hormones are all out of whack, and you feel like you know everything there is to know about life. Let the kid blow off some steam. He’ll come around.”
“Easy for you to say,” I groused. “He’s not your kid.”
Offended, she squared her shoulders and glared at me. “I love Linc, too. Like you, I don’t want anything bad to happen to him. But, Ben, he hasn’t had it easy. Give him a break.”
“Normally, I would,” I countered. “But he called last night, telling me that my mother said he could live with her.”
“Oh, no,” Maggie breathed, wringing her hands. “Why would she do that? Is she nuts?!”
“We’ve known that for some time, Mags,” I muttered, scrubbing my face. “I don’t plan on saying yes, but I didn’t tell him no.”
Frowning, Lyric questioned, “But he assumed, right?”
“Yep,” I confirmed.
“And you stayed out all night knowing this?!” Maggie cried, horrified.
I was already kicking myself in the ass for not realizing the ramifications of that call. I didn’t need Maggie’s criticism on top of that.
Lyric spoke up, “Mags, that’s not your place. What Ben does in his free time and how he makes his decisions are none of your concern.”
“She’s right, Mags. That’s a low blow.”
Maggie wilted under our reproach. “Sorry. I know.” She ran a hand down her pregnant belly, shaking her head. “These damn hormones make me irrational and crazy sometimes. I know this isn’t your fault, Ben. I’m just scared. This city is so different from home.”
I let it slide and asked, “Has he answered your calls?”
If I tried, he’d ignore me. He wouldn’t Maggie, though – he adored her.
“No, Ben. His phone is off.”
Why did I have a feeling she’d say that?
“His friends?” I questioned, the weight of the world on my shoulders.
“They don’t know where he is.”
“Right. Okay.” I pursed my lips and went through the options in my head. “We’ll give him ’til noon. If he hasn’t checked in, or we still can’t find him, I’ll start going to his friends’ houses. They could be covering for him, but their mothers won’t. We’ll find him eventually.”
“I don’t know where all of them live,” Maggie pointed out, shifting nervously. “A lot of the time they come here.”
“I’m sure there are ways to find out. If not, Linc has to turn his phone on at some point. He won’t go too long without it – that thing is glued to his hand twenty-four-seven. When that happens, I can track the GPS on his phone. We’ll find him.”
“I hope you’re right, Ben,” Maggie murmured, slumping into the couch.
I walked to the window and rested my ass on the sill, my exhaustion getting the better of me. “Me too, Mags. Me too.”
“Now that is out of the way…” Lyric’s smile was sly and eager. “How’s Miss Carolina this morning?”
“Lyric…” I warned.
Maggie giggled, her eyes brightening with glee. “I couldn’t believe it when Paul told me you went home with someone. Then to find out that she was the one you were telling me about… That’s crazy, Ben.”
These women…
“Are we really doing this?” I questioned, exasperated.
“Come on,” Lyric urged. “Just give us some details.”
I scoffed, “Hell, no. Why would I do something like that?”
“Not details, details ,” Lyric clarified. “There’s some things I don’t need to know.”
“Is that right?” I drawled. If Lyric had her way, she’d want to know the exact positions.
“Oh, come on! I just want to know if you had fun…if you like her. Come on, Benjy.” She pouted and gave me big, puppy-dog eyes. “You can tell me anything.”
I chuckled and massaged my forehead. “I have no idea how to respond to that, Lyric.”
Maggie’s voice came out small. “Do you care about her, Ben? Or was it a one-night thing?”
Shit.
Even Lyric seemed uncomfortable with the sound of Maggie’s voice.
I couldn’t ignore Maggie when she questioned me. In fact,
“Easy for you to say,” I groused. “He’s not your kid.”
Offended, she squared her shoulders and glared at me. “I love Linc, too. Like you, I don’t want anything bad to happen to him. But, Ben, he hasn’t had it easy. Give him a break.”
“Normally, I would,” I countered. “But he called last night, telling me that my mother said he could live with her.”
“Oh, no,” Maggie breathed, wringing her hands. “Why would she do that? Is she nuts?!”
“We’ve known that for some time, Mags,” I muttered, scrubbing my face. “I don’t plan on saying yes, but I didn’t tell him no.”
Frowning, Lyric questioned, “But he assumed, right?”
“Yep,” I confirmed.
“And you stayed out all night knowing this?!” Maggie cried, horrified.
I was already kicking myself in the ass for not realizing the ramifications of that call. I didn’t need Maggie’s criticism on top of that.
Lyric spoke up, “Mags, that’s not your place. What Ben does in his free time and how he makes his decisions are none of your concern.”
“She’s right, Mags. That’s a low blow.”
Maggie wilted under our reproach. “Sorry. I know.” She ran a hand down her pregnant belly, shaking her head. “These damn hormones make me irrational and crazy sometimes. I know this isn’t your fault, Ben. I’m just scared. This city is so different from home.”
I let it slide and asked, “Has he answered your calls?”
If I tried, he’d ignore me. He wouldn’t Maggie, though – he adored her.
“No, Ben. His phone is off.”
Why did I have a feeling she’d say that?
“His friends?” I questioned, the weight of the world on my shoulders.
“They don’t know where he is.”
“Right. Okay.” I pursed my lips and went through the options in my head. “We’ll give him ’til noon. If he hasn’t checked in, or we still can’t find him, I’ll start going to his friends’ houses. They could be covering for him, but their mothers won’t. We’ll find him eventually.”
“I don’t know where all of them live,” Maggie pointed out, shifting nervously. “A lot of the time they come here.”
“I’m sure there are ways to find out. If not, Linc has to turn his phone on at some point. He won’t go too long without it – that thing is glued to his hand twenty-four-seven. When that happens, I can track the GPS on his phone. We’ll find him.”
“I hope you’re right, Ben,” Maggie murmured, slumping into the couch.
I walked to the window and rested my ass on the sill, my exhaustion getting the better of me. “Me too, Mags. Me too.”
“Now that is out of the way…” Lyric’s smile was sly and eager. “How’s Miss Carolina this morning?”
“Lyric…” I warned.
Maggie giggled, her eyes brightening with glee. “I couldn’t believe it when Paul told me you went home with someone. Then to find out that she was the one you were telling me about… That’s crazy, Ben.”
These women…
“Are we really doing this?” I questioned, exasperated.
“Come on,” Lyric urged. “Just give us some details.”
I scoffed, “Hell, no. Why would I do something like that?”
“Not details, details ,” Lyric clarified. “There’s some things I don’t need to know.”
“Is that right?” I drawled. If Lyric had her way, she’d want to know the exact positions.
“Oh, come on! I just want to know if you had fun…if you like her. Come on, Benjy.” She pouted and gave me big, puppy-dog eyes. “You can tell me anything.”
I chuckled and massaged my forehead. “I have no idea how to respond to that, Lyric.”
Maggie’s voice came out small. “Do you care about her, Ben? Or was it a one-night thing?”
Shit.
Even Lyric seemed uncomfortable with the sound of Maggie’s voice.
I couldn’t ignore Maggie when she questioned me. In fact,
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