Page 27

Easton

P aige’s parting words linger in my mind long after she’s gone. “Think about it, okay?”

It’s been over twenty-four hours. In fact, we’re pushing thirty-six, and I’m still doing as she asked— thinking about it —and it’s driving me fucking crazy. It makes sense to walk away. It’s casual sex, and we don’t need it fucking up our lives, but at the same time, walking away doesn’t feel like an option anymore.

Yes, I have Isaac to think about. And I’ve been thinking about him 24-7. He’s usually all I think about. But I’ve got to believe that as long as it doesn’t affect my time with him, and Paige doesn’t disappear, then it’s not hurting him. Right?

Or wrong?

Fuck, I don’t know. But what I do know is that it shouldn’t be this complicated for a casual fling. Maybe we’re putting too much stock into it. Maybe it’s best to just see what happens. We just fuck if we find a moment that presents itself, and don’t if we don’t.

It worked with us in the beginning. It could work again.

When I pull into the parking lot at the stadium Monday morning, it’s suspiciously empty. But who am I to complain? I’d much rather work out alone than listen to the guys go on and on about the event Saturday night—we were all there; we know how it went.

Taking my time, I’ve just made it to the door when my phone rings. Mom .

“Is everything okay?” I ask as I answer. I only left them thirty minutes ago.

“We’re fine but Isaac wants to wear his Halloween T-shirt and I can’t find it.”

“His what?”

“His Halloween T-shirt. He said he’s got one with a truck on it.”

I rack my brain, but for the life of me, I can’t picture what he’s talking about. “I don’t think-”

“Mom said she got it for me,” Isaac calls out in the background, his voice shaky. I pause, my eyes falling shut as I try to remain calm. It’s not them I’m angry at.

“Can you please put Isaac on the phone?” I ask before taking a deep breath.

“Of course. I’m sorry, he didn’t say that before.”

“You haven’t done anything wrong, Mom.”

Isaac comes on the phone but stays quiet.

“Are you okay, Buddy?”

“No.”

“Can I help?”

A few cars pull into the parking lot, so I duck around the side of the building, out of the way as Isaac sniffs. “Do you know where my Halloween shirt is?”

“Your Halloween shirt?”

“Yeah.”

I pause and my shoulders drop. The way I see it, I have two options, and as much as it pains me, I have to be the bigger person here. “It might be in the washer. Can you wear something else today and I’ll have it ready for you tomorrow? The one with the truck, right?” I ask, going along with what Mom said.

“I want it today.” Isaac begins to cry and it breaks me.

“I know you do, Buddy. I’m sorry. I wanted to make sure it was clean for Halloween.” God, now I’m taking the blame.

He’s silent again before he sniffs. “Okay. I’ll wear it tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” I bite back a relieved sigh. “I love you.”

“Lub you.” He hangs up before letting me speak to my mom, and I groan as I note the time. I was early and now I’m going to be late because I have to find a goddamn Halloween T-shirt. Thank God, it’s the right time of year.

I shouldn’t have lied about washing it, but I’m sick of seeing his disappointed little face or hearing his broken voice whenever Macy fucks up. It’s not his fault she’s unreliable.

Taking a deep breath, I dial Macy, the last person I want to speak to, and release a slow drawn-out breath before she answers.

“Hey, Baby,” she says in a childish voice.

“It’s not Isaac.”

“Oh. It’s been a while since you’ve called me.”

“I’m not calling for a friendly chat. Isaac said you promised him a Halloween T-shirt.”

Macy laughs. “I didn’t think he’d remember that.”

“You didn’t—” I stop myself from attacking her because it’s not going to get me the information I need. “Do you remember what it looked like or where it was from?”

“It was from Macy’s.” She laughs like she always does when either one of us mentions the department store with her name. I used to laugh, or at least smile, but now I’ve got nothing.

“Can you send me a photo?”

“It was Halloween with a truck.”

“I know that, but there could be more than one.”

