“So, then just come over now and tell him before the damn party!”
I could, I thought. It would be so easy for me to hop in my car and drive over to the house and let this whole stupid thing be put behind us, and then we can fuck and laugh and cry, and he can tell me he loves me, and then we will go downstairs and get drunk and then go back upstairs again, and I will show him just how sorry I really am.
It was a seductive thought, really. But I never would have gotten to be where I was (both good and bad) if I hadn’t been as stubborn as I’ve proven myself to be. I wanted to be honest with Creed and tell him that the real reason was that I was petrified of seeing Otter. The thought of facing him after the things I said made my stomach turn, so it had been easier just to say that I would worry about it tomorrow. He never left my head, however, so it made this self-imposed banishment that much harder. But I couldn’t get the words to come out.
“When, Bear?” Creed insisted.
Fuck it. “Tomorrow, then,” I relented. I pulled the phone away from my ear, Creed joyfully shouting through the receiver.
“And then everything can be back to normal,” he said happily.
I snorted. “Back to normal? You had no idea what was going on, so how could it be back to normal?”
“Don’t be difficult just because you can be,” Creed growled. “It’s really unattractive. Maybe I’ll just go tell Otter myself right now so he knows what he can expect tomorrow.”
I panicked. “You wouldn’t dare.”
He laughed wickedly. “I so would.”
“I told you I would do it tomorrow!”
He laughed. “Should I make plans, then? So you guys can… reconnect?” he asked, his last word coming out low and husky and breathy.
I rolled my eyes. “Well, I would say yes, you shouldn’t be there, but past experience dictates that Anna, Mrs. Paquinn, the Kid, and you will all be there to show your support, so it really doesn’t matter what I say.”
“God, you have a great family,” he said smugly.
“Yeah, yeah. I know.”
“Sure I can’t convince you?”
I sighed. “Not tonight. I’ll take it easy with the Kid tonight and come over in the morning. I’ll call you before I head out.”
“Okay, and uh.”
“What?”
He hesitated. Then, “When you’re done talking or whatever to Otter, there’s something I need to talk to you about too.”
I groaned. “You’re not going to tell me you have a boyfriend too, are you?”
He laughed, but I noticed it sounded uneasy. “No, Jesus. Just because the two main dudes in my life went dark side doesn’t mean I have to. Stop with your gay-conversion agenda.”
“We’re your main dudes? What are you, fifteen?”
“Shut it, Papa Bear.”
I was curious. “Is everything okay? Nothing bad happened or anything?”
“No, everything’s fine,” he replied quickly.
“Then why don’t you just tell me now?”
“Are you going to come over and talk to Otter now?”
“Har, har. I don’t need to know that badly, not if it’s not life-threatening.”
“It’s not.”