The knock on the trailer door is soft and I let out a breath as I stare at it. I know it’s Baby, it’s exactly nine o’clock. If I ignored him, then he probably would get the hint that I’m not interested, except, that would be stupid. He’s nice, and I could be interested, maybe, if my body would get it together.

I shake my head, forcing my feet to walk toward the door. It doesn’t matter what my body feels at this point. It can’t have who it wants.

Wrapping my hand around the knob, I twist it and open the door with a smile plastered on my face.

“Hey, beautiful,” Baby grins, his blue eyes smiling down at me.

“Come on in,” I greet, standing to the side.

He has a six-pack in one hand and a pink bakery box in the other. He walks right into my tiny kitchen and sets the box down, opening the fridge and placing his beer inside. Before he closes it, he takes one bottle out of the cardboard holder.

Twisting off the cap, he takes a pull, then he looks at me. “I didn’t know what kind of dessert you liked. I figured most bitches liked chocolate,” he shrugs.

I blink, surprised by his casual use of the word bitches. Not that I really care, but I am surprised since he’s never said anything like that to me before. “I do, like chocolate,” I smile.

He takes another pull from his beer, before tipping his chin to the box. I shuffle my feet toward him and reach for the pink package. Slowly, I untie the white string and lift the lid. There are brownies, cookies, and cupcakes filling the box. All chocolate.

“Oh, Baby. This looks delicious,” I smile.

He grins. Reaching for a cookie. I watch as he takes it out and then shoves half of it in his mouth. “You want to watch a movie or something?” he asks, walking out of my kitchen.

“Sure. I don’t really have any though, we’ll have to see what’s on television,” I shrug, reaching for the chocolate cupcake with swirls of chocolate icing, and what looks like even chocolate sprinkles on top.

“Netflix?” he calls out.

I watch as he sinks down onto my small sofa. He takes up almost the entire thing, especially when he spreads his thighs wide.

Clearing my throat, I shake my head. “No Netflix, I’m not home enough to justify spending money on it,” I admit as I make my way closer to him.

I glance at the chair that’s to the side, then at the small area of the sofa that’s available. My booty won’t fit there, so I sit down on the edge of the chair.

Baby seems unbothered by where I’ve chosen to sit down as he points my remote control at my television and starts to flip through the channels.

“Beautiful, your TV is shit,” he announces. The cupcake is suspended halfway in my mouth and I glance over at him. “I’m sorry, but it is. Where’d you get this?” he asks.

I take the bite of chocolate goodness, chewing a few times before I swallow. “Crooner had it in his room, he said he needed to upgrade, so he gave it to me,” I admit.

Baby snorts. “This thing is ancient. I’ll go out tomorrow, get you something decent, and Netflix.”

I shake my head. “No, no. I can’t let you do that,” I say almost pleadingly.

“Hayden, it’s really for me. I can’t come over and hang out with you and look at this shitty TV. It’s really fucking bad. I know you aren’t ready for more than that, so the only option is Netflix and a new TV.”

Pressing my lips together, I roll them around. He’s right, I don’t want to do more than watch television and eat cupcakes with him. I thought that maybe by having him here alone in my house I would feel differently, but so far, I don’t.

“C’mon over here, beautiful,” he calls.

His voice is deep, a little husky, and I gulp down another bite of the cake as I stand. Slowly I make my way toward him, sinking down into the small open square that he isn’t covering, and let out a deep breath. Baby slides his arm around my shoulder and tugs me into his side. Stiffly, I go along with him, stupidly wishing that it were Crooner’s arm around me, and his body I was plastered up against.

The television is low, and I glance up to see that it’s sports. I never pegged Baby for being the athletic type, but he’s got a dick, so I’m sure it’s just part of him. His fingers gently rub circles on my shoulder and it relaxes me enough to sink against him a little more.

“How was work today?” he asks.

I lift my chin, but he’s not looking down at me, he’s staring straight forward at the TV. I watch as he takes a pull from his beer before I answer. “It was good, long,” I say.

“This is going to be good between us, Hayden. Just wait and see,” he murmurs.

I gulp, nodding my head once. I don’t know if there is going to be anything between us, let alone if it’s going to be good, but I don’t tell him that. Laying my head on his chest, I simply breathe.

I don’t know what will happen, if anything will happen, but I’m going to let this thing slowly unfold. I’m not going to push him away, not until I know for sure how I feel. I’m still hung up on Crooner, and until that goes away, I won’t know anything for sure.

My eyelids drop closed and I enjoy Baby’s fingers on my shoulder. It’s calming and soothing. My stomach is full of chocolate cake, and tomorrow is Saturday. Tomorrow I get to spend the entire day with Easton and begin my two favorite days of the week. Saturday and Sunday, my days with my boy.

“Mama,” a voice whispers in my ear.

My entire body jolts straight up and I look around a bit confused. Easton is standing in front of me, and then my eyes shift to the side and I see Baby with his head tipped back and his mouth open in sleep. Dammit, we fell asleep on the couch.

“Morning, baby boy,” I coo, leaning down to scoop up Easton.

Baby snorts next to me, his head lifting. “Huh?”

“We fell asleep,” I giggle as Easton’s arms wrap around my neck and he snuggles in close.

Baby’s eyes look at Easton, and then back up at me and he smiles. “Sorry, beautiful. How about we go out for breakfast though? We’re all awake,” he offers.

I bite my bottom lip and look at Easton, then Baby.

“Cancakes, Mama,” Easton cries.

My stomach drops at the suggestion. I know they’re Easton’s favorite, but the last time I made them, it was for Crooner. “Let’s get the boy some pancakes,” Baby announces.

I nod. I want Easton to have his desires, but I can’t make them for Baby, not yet at least. “Okay, let me take a quick shower.”

