A Lie for a Lie (All In, #1)(59)
“I’m so sorry, Lainey.”
“Me too.” I reach for my glass of wine and take an unsteady sip. “I actually moved in with my oldest sister and her family for a little while because of the tension with my parents. I needed space, and I couldn’t get any. I finished my master’s thesis, and then Eden suggested I come out for a visit. I took a plane that time because I wasn’t too far along to fly. I fell in love with the aquarium and the independence. I didn’t want to go back to Washington, but at the time I didn’t have a choice. Until the position came available at the aquarium.”
“So you took it and drove out here on your own.”
“Eden flew out, and we drove back together. My parents weren’t happy, obviously, but I needed the space and the ability to prove not just to them but to myself that I could do this.”
“You know you’re amazing, right? After everything you’ve been through—and then handling a pregnancy on your own, coming here, raising a baby alone.”
“I’ve had lots of support. And my job is fantastic. I have flexible hours. It’s right across the street. I can even do research at home when I need to. The medical and other benefits are excellent. As far as moves go, this one has been great—for me, at least.”
“Have your parents at least met Kody?”
“Oh yes. They came out to visit as soon as he was born. Tried to convince me to come home, but I was settled and determined, so I stayed.” I flip the first album closed and open the second one, setting it between us. The first picture is the birth announcement.
“Kodiak RJ Carver,” RJ murmurs, tracing the edge of the photo. “Kody. I can’t believe I didn’t put it together.”
I look up at him, a little embarrassed but more nostalgic than anything. “We made a lot of special memories there. Well, they were special for me.”
“It was the same for me, Lainey.” His eyes are soft, his tone earnest. “I want to make more of those with you. With both of you.”
CHAPTER 21
THE FALL BACK IN
Lainey
RJ left an hour ago—he kissed me on the cheek, which was very respectable and sweet. I’m disappointed, and then again I’m not, because I don’t think I’m ready to explore the chemistry that’s still very much present between us yet, and maybe he could sense that.
I’m about to give Kody his midnight feeding when my phone rings. I check the caller and see that it’s my mother. “Mom, why are you calling me at midnight?”
“Because I just got off the phone with Walter, and he informed me that a male visitor just left your apartment, that’s why I’m calling. Lainey Patricia Carver, you have a four-month-old baby—you can’t be entertaining men at midnight!” she shrieks in my ear. “I don’t know what in the devil has gotten into you, but Walter is absolutely devastated. Devastated. I raised you better than this. You are not some kind of hussy who spreads your legs for a man just because he’s attractive. Have you learned nothing from your mistakes?”
I grit my teeth, annoyed that Walter had the audacity to tell my mother about RJ. “First of all, Walter has no business calling you to tattle on me—”
“He didn’t call me. I called him because you hadn’t returned my call from over six hours ago. Six hours, Lainey! I’m a wreck over here!”
I take a deep breath and try to find some calm. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you right back. I was busy—”
“Being a floozy!” she shouts.
“First of all, you have no idea what was going on here. You’re making false assumptions, and the name-calling is unnecessary. I have not ever been, nor will I ever tolerate being called, a floozy—especially by my own mother. Secondly, I will not allow you to make me feel bad for allegedly engaging in a healthy physical relationship with someone I cared very deeply for.”
She scoffs. “He left you there—”
“Don’t,” I snap. “Don’t try to spin it in a way that makes it seem less than it was. We cared about each other, and unforeseen circumstances separated us. And while I agree that my falling pregnant was not ideal, I do not regret a moment of the time I spent with RJ or that I now have Kody.” The only thing I regretted was waiting until it was too late to tell him how I felt about him.
“That doesn’t explain why you’re tromping all over poor Walter’s feelings.”
My parents met Walter when they came out to meet Kody after he was born, and my mother instantly took a liking to him—so when I told her we’d become friends she was ecstatic, and she was even happier when I told her we’d gone on a date. Now I wish I’d kept that information to myself. “If you’d stop interrupting, I’d be able to explain that by some great karmic chance, RJ and I have reconnected. He lives here in Chicago, and he was here tonight, not some random male visitor I was flaunting in a bid to hurt poor Walter. And while I feel badly about the situation—and Walter—under the circumstances, I think it’s quite reasonable that RJ and I at least attempt to see if we can make this work between us, for the good of our child.”
“But I thought you said he was an alpaca farmer in New York—how can he live in Chicago?”