Page 19 of Please Open Me
Not having her integrated into the family made this feel... temporary. She wasn’t theother woman, everyone knew about her, but she was still an outsider. Though of course I didn't expect her to date everyone in the house, shedidneed to get along with them. That was my one deal breaker.
Well, that and hard drugs.
“Hey... speaking of being a mom,” Mattie paused, rubbing the back of her neck. “When was your last period?”
I choked, again.
I forced the half-chewed bread down with a gulp of lemonade. Part of me expected her to laugh or to say it was a joke.
She didn’t.
I wiped my mouth with a napkin to buy more time, but that’s when I realized—I couldn’tremember.
“April... I think.” It was after the twins’ birthday but before Memorial Day. “But they’ve been weird since I had Rosie.”
Plus, I was breastfeeding. That had to mean something.
“Look, if you say you’re okay, I believe you.” Mattie gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “But if you’re pregnant—which is fine—I need to know for workout purposes.”
I nodded, trying to pretend the world wasn’t spinning.
Rosie was seven months old.
She wasn’t even crawling yet.
The last time I had a baby, I nearly died.
Getting pregnant againwasn’tresponsible. I had so much to—
“Mase, you look like you’re going to hurl,” Mattie said cautiously.
I felt like it, too, but I forced a weak smile. “Just tired.”
She looked skeptical, but she didn’t push.
“If you’re that tired, I don’t think you should drive home. I’ll take you.”
Her offer was sweet, but I still had to pick up the kids from daycare. Mattie wasn’t an option.
“I’ll call someone,” I promised without having the faintest idea who I’d call.
But just as I started to consider who might be the least busy, the bell above the café door chimed.
And just like that, I had my answer.
Chapter 6
Sebastian
When I asked Lucian to set me up with an apprenticeship at his shop, I assumed most of my days would be spent piercing ears or organizing jewelry. And—for the most part—that was true. But I was also the shop bitch.
“Sebastian, go take out the trash. Sebastian, clean the bathroom. Sebastian, we’re thirsty–go get coffee.” I changed my voice to mock them as I pulled a crumpled sheet of paper from my pocket.
It had everyone's orders scribbled down like I was some underpaid waitstaff. I had a Ph.D., for Christ’s sake. I used to kill people for a living, and now I was fetching four iced coffees fromLoaves of Lovelike a glorified intern.
I should spit in Lucian’s.
At least if I embraced my title as theprophetof the Sons of Christ, I wouldn’t have to do this shit. But then I’d have... other problems. So maybe getting Sera’s overly sweetened latte wouldn’t kill me. Not today, at least.
