Page 59 of My One

“You’re lying.”

I grinned. “You can wait.”

“What if it’s something private?”

I stopped at a red light and turned my gaze on her. “This is Easton and Brooke.”

“I know, but what if?”

“We’ve been friends with those two practically our entire lives. We don’t have secrets, right?”

“I know we have, and you’re right, but this is about your mom. I just want to make sure.”

“Whatever it is, I would tell Easton anyway. And I assume you’d tell Brooke too.” The light turned green.

“You’re right. I’m just anxious and want to know what it is already.”

I chuckled. “Me too, baby. But we can wait another few minutes.”

Having Nicole by my side through all of this was really what kept me sane. She had always been my breath of fresh air, the one to make me smile when everything around me felt as though it was crashing down. Since being together, we’d had a great life, an even better marriage, but there were days when the stress of running a business, or drama at work for her, would make us feel as though the odds were against us. She was the one who could get me through anything. This time in California was no different, and I fucking loved her.

Staring at her for a moment, I hoped and prayed that I wouldn’t turn out like my father. At some point, he had to have been a decent man for my mother to have fallen in love with him. Maybe I was a mistake. Maybe they never planned to have me. I didn’t know, but that thought made me nervous. Was there a switch waiting to be flipped when I became a father? Everyone more or less becomes their parents, right? Or take on some of their traits? What if this was a Scott trait?

I pulled into the parking lot of the batting cages and taco stand and Easton pulled in behind me. Just like the other day, there was a line. It made me think that we needed to open a taco stand/batting cage back in New York. That would be epic.

“You didn’t tell us it was at a batting cage,” Easton stated as he walked up to where Nic and I were getting out of the car.

“Surprise?” I laughed.

“Are they really good?” Brooke asked.

“Ah-maz-ing,” Nicole confirmed and opened the backseat door to grab the safety deposit box contents.

“Well, let’s go. I’m starving,” Brooke stated.

Nic tilted her head as she stared at B. “Are you pregnant?”

Brooke balked. “No. Why?”

Nic shrugged. “Just asking.”

I looked at Easton, and he shrugged too. Last I’d heard, B was still on her medications. I slapped Easton on the back. “Let’s go. They have beer too. After we eat, we can hit a few rounds in the cage.”

“Hell yeah,” he agreed.

Nicole put the papers into her purse, and I knew it was killing her to stand in line as we waited to place our order. “You want to go find us a seat?” I asked her.

She hesitated for a few moments. “Sure. B, want to go look at the menu and then just tell E what you want?”

“Sure,” Brooke agreed.

“Thank you for coming,” I said to Easton as our women walked away.

“Of course. I knew you’d do it for me,” he replied.

“Yeah, but Jimmy and Jane are like my parents. Circumstances would be different.”

“Still.” He shrugged. “You’re my best friend.”