. Savage is home. Not just because of the base either.”
“Where?” McCoys asked. He was already drunk, his eyes glassy. I couldn’t blame him though; I wasn’t exactly sober myself.
“Here,” I said. “This town. Savage.”
“Right,” McCoys nodded. “Well, let me buy you a drink! Man, it has been way too long.”
“Just a few months,” I said. The last time I’d seen McCoys had been at Leo’s funeral. The memory made the alcohol in my stomach churn.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I said. “Look man, it would be great to catch up with you, but I’m actually here with someone. She’s in the bathroom right now, but she’ll be out in a minute.”