with me,” I mutter.
Hutton frowns. Channing, Exeter, and Tulip share her expression, equally. I watch them, wondering if they know something that I don’t know. They don’t. Can’t. Stephanie walked away, didn’t even bother saying goodbye, again.
“But I thought you guys reconciled? I mean, I figured she’d be back,” Channing mutters. “She seemed really conflicted when I saw her last.”
Shaking my head, I lift my hand and run my fingers through my hair, wishing I would have worn my hat tonight. I don’t know why, but I feel more comfortable in uncomfortable situations when I have my straw hat on, and this shit is uncomfortable.
“Don’t matter,” I mutter. “I’m givin’ y’all free rein on setting me up on blind dates, figured you’d be more than happy to do that.”
“Oh, we are,” Exeter says, her lips curving up into a smile. “You just leave it up to us. We’ll find you some nice girls.”
“Ones I haven’t already fucked and forgot?”
“That might be difficult,” Hutton mutters. “Your reputation and your roaming dick have traveled far and wide around these parts.”
“I know that’s not supposed to be a compliment, but not gonna lie, totally felt like one.” I grin.
They roll their eyes and let out a few girlish giggles. Reaching for baby Fender, I take him from Hutton’s arms and we leave the women to their plotting and planning. Holding him close, I wonder, not for the first time, if I’ll ever have one of my own.
Maybe this new plan of mine wasn’t so stupid. I could have my own little one in a couple of years. That is something to look forward to, if nothing else.
“Here he comes,” Rylan grunts.
“Oh, so you’re talking about me, too?” I ask as I bounce Fender in my arms.
Lifting my head, I look up to Beaumont who only has eyes for his baby and is staring intently. That. I want that. Maybe it’s something I shouldn’t want the way that I do. Maybe it’s not manly, but fuck it, I want it.
“Some shit was leaked, nothing you need to worry about,” Wyatt says a bit too quickly.
“Shit was leaked?” I ask.
Beaumont groans at the same time Louis joins him. “You know how the paparazzi is, it’s mostly bullshit,” Beaumont says as he reaches for Fender.
I hand the baby over, thinking that whatever they’re about to tell me is going to piss me right the fuck off and I don’t want to have a baby in my arms when I get pissed off. Crossing my arms over my chest, I flick my gaze from man to man, waiting for my answer.
“Just show him,” Rylan murmurs. “He deserves to know. He could look it up on his own.”
Beaumont and Wyatt both sigh, but it’s Beaumont who delivers the news. “There’re pictures of her with him. Rumor is they’re back together. Personally, I think it just looks like they met for lunch, then went on a walk.”
I nod my head, my body filling with rage from his words alone. It shouldn’t. I shouldn’t give a fuck what or who she does. She told me herself that she was going to go back and talk to him.
For whatever asinine reason, I care that she is with him, that she was seen with him. I fucking hate it too. His words make my entire body fill with complete rage, my blood actually boils beneath my skin at the thought of her with that fuck.
“Good for her,” I grind out.
“You want me to get the info?” Beaumont asks.
Shaking my head, I run my fingers through my hair again, tugging on the ends. “No,” I bark.
“No?” Wyatt asks.
Shaking my head, I try to push down the rage, the hurt, and the pain from their news. “No,” I rasp. “She’s made her choice. I told her I would be here for her. I told her that I wanted her, that we’d make it work and she ran from me, again. It’s obvious that all she wanted was to fuck a couple times. She took her orgasms and left.”
Saying the words aloud, coming to the realization that it’s what she must have truly wanted from me, fuck, it makes me feel like complete shit. Exhaling a sharp breath, I shrug my shoulder.
“I’m moving on. It’s been long enough,” I announce. Lifting my hand, I toss my thumb over my shoulder where the girls are all huddled up. “Asked the girls to find me someone nice in town. Set me up on a couple of blind