Page 180 of Right Man, Right Time
SILAS
“I’ll have the steak as well,” Pacey orders. “Medium. Thank you.” He hands his menu to the server.
“Great. If you need anything else, just let me know. Enjoy.”
Holmes, Posey, Pacey, and I all reach for a piece of bread at the same time. I go with the pumpernickel, Posey dives for the rye, and Holmes and Pacey are stuck with plain.
While we butter our bread, Pacey says, “See that picture Hornsby sent of Holden? His kid is cute as shit.”
Hornsby and Penny just had their baby. We met him the other day, and to our surprise, they named him Holden after Halsey’s brother who passed away. Holmes felt so honored. He even teared up when he held little Holden. It was a nice moment for all of us.
“Of course the kid would be cute,” Posey says. “They’re both really good-looking people.”
“That means shit,” I say. “It’s really up for grabs when it comes to the kind of baby people can make.”
“Thought about it, have you?” Pacey asks. “Considering children with Ollie?”
“Oh fuck, no,” I say, shaking my head. “Neither of us is ready for that. She still has to graduate, and I know her job is really important to her, so she’ll put any sort of child thing on hold for a while. Plus, I don’t think I’m ready for that. I’m barely ready—mentally—for my relationship with Ollie. I mean, I’m getting there, and I think we’re solid, and I trust her, but a baby? I’m not mentally ready for that.”
“What does Ollie want to do when she graduates?” Holmes asks.
“Online contributor,” I answer. “She really enjoys discussing lifestyle-type things. When she graduates, she hopes to receive offers from a few places. Apparently, the guy she’s interning with has a lot of connections. It’s why she’s sticking around with him.”
“Is that going to take her away from Vancouver?” Holmes asks as he sets his butter knife down and then takes a bite of his bread.
“I sure as hell hope not. We talked about how we want to stay together, no matter what happens, and who knows, maybe by the time she graduates, things will be more intense between us.”
“Like wedding bells?” Pacey asks.
“I mean, I could see it happening,” I say, pulling on the back of my neck.
“Really?” Posey asks. “I feel like you’ve barely been together.”
“Is there a certain timeline that has to be followed to have that kind of thinking?” I ask him.
Posey shakes his head. “No, but I’m just surprised is all. You wouldn’t tell us what happened with Sarah, and now that you’re with Ollie, I just want to make sure you’re healed, you know? That you’re not jumping into something too quickly.”
“Where the hell is this coming from?” I ask him. “You’re the one who was helping me text her the other day.”
“Ah, so you admit that I was helping you.” Posey points his finger at me.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I really hate you. You realize that?”
“Dude, we’re about to have the best steak we’ve ever put in our mouths. Let’s not throw hate out there,” Pacey says. “And to hop on what Posey is saying, I think we just want to make sure you’re okay. We like Ollie, we’ve seen a change in your life since she’s been around, but you can’t fully give yourself to her until you’ve healed. We just want to make sure you’re there.”
“You all feel that way?” I ask.
I glance at Holmes, and he just nods.
“Hornsby, too,” Posey says. “We just care about you.”
“Well, I appreciate it,” I answer, not getting mad at them because how could I? If I were in their position, I’d probably be doing the same thing. “I wouldn’t say I’m one hundred percent, but I’m getting there.” I glance around the table and realize that maybe if I talk about it more, it will help me heal. Clearing my throat, I say, “I haven’t really said anything, but, uh . . . Sarah cheated on me. That’s why we broke up. I caught her with a woman and a man.” That last part stings, and I wait for my guys to react, but when I look up, all I see is compassion in their eyes.
“Shit, dude,” Pacey says. “I’m sorry.”
Holmes grips my shoulder and gives it a squeeze, not needing to say anything, just keeping it at that.
When I look up at Posey, he’s shifting his fork around on the table.
