Wrong Question, Right Answer (The Bourbon Street Boys #3) - Elle Casey Page 0,65
you guys later.”
The entire room responds in a loud chorus. “See you later, Miss Toni!”
I have to rub my chest by my heart to ease the cramp out of it. I am so conflicted right now. I don’t like kids and they don’t like me, but these little guys aren’t so bad. Is it possible my kid won’t be so bad? Is it possible he won’t hate me? I don’t even want to think about it.
Taking things in steps feels like a good idea. I think I just need to do everything one step at a time, one day at a time. Kind of like handling alcoholism. The analogy doesn’t seem so far off to me. After everything happened with Charlie, I realized that I’m addicted to darkness, but having a child is the opposite of that. I never would’ve chosen this for myself, but it has been chosen for me, or it has been chosen as a result of my irresponsibility and lack of forethought. Either way, I know that there’s no room in my life for both darkness and light. One of them is going to have to win out, and I pray it will be the latter; but if my history holds, it will be the former.
What will that mean for my child? The inevitable answer pops into my head, making me want to cry. But maybe it wouldn’t be so awful if my child grew up in a single-parent home with Lucky in charge. Maybe they’d both be better off without me. The whole idea makes me sadder than sad. When I walk out onto the porch and the three men standing there immediately stop talking, the feeling only grows.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Thibault, Ozzie, and Lucky move apart as I approach. I feel as though I’ve broken up a very private conversation, and it pisses me off. Lucky is not one of my bosses; there is no reason for him to be in on a private conversation with Ozzie and Thibault without me present, unless of course they’re talking about me and they don’t want me to know what they’re saying.
I walk up and fill the space they’ve left for me, nodding at Thibault and Ozzie, but ignoring Lucky. I can’t even look at him right now. I don’t trust my emotions not to run away on me.
“Hey,” Ozzie says.
“Hey.” I glance at Thibault and he nods at me.
“What’s up?” Ozzie’s expression shows only curiosity. It gives me hope that these guys haven’t been standing here talking about me.
“Can I talk to you for a sec? Privately?”
Ozzie shrugs. “Sure.” He looks at the guys. “Could you give us a minute?”
Thibault says, “Sure.”
Lucky shakes his head. “I’d like to stay.” He folds his arms over his chest.
I turn on him. “You’re not invited to the conversation.”
He opens his mouth to say something, but Ozzie steps in, his hand up almost in Lucky’s face. “I don’t want to hear it. Toni has asked for a private meeting and she’s gonna get it.”
For a moment there’s a blaze of defiance in Lucky’s eyes, but then he looks away and backs off. “I’ll be inside.”
Thibault moves toward the back door and pushes Lucky on the shoulder, keeping him in front of him. Lucky jerks his back away, his anger showing in his body language.
I watch him go with a scowl. How dare he think he can decide who I talk to and what I say? He is totally off the range, and I’m definitely going to make sure Ozzie knows that I don’t appreciate it.
I wait until they’re inside the house with the door shut before I turn back to my boss. “Well. So. How’d you like that drama?”
Ozzie sticks his thumbs in the corners of his front pockets. His chest and biceps bulge out at me as he throws his shoulders back. I’m used to it. He’s always been big, and he never skips a workout. It makes me feel safe to know that this guy has my back and my best interests at heart.
“Something is going on, I take it.”
I look up at him. “You noticed?” I try to laugh, but it comes out sounding kind of crazy. I give up on finding humor in the situation and go back to bare honesty. “Lucky is driving me nuts and I just need it to stop.”
Ozzie frowns and tilts his head in confusion. “I think I missed something.”
Okay, so the guys definitely did not tell Ozzie about my pregnancy. Points for