She gives me her hand and helps me to my feet. “Layla, you can’t keep this from him.”
“I know, but I need time to figure this out before I talk to him.” Between Stewart and now Trip, I don’t know what to believe. What do I say? Hey, Blake. Guess what? We have another guy claiming to be my baby daddy. Maybe in a few years we’ll have a baker’s dozen. I groan and rub my temples.
She flushes the toilet, shaking her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Please, Eve.” I wipe my eyes and try to pull myself together. “You don’t understand Blake. He’s protective to a fault. He’ll go after Trip and end up back in jail or worse. Just . . . please.” My stomach pinches painfully at my lie. It’s not a total lie, but the truth is I don’t want Blake to be reminded of my past any more than I do.
Everything we have, everything we’ve worked to overcome will come crashing down around us. He’s already in a weird place with the baby coming and all his responsibilities that go along with it, changing from a single guy to a family of four almost overnight. The information about someone snooping around, which I’m sure now is Trip, is bound to make any man nervous, especially someone as protective as Blake. Yeah, I need to take care of this on my own. Squash it before it reaches him and Axelle.
Fuck, this is all such a nightmare.
My nightmare . . . the laughing. Was Trip there that night, laughing?
A new wave of hysteria threatens to drop me to my knees, but Eve’s eyes are locked on me.
I cough to clear the emotion from my throat. “I think I might head home after all.”
She nods, and sympathy shines in her eyes. “Yeah, I think that’s smart.”
I move to the sink, rinse my mouth out, and clean up my face. “Eve, promise you won’t say anything?”
She meets my eyes through the reflection in the mirror. “Yeah, but only if you promise me you’ll talk to Blake. You can’t handle this on your own. It’s too big and you’re too fragile right now.”
There’s pain in her eyes, and I can’t help but wonder if she’s thinking about what happened with Raven. One minute all was well, and the next Eve was laid up in a hospital bed, praying for her best friend and her baby.
“You don’t understand. This has the potential to ruin my life. What if he is Axelle’s father? What does that mean for Blake, and how will all this affect him?” A single tear drips down my cheek. “How will it affect us?”
Sympathy softens her eyes and she steps closer. “He has no power. He can’t just breeze in, confess he raped you in high school, and waltz away with parental rights.”
“You heard how persistent he was with me. What if he tries to contact her? Why should she . . . no, why should we have to pay the price for their cruelty?” A fresh wave of tears pours down my face.
Her eyes widen. “I’m not defending him. I’m not, but . . .” She chews the inside of her mouth. “What if there’s more to the story? He made it sound like whatever it is he wants to tell you is important.”
“I can’t handle learning more about that night.” I sniff back tears and try to compose myself. “I just can’t.”
Eve’s eyes shine as well, and I force myself to turn away, unable to witness her pain on my behalf.
“Eve!” I hear a banging knock on the door and Cameron’s bellowing voice. “You in here?”
I sniff and wipe my cheeks. “Crap.”
“Yeah, I’m here. Give me a sec.”
“You with Layla? Daniels’s up here looking for her!” He calls through the door.
“Yeah, I’m here.” I take a quick peek at my splotchy face and bloodshot eyes. No way they’ll buy that I wasn’t crying. Fuck!
Eve lifts her eyebrows, and I nod that I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. We move out of the bathroom to find a concerned-looking Cameron. His glare moves between Eve and me, but thankfully his woman wraps her arms around his neck and pulls his lips to hers. “Hey, babe. Just a little girl talk is all.”
I duck my chin and move back toward my desk where Blake is sitting, one half of his ass on the top and his hand on his hip. He’s wearing training clothes, and his hair looks damp.
“Hey, Bla—”
“What the fuck is going on, Layla?” His eyes move from my forehead to my cheeks, eyes, and land on my lips.
I give him a shy smile and dab my cheeks with my fingertips. “Got a little emotional talking to Eve.”
His eyes dart to Eve, who thankfully is still facing Cameron and dropping kisses along his jaw so Blake can’t see the guilt she’s probably wearing on her expression. “Emotional? Talking about what?”
“Oh ya know . . .” I roll my eyes. “Babies, puppies, diaper commercials, the normal stuff.”