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I don’t move from my current spot, watching her say something to the cab driver before closing the door and turning this way. She sees me two steps later, lips pressing tight together as she continues toward the stairs I’m sitting on.
“Those are filthy,” she states when she reaches me. “You’ll ruin your suit.”
Still, I don’t move.
Collins heaves out a sigh before she climbs and sits next to me,setting her bag between her feet. As per usual, it’s stuffed full. “How long have you been here?”
“A while.”
“I had an engagement party to go to after work.”
“Whose party?”
“Aimee.” Collins shifts, tightening the strip of wool holding her coat together. “She’s part of the legal department. She has quite the crush on you actually. She’d probably leave her fiancé if you asked.”
I say nothing.
I’ve had two and a half hours to decide what to tell her, but I’m still struggling for the right words.
I exhale, resting my elbows on my knees. “I hate fighting with you, Collins. I’ve always liked arguing with you, but fighting? For real? I hate it.”
“I do too.” She bites her bottom lip. “I’m sorry about the paternity test. I really—it never occurred to me that you’d beupsetabout it.”
“I know.” I reach for her hand, lacing our chilly fingers together. I think it’s above freezing out, but not by much.
Collins releases a surprised breath at the contact, but doesn’t pull away, which I take as an encouraging sign.
“Ichasedyou because I wanted to be around you, Collins, not because it was a game. You are the one person I’ve ever met who doesn’twantanything from me. Who doesn’t expect me to be … Kit Kensington. My friends want me to party with them, and my family wants me to grow the hell up. Strangers think they know me because we were at the same club once. This baby is the first thing in my life that’s been … a fresh start—almost. Pomegranate doesn’t know how much money I have or that I wasalmostarrested in Monaco once.”
She smiles reluctantly.
“I got used to the baby being separate from the rest of my life. From it being in this special, protected bubble. You said you got the test because you know how my world works. And you were right; a paternity test is probably going to come up at some point. But I didn’twantit to. It caught me off guard—that things weren’t staying separate anymore. I was mad you’d felt like you needed to get one, not mad atyou. I’m sorry I overreacted.”
“Why-why didn’t you ask me for one?” she asks tentatively. “Were you worried about … offending me? Because I want us to be honest?—”
I shake my head. “You want honest? I didn’t ask you for a test because, if you were pregnant, I wanted it to be mine. No one gets handed a present they really fucking want and asks for a gift receipt, Monty.”
She glances down at our joined hands, hiding her expression from me. I wait, holding my breath, terrified the next words out of her mouth are going to includeboundariesorline.
Instead, she tells the ground, “I’m not dating Perry.”
A spark of hope flares to life in my chest. “You’re not?”
“I’m not. Because I don’twantto date him … not because I’m going to be working at the same law firm he does, starting in January.” Collins reaches into her bag with her free hand and extracts a folded sheet that she smooths and sets on my lap. “One of the paralegals in Perry’s department is leaving at the beginning of next year. He recommended me for the position. They offered it to me yesterday.”
I stare at her creased resignation letter.
“I can print a clean copy,” Collins adds hurriedly. “I was going to give it to you at the office earlier. When things … derailed, I decided to wait until tomorrow.”
“Congratulations,” I say.
Her forehead furrows. “Really? That’s it?”
“I told you, I’m sick of fighting. As long as this is what you want, I’ll support it.”
She exhales in obvious relief, and I hate the sound of it. Hate that she was so worried about telling me.
“Thanks,” Collins whispers.