“I got him, we’ll watch cartoons,” Baby shrugs.

Hurrying to my bedroom, I shower as quickly as I can, not wanting to leave Easton and Baby alone for long. They don’t really know one another well, and not everybody has patience when it comes to toddlers. When I’m dressed in a pair of jeans and a tank top, I slip my feet into some flip-flops, throw my hair in a messy bun and rush out of the room to find both of them sitting on the couch next to one another.

Easton is staring at the television and I look over to see that Mickey Mouse is playing. “Thanks, Baby. I’ll just get him ready and then we can go.”

“Can I use your bathroom, so I don’t smell like last night’s beer?” he winks.

I nod as I pick Easton up. I feel so awkward and we haven’t even done anything. My face heats with the thought, if I feel this way now, what will I feel like if we actually do something? I shake my head.

It only takes me a few minutes to get Easton ready for the day. Once I’m finished slipping his shoe on and tying it tight, we walk out of his room and into the living room.

Baby is already standing there, looking down at his phone. He lifts his eyes and smiles when he sees us. “Shit,” he hisses, frowning. “You guys can’t go on my bike.”

“We can walk. We’re used to it,” I shrug.

Baby continues to frown but doesn’t move. “Is that how you guys do everything? Grocery store, everything?” he asks.

I bite the corner of my bottom lip, my eyes dropping to my feet and I shift from side to side before I lift my gaze back up to his. “Yeah. I don’t have a car or a driver’s license,” I shrug.

“Shit,” he grunts. “How has nobody made this shit a priority? You’re a single mother, no way in fuck should you be without a ride. What did you do during the winter?” he barks.

I jump slightly at his hard tone, my eyes wide and my mouth dropped open slightly. “Don’t tell me you walked to Gracie’s with Easton in tow, in the middle of winter? Crooner didn’t take care of you two?”

Pressing my lips together, I shake my head. Crooner had taken care of us, for a few months, then when my threat was gone, and he was recovering, that was it. I’ve done what I needed to do to take care of me and Easton, and I haven’t asked anybody for help.

Baby is right, I’m a single mother, so I’ve just done whatever needs to be done. That includes walking to Gracie’s when the temperature is in the negatives. Life is hard sometimes, but I’d rather be living in this harsh reality than the one I was in before that group of nomads saved me.

“It wasn’t Crooner’s responsibility to take care of us, Baby. We were never together,” I state.

The words leave a bad taste in my mouth. They’re true, but it doesn’t make me hate them any less. That’s all I’ve wanted since the moment I laid eyes on him, to have him as my own. Now, it seems like it’s never going to be a possibility and it’s completely disappointing.

Even if Baby is standing right here, handsome and nice, and more importantly open to more with me, it doesn’t change the fact that I still want Crooner.

“C’mon, beautiful. Let’s get you two fed, then we’ll figure out a car situation,” he offers.

Together we walk out of the trailer. Baby takes my hand in his and my other hand is occupied by Easton. It’s strange, and yet, not uncomfortable to walk hand-in-hand with him. I let out a breath and try to relax, trying to enjoy the moment between us. This is something new, and I should be excited.

The cabin is small and shitty, but for the price, I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s not like we need anything nice. It’s just the three of us, and this is a crash pad between scoping out the compound. We stopped at a little supermarket at the edge of town and we were on high alert the entire time.

We all decided to stash our cuts in the van, not wishing to draw more attention than need be. The Aryan group will know who we are, and we need to stay incognito for as long as possible. I pull out my phone and scroll through my contacts. Tomorrow we’re going to check shit out, but tonight we’re laying low.

I press send, not sure why I’m calling her but feeling the need to hear her voice. It’s not too late, so I know she’ll be awake, plus it’s Saturday night and I also know she doesn’t have to work tomorrow.

“Hello?” she breathes.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?”

There’s a pause for a moment, and I pull the phone away to look at it, thinking she hung up on me before she starts talking. “No, my phone was in my room, and I was finishing cleaning up the kitchen from dinner and stuff,” she murmurs.

“You doing okay?” I ask.

Lifting my hand, I run it through my hair and tug on the back before I wrap my fingers around my neck. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I can’t stop thinking about her. The whole reason I left on this trip was to put distance between us, but I’ve thought about her more in the past two days than I ever have.

Maybe it’s the finality of how we left things, maybe it’s because no matter what I say, I still want her. “I’m okay,” she whispers, breaking up my thoughts. “I don’t even want to admit that I miss you,” she rasps.

“Fuck, babe,” I sigh. “Miss the fuck outta you.”

“I can’t do this with you,” she hiccups.

I know she’s got tears in her eyes and she probably hates me right about now. I can’t be without her though and thinking about Baby touching her, it’s got me all kinds of pissed off. “Don’t do anything with anyone, until I get back, Hayden.”

“No, no. You don’t get to do this to me anymore, Ward,” she snaps. “I’m done. I’m not sitting around here while you yank me around anymore. I told you no more, and I mean it,” she says. Her words are strong, but I can hear the question in her voice.

Clearing my throat, I try not to sound like a pissed off bear when I speak. “Okay, babe. You’re right. I just, don’t make any permanent decisions until I get home, yeah?”

“Permanent?” she asks.

I chuckle, thinking about how she’s probably pressing her lips together. “Don’t take his ink, babe.”

She lets out what sounds like a choking laugh. “We haven’t even kissed, Ward.”

I don’t laugh at her words, instead, I growl. “Don’t do that either.”

“Goodnight, Ward,” her soft voice sings.

She doesn’t say that she won’t kiss him though. I grunt, not saying anything else. The call ends and I’m staring at my blank phone. I should have said more to her, I should have done more before I left. Instead, I practically pushed her toward Baby and now I’m regretting it completely. Fuck.