Risky (Adventures in Love 2)

“I wasn’t ignoring you,” I fib, and he gives me a look that states clearly that he knows I’m lying.

“Call the cab company and tell them you got a ride and don’t need them,” he orders, and I shake my head.

“That would be rude. I’m not going to do that when someone is already on their way up here.”

“Fine.” He takes a seat next to me on the step. “When they get here, I’ll pay them, and we can take off.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” I roll my eyes. “I’ll just take the cab home, and you can go about your evening.”

“I’m taking you home, Everly,” he states firmly, and I want to say something snarky but keep my mouth closed. He grunts, which makes it difficult to not smile. How I can find his crankiness cute is still a mystery to me.

When the cab arrives a few minutes later, I think about running and jumping into the back seat just to be difficult, but I doubt I would even make it, because he gets up before I can get my butt off the step I’m sitting on.

“You really didn’t have to do this,” I tell him as we walk to his truck after he pays the driver, who did not look upset in the least, but that could be because Blake gave him a whole bunch of cash, way more than the ride would have cost.

“It’s not a big deal.” He pulls the keys for his truck out of his pocket, then opens the door for me to get in with a quiet reminder to buckle up before he slams it closed.

As we pull out onto the main road, the silence between us feels heavy, and I wonder what he’s thinking, but instead of asking, I focus my attention out the window.

“When are you meeting your ex’s parents?” The out-of-the-blue question throws me, and I glance over at him. I don’t know why I thought he forgot about me telling him that, but I did.

“Umm . . . tomorrow.” I let my head fall back against the headrest. “Sampson and I are going to meet them for lunch at the Root.”

“Alone?”

“Yeah, I would have taken my mom, but she and my dad are going to see my brother and his family in Idaho.” I sigh, then add, “I wouldn’t have planned it for then, but I forgot all about their trip until she reminded me this morning, and I don’t want to have to message Lex to tell him that I have to reschedule.”

“Why not?”

“A lot of reasons, but the main one being I never want to speak to him again.”

“Got it,” he mutters. “What time are you meeting them?”

“Noon,” I say; then, when that same heavy silence begins to settle between us once more, I blurt out, “Are you doing anything this weekend?”

“Just catching up on work, taking care of stuff around my house.”

“Okay, but what about fun stuff?”

“Fun stuff?” He glances over at me.

“You know, spending time with friends or doing something you love, baking, knitting, killing poor, defenseless animals,” I prompt, and he laughs—really laughs—making me feel oddly powerful.

“I don’t hunt, knit, or bake. Sunday, I’ll have dinner with my parents, sister, and Taylor.”

“Well, that’s fun at least.”

“Yeah,” he agrees, shifting in his seat like he’s uncomfortable. The rest of the drive is quiet, and when he pulls up in front of my parents’ house a few minutes later, I’m equally anxious to get away from him and disappointed that I won’t see him for a few days.

“Thanks again for the ride.” I unhook my belt and am starting to reach for the handle when he calls my name. Pausing, I turn to look at him, then raise a brow when he doesn’t say anything more. Instead, he just stares at me, looking like he’s at war with himself. “Okay then, have a great weekend.”

I push the door open and get out, then shut it behind me. As I head up the walkway, I wonder what it is he wanted to say. But I don’t have long to ponder it, because the minute I get inside my parents’ house, Sampson takes up all my attention, which is probably a good thing.

With nervous energy making me feel sick to my stomach, I pull into a parking spot just out front of the Root and wonder for the millionth time today if I should have just called Lex to cancel this meeting until sometime when I wouldn’t have to face his parents alone. I know I’m a grown woman with a child, but I really wish that my mom were here to reassure me that everything is going to be okay.

With a quick glance at the clock, I see it’s almost noon, and I take a deep breath, shut down the engine, and grab Sampson’s diaper bag off the passenger seat. I tuck my cell phone and wallet into the front pocket, then get out. As I start to open the back door to remove Sampson from his car seat, I notice a man approaching wearing a baseball cap, a deep-green hoodie, jeans, and boots. It takes a second for my brain to catch up, and when it does, my heart starts to gallop inside my chest.