“Ugh, fine. I’ll send it when I finish at the nail salon. I’ve got you on speaker, by the way. Say hello to Easton Wilder, everyone.”

Fuuck. My fist clenches as I grit my teeth. “Send me the photo, Macy. It’s for Isaac.” I hang up and slam open the door, not even checking if anyone’s nearby before beelining for the locker room, keeping my head down.

But apparently that’s not a clear enough indicator that I want to be left alone because Luke’s in my face the second I step inside.

“I don’t want to hear it,” I preempt whatever he’s about to say, continuing on my path.

But of course, he follows. “You know what, East? I don’t give a fuck what you want because I’m not walking away until you listen.”

Jesus . I groan before dropping onto the chair in front of my locker and raising my hands. “Have at it then.”

“Great. I wanted to say thank you,” he begins softly and my frustration wavers. “I had no idea you did that for Amelia. You told me you watched him leave. You never mentioned…” He trails off but I don’t need him to continue.

“I didn’t—”

“I know you didn’t do it for me. You made that clear last year. I’m thanking you for Amelia.”

“Don’t. It didn’t really stop him, did it?”

My mind flashes back to that day and I tense, swapping one awful person for another. The dick we’re referring to had an issue with Luke’s wife. Though she wasn’t his wife at the time, I don’t think… I never asked about their timeline. But she was pregnant with his baby and this guy—I can’t remember his name —was a piece of shit. I didn’t do what I did for Luke or Amelia specifically. I didn’t give it much thought at all. I just reacted.

And I think it has a lot to do with growing up surrounded by women. If that had been one of my sisters or my mom, I would have done the same thing. So I did.

“You don’t have to thank me,” I add genuinely. “I’m sure you’d do the same for me." Luke’s face lights up and I immediately regret my words. “Don’t,” I warn.

“What?” He lifts his hands in surrender but hits me with his thoughts anyway. “I was only going to ask if there was someone special you needed me to keep an eye on?”

“I can take care of myself and my family.”

“I know you can but—”

“But nothing, Luke. It was a throwaway comment.”

“East.”

“I want you to stay out of my business.”

I grab my phone from my pocket and make a show of bringing up our chat, leaving the group.

Easton left the group

Barely a second passes before both our phones chime with a notification.

Reed added Easton to the group

Motherfucker. I can’t escape this.

My gaze shoots to Reed’s and the guy smirks. There’s not even a hint of apology in his expression.

I offer them both a glare before turning away and aggressively shoving my bag into my locker, ensuring my phone is out of sight and hopefully out of mind. For the sake of this and Macy.

Luke’s still standing behind me when I’m ready for the group workout, so as I walk away we bump shoulders.

“See you in the gym.” He smiles as though all is good. “Let me know if you need someone to spot you.”

My fists clench but I keep walking. I can work out my frustrations during our weight session.

A s soon as I’m back at my locker, I check my phone, holding my breath for an image from Macy. Stupid idea. I’m likely to die before she does something helpful.

Bringing up my search engine, I look for options and find two Halloween tees with trucks on them, so I call in a favor—another favor—with Keeley.

Easton: Any chance you can go to Macy’s (the store) for me on your lunch break?

I’m thankful when she responds right away.

Keeley: What lunch break? What are those?

Typical Keeley. I’d snap back if I wasn’t desperate.

Easton: It’s for Isaac

Keeley: What do you need?

I audibly sigh in relief because if she’d said no, I might have had to actually ask one of the guys for a favor, and that’s the last thing I want to do. But Mom needs me as soon as I’m finished here and I don’t have time to shop.

After sending Keeley the two images and asking her to buy both, I finally relax. Macy owes me big time. And I owe Keeley.

M y body aches as I slump into the mirrored wall of my building’s elevator, two Halloween truck tees in hand. My need to forget about Macy, Luke, and the goddamn group chat meant that I pushed myself to my limits today and I’m feeling it.

But at least I was smart enough not to go over my limit—even while stressed—so recovery shouldn’t take long.

