Page 17 of Hollywood

“Me too,” he murmured.

I turned to Aiden. “Did Ruby come in with a diaper bag? She needs a change.”

Kelly clucked. “She’s barely started any potty training. She got sick recently, and it set her back.”

“Sorry, no bags were brought in. But I can arrange a change.” Aiden held out his arms, and I delivered a sleepy Ruby. “I’ll just get her cleaned up and see if we can find her a nice blankie to take home.”

“Thank you,” Hollywood said, sounding relieved.

I turned to Joyride. “Can you go buy him a pack of Huggies?” I glanced at Ruby. “Get the 2T Pullups. Some sippy cups too. Get some snacks like Cheerios and Goldfish. Oh, and apple juice. Get a big jug.”

“Got it,” Joyride said.

“I’ll go with him,” Ghost offered.

“Thanks, guys,” Hollywood said, voice thin.

Kelly raised an eyebrow. “Color me impressed. You must have kids.”

“Nope. Just the favorite uncle, but I’ve done my share of babysitting.”

“Well, that’s a start. Hendrix is going to need the help.”

My heart jumped. I hadn’t intended to promise anything. But the way Hollywood was looking at me—like I was his lifeline in a turbulent ocean—made me rethink my plans.

He was out of his depth. He needed help.

If I could be there for him, show him that I really cared, maybe we could repair our friendship. Even if he never spoke to me again, I couldn’t imagine leaving him to deal with all this on his own.

“I’m happy to lend a hand.” I turned to Hollywood. “I better head out so I can get over to Hayworth and back before too late. Just take Ruby home and get her settled.”

“We’ll help out how we can too,” Knight said.

It was hard to make myself turn away, but the sooner I left, the sooner I could be back. I pressed a hand to Hollywood’s back, letting it linger long enough he threw me a surprised glance.

“Hang in there. I’ll be back soon.”

He swallowed. “Yeah. I can handle it.”

I smiled. “Of course you can.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to call him darlin’, as I had Ruby. I bit it back. Now was not the time to let my messy feelings come spilling out. I’d pushed them down, lied to myself about them, tried to forget them. None of it had worked. But Hollywood had more important things on his mind—and he needed a friend, not a confused-as-fuck man who couldn’t figure out his sexuality.

I made the drive to Hayworth as quickly as I could while adhering to mostly safe speeds. I called ahead to my sister so she’d be ready for me.

When I arrived, the garage was open, light spilling out, and my sister—a fairly dainty thing at five-foot-four—was dragging a toddler bed out from the back.

I backed the truck into the drive, tailgate facing the house, and hopped out. “Hey, let me do that!”

She stopped, panting, and swiped her hair back. “Figured you’d want to get back as soon as you can.”

“You figured right,” I said, joining her by the little bed. “But I can do the labor. You just direct me.”

“Fair enough. Lanie just grew out of this. I was thinking of selling it or something, so take it for as long as you need.”

“Thanks.”

“There’s a booster seat in the back and a potty chair and some old clothes and toys. Grab anything you want.”