“A friend?” His tone is sharp.
“Just a guy I met at the church. He was right there.”
“Was he.” It’s a statement, not a question. I can’t help a strangled laugh. Is my Sky jealous?
“Were there cameras?” he asks.
“There were phones.” I sound defensive. Even feel defensive. “I shouldn’t have hit the guy, but he was right there on us, McD. He had bad intentions, trust me on that. And he was about to grab the baby. I fucking swear.”
There’s a long silence, and I think I feel Sky sighing. “I know. V. I know you wouldn’t hurt someone unless you had to. It’s okay.”
“It’s not, though. It’s gonna fuck shit up, and I know that, Sky.” I squeeze my eyes shut, hating…everything.
“I hope the church friend you met can’t hear that foul mouth. Might have to punish you by stuffing it full later tonight.”
“My mouth?” I rub my scarred head. I catch Ollie’s eye in the rear view mirror and drop my gaze down to my lap, where I’m half hard now.
“Maybe more than just your mouth,” Luke says. “Let’s see the media coverage and what crops up on Reddit and Twitter, and we’ll decide it after. Let’s see if that guy tries to sue the church. If he does, you’re getting plugged, Rayne baby. If he presses charges, when I pick you up from jail, I’ll show you how they do it down in prison.”
Fuck. “You’re upset.”
“I’ve just got this dry dick and nobody to put it in, Rayne. I’m your new husband and there’s no better way to exercise frustration.”
“At me.” I close my eyes.
“No, not at you, Vance. Not at you. At this whole world.” He says it in a whisper, and it hurts my chest to think of Luke feeling like that—even though I just had the same thought.
“It’ll be okay,” I tell him. “I love you.”
When I say that, Ollie steps out of the car and leans against the driver’s side door. I guess he’s giving me privacy.
“I love you too,” Sky says. “I’m going into a meeting re damage control—about Eden. And I suppose now about your attempt to get a vegan burger. The legal stuff is still going well, FYI, with the baby. I really think she’s going to be ours.”
“I want to hear about it when you have time.”
“Will do.”
“You okay about the meeting?” I ask.
“No. Are you okay about being assaulted in the burger line?”
“No.”
“Let’s get burgers tonight. We’ll go by together. I’ll go get them for us. You and Little Miss can wait in the car.”
“You want to?”
“I want to,” he says.
He just wants to make it better. I get it. I say, “Let’s do it, Sky babe.”
Then I get out of the car with milk drunk Edey and lean on the warm door of a stranger’s car, talking until it feels safe to go home.
20
Luke
Well, the Twitter angle on it isn’t great, but it’s not solid, either. With stuff like this, it never is. Everyone’s divided into factions. There’s the group that thinks V just went crazy. Then the ones who believe one Mr. Carson Clintin when he says a blanket fell out of the baby carrier, and he was just giving Rayne his hat back and the blanket back, being a good Samaritan. Then there’s everybody else, pointing out that This Dick wasn’t carrying a blanket. They say Vance was trying to protect the baby. He’s a hero, or a victim.
There’s even more people who want to talk about Eden. Is she really ours? Does she look like one of us? Why didn’t Vance show anyone her face there in the burger line? Are either of us really gay?
I close the app and lean my head against the back of the couch in my office. I close my eyes and say a prayer.
I’m sorry for Vance. That’s just a thought. But it’s followed with a prayer. Please help us. And help him not feel as crappy as I do right now.
Pearl knocks, using her code knock, and I say, “Come in.”
She does, and holds her arm out, escort-style, the way the boys used to do at banquets or formal dances for the girls.
“I’m here to escort you to the meeting,” she says, smiling sadly.
“Ah, yes.” I sigh.
“I’ve been on Twitter. And I’m sorry, PL.” When I don’t walk over to her, she comes over and sits beside me. “What can I do?”
“Tell me to quit.”
“I’m not doing that. No sir. You feeling crummy?”
I lift my brows.
Pearl’s whole body slumps a little. “I know. I really wish I could help more.”
“You help plenty. And I’m okay. I have Vance and our new baby.” I smirk, and Pearl laughs.
“It’s weird,” I say, “you know it is. But I’m happy.”
“You do look very happy—about that, at least.”
“You heard anything about the meeting?” I ask. “Through the grape vine?”