Page 136 of Fierce-Baker

She shook her head. “Not yet. He hasn’t gotten back to me. He said he would, but… nothing. Maybe he’s lining up an attorney. I don’t know.”

“And you hate waiting,” he said, his eyes searching for any clue as to what was racing in her mind.

“There’s nothing I can do aboutthatsituation.”

The way she emphasized it sent a prickle up his spine. “But there’s something youcando about another one?”

Her gaze dropped. “I don’t want to fight,” she said softly. “And I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You’re not,” he said, though it took effort to keep his voice even. “I’m giving you space when everything in me is telling me not to.”

She swallowed. “I appreciate it. I do. But I think I need more. For now. It would be best for everyone.”

The words hit hard, familiar in the worst possible way.

It felt like history repeating itself. Like he’d opened his hands, offered everything, or been ready to, and still came up empty.

“Not best for me,” he said, his edge slipping through despite his control.

He wanted to shout. To tell her she was wrong.

He wasn’t running, so why was she?

“It is for me,” she said, her voice a little stronger. “You’ve got a lot going on in your life. I know you do. You’re trying to push it off, but it’s there.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your father. Your mother.”

He waved his hand. “Tasha, I’ve been dealing with that shit my whole life. This isn’t anything more.”

“Is it?” she argued. “I know. I’ve talked to Brittany. She’s trying to brush it off and her doing that tells me it’s something neither of you wants me to know. I get it. It’s not my business, but I don’t need to put my crap on your shoulders either.”

He ground his teeth. He had no idea Brittany was talking to Tasha about their parents.

“There isn’t anything to hide. I haven’t hidden once what was going on there.”

“You’re not hiding the words,” she said slowly, “you’re hiding how they make you feel.”

A short, bitter laugh tore out of him. “Are you kidding me? You don’t know me well enough to decide how Ifeelabout anything beyond what I tell you. And Iamtelling you the truth. I’ve been honest from the beginning. I can handle it. I can handle Alexa getting engaged. I can handle whatever is happening with you. What I’m sick of”—his voice rose despite himself, —“is people assuming I can’t handle things when I’ve been carrying everyone else my entire life.”

She recoiled like he’d lashed out physically.

“Whoa. Stop.” Her eyes widened. “Alexa is engaged? Since when? How do you even know? Why haven’t I heard a word about this?”

“Because it wasn’t worth bringing up,” he said flatly. “It means nothing to me.”

“If it means nothing,” she shot back, “why say itnow?”

He dragged a hand through his hair. “Because it slipped. It slipped because my mother was riding me again. Telling me I don’t know how to love, don’t know how to keep someone, thatif I can’t figure it out I’ll always be alone. And then she threw in that even Alexa has moved on. That she’s engaged.”

She started pacing and every word he’d just said, he wished he could have rewound.

“That still doesn’t change the fact that you could have told me,” she said. “It makes me think itisbothering you. You’ve been quiet for weeks. How am I supposed to know you’re not replaying that relationship in your head and comparing it to us?”

“Don’t give me that shit,” he snapped.

“Lower your voice,” she said sharply. “I’m not waking Micah.”