The elevator doors open again, and I look up to find that I’m still in the goddamn lobby. I’ve been so caught up in my head that I never even pushed the button for my floor.

Good one, East.

I curse myself for being so mentally fucked until Paige steps in, immediately changing my mood.

With her nose in her phone, she’s completely oblivious to her surroundings, smiling at something she sees as she brushes a hair off her face. I watch her, my eyes grazing over her skintight black pants and loose-fitting top until she looks up, her eyes widening when she sees me.

“Oh,” she gasps, reaching out to press the button for her floor, the happy surprise in her expression matching my own.

If I wasn’t so busy, this could have been one of those moments I was thinking about. After all, if the opportunity presents itself, who am I to say no? In fact, my cock twitches just thinking about it.

But now is not the time.

I raise an eyebrow and open my mouth to speak when another person rushes in before the doors close.

“Paige. I’m so glad I caught you,” our elevator companion grins as she reaches out to pat Paige’s arm. “I forgot to get you to sign.”

To sign? While their conversation intrigues me, I’m more pissed that I’ve lost my alone time with Paige. I’ve only got a few minutes before I need to be home, and it would have been nice to spend that time talking with her.

Paige throws a smile my way before the two of them exit on the next level and my good mood fades.

At least it does until I walk inside to find Isaac’s expectant gaze staring back at me, and I know that unlike his mom, I didn’t let him down.

“Hey, Buddy. How was your day?”

“Good. We played monster trucks.”

My eyes flash to Mom’s to find her rubbing the base of her spine. “Did Nana get on the floor again?”

Isaac’s nose scrunches. “The trucks don’t fly, Daddy.”

“Very true. So—”

“Can we get my Halloween shirt, please ?”

Luckily, I didn’t bank on him forgetting about it like Macy did. If she bothered to get to know him, she’d quickly discover he never lets things go. “Of course, we can, but I want you to remind me what color it is.”

“Black.” Shit . This is going to be tricky. “And green.” Yes . Got it.

“Thanks, I’ll go and check. You wait here.”

I make a show of going into the laundry room and opening the dryer door before producing the green-and-black Halloween top and hiding the purple-and-black one back in the bag.

“Here you go,” I say, holding it up as I re-enter the room.

“That’s it.” Isaac runs forward and launches himself into my arms. “You found it.”

“I did. How about you go and put it on your bed for the morning?”

He runs off again and Mom raises a brow. “What’s in the bag?” She grins knowingly.

“Another top.” I shrug.

“Just the one? You did well.”

“I had to call her.” Mom’s nose scrunches before she opens her mouth to speak. “Don’t say it. I know. I shouldn’t have let her get away with that, but what was I going to do, break his heart?”

“I wasn’t going to say that.”

“Then what were you going to say?”

“You’re a great dad, Easton. I’m proud of you.”

Her smile widens while I grimace. “I’m really not, but thank you.”

Isaac comes running back into the room, talking animatedly about Halloween, cutting off whatever Mom was going to say in response to my proclamation. But I wouldn’t have listened regardless. Yes, I do all that I can, but I don’t see him enough. And that’s what’s important.

Why can’t life be simpler? Why can’t he have a mom that wants to spend time with him so we can balance the time between us and ensure he’s never without?

My mom is amazing. But it’s taking a toll on her. And I’m not sure how much longer she’s going to cope.

After a quick goodbye, Mom heads home, and I get Isaac off to sleep before eating dinner and crashing on the couch. I don’t sleep well as my mind runs wild processing everything I’ve got going on, and by Tuesday afternoon I’m a little on edge and desperate to relieve some tension.

And I don’t think the gym will do.

Thoughts of Paige run rampant, and I find myself wanting to call her.

Only we never exchanged goddamn numbers.

I grapple with my conscience trying to decide between right and wrong when it comes to Paige, but there’s one argument that reigns supreme. I’m a fucking adult and I don’t play games.

I know what I want. I know my limits and I know how to protect my family. I would never let things with Paige affect that.

So…it’s time to make it happen.