I huff. “Yeah, well, at least he got a visit from the tooth fairy out of it. He was supposed to split the money with me fifty-fifty. That little shit conned me.”
Her voice turns warm and gooey-soft. “He looked up to you so much.”
“Well, then a lot sure has changed since then,” I reply bitterly. It’s hard to believe how close me and Eli used to be. That kid followed me everywhere. As much crap as I gave him, I really didn’t mind having him around. He was my best friend—after Penny of course.
Now, though?
I can’t even think about my little brother without getting pissed off. I can’t help but resent the man for messing everything up. He destroyed his life. His family. He left Callie without a dad. And dammit, that little girl needs her father.
My eyes land on Penny’s belly and my own hypocrisy stomps me in the chest. That kid growing in her belly needs his father, too. Regardless of the contract I signed, forgoing my responsibility to him. I look down on Eli for not being there for his child but I’m no better than he is. How did I not see it before?
“Maybe,” she says softly. “But Eli’s family. You’re lucky to have him and the rest of your brothers, your entire family. Maybe you should hear him out.” She squeezes my arm. She sets down her water bottle and shifts from foot to foot for a second. “I’ll be back. Drank too much water this afternoon,” she laughs then disappears toward the bathroom.
I pour Callie’s milk, lost in thought. Penny is so unbelievably forgiving. She’s practically Mother Theresa. I don’t know many people like that. Someone who can care so much, no questions asked. No demands.
If anyone deserves to hold grudges, it’s her. But instead, she gives everyone second and third chances, even when they keep fucking things up. Just like her mother.
Eli may have screwed up a lot of shit—for a lot of people—but he didn’t personally attack me. It pales in comparison to how Penn’s mom treats her.
Maybe I should channel a bit more of Penny. Maybe Eli does deserve another chance from me. He’s not perfect, but hell, neither am I. And maybe he has a justification for all the fucked up shit he did.
I rejoin my innocent Callie at the table. I set down her cup of milk. There’s a goofy grin on her face as she stares in the direction Penny just went off in.
“What are you grinning at?” I poke her ribs and I’m rewarded with a shower of childish laughter that’s music to my ears.
Callie holds up a crayon drawing. A bunch of stick figures. A woman with fiery red hair. A man with a cowboy hat. A baby.
“You’ve got a sweetheart now, Uncle Walker! And she's making a baby.” The words burst out of her lips, like they’ve been barricaded by her feeble self-restraint for hours.
I hate to disappoint her but I don’t want to get her hopes up for nothing. I have no guarantees that Penny will ever feel the way I feel. “Nah, kiddo. Penny’s not my sweetheart. She’s just my friend.”
The child’s face drops at my announcement. Her shoulders sag with disappointment. “Oh…okay…” Her attention returns to her masterpiece and with a red crayon, she draws a big ass X across my face.
Shit. Savage.
Penny emerges from the bathroom, her hands cradling her little belly as she whispers comforting words to the baby beneath her breath. My soul swells with longing as I watch her.
I glance back at Callie’s drawing. I feel that big ass X slicing through my heart like a sword.
37
Walker
I’m nursing a beer I don’t really want. I take another small sip, cringing as the lukewarm liquid hits my throat. I’ve been sitting here at the bar watching Penny so long that my once ice cold beer is now disgustingly warm.
She may work here at least five nights a week—she has for years—but now I feel the need to keep an eye on her. I don’t think she’s told many people about the pregnancy. Some folks are aware, but it hasn’t spread like wildfire through the local gossip mill yet. Plus, her fancy blouse is obscuring her baby bump. That actually makes me a little nervous. With drunk idiots stumbling all over the bar, you never know what could happen. I’m just here to make sure she’s safe.
Penn returns from dropping off drinks at an older couple’s table. She’s working extra hard since her boss isn’t here and there’s only one waitress on the floor tonight. The other girl scheduled didn’t show up and by the time Penny realized she wouldn’t be coming in, it was too late to get someone else to replace her.
As Penny wipes down the smooth bartop, she takes an order from a douche a few stools down from me. The idiot’s eyes drop to her cleavage, which is almost spilling over the neckline of her top. I swear, her tits have blown up overnight. Apparently, all these assholes have noticed, too. My jaw clenches.
She draws closer to me, where I sit in the middle. I may have strategically nabbed a stool right in front of the beer taps, where she visits most often throughout the night. As she fills a talls glass, I act completely riveted by the game playing on the flatscreen above the bar, while simultaneously pretending to drink this damn beer.
Still, I feel her knowing eyes on me. She sees through my bullshit. “I’m fine, Walker. Do you plan on being my helicopter mom throughout the rest of my pregnancy?”
I huff. Damn. I know I’m not that obvious.
But then again, Penn just always gets me. It’s as sweet as it is annoying.
I shrug, a smirk on my lips.
