Page 22 of Hollywood

I grabbed a bag of clothes and headed out the door and down the hallway to the stairs. I jogged down to the laundry room, still vibrating like a plucked guitar string. Tex would stay until I had a handle on things. He wouldn’t abandon me. Not this time, anyw?—

No. I wasn’t going there. I needed Tex—and he was here. No reason to ruin that.

It was late, so all the washers and dryers were available. I started a load and headed back to the apartment. When I got there, the lights were off—only the glow of the TV illuminating the room. Tex had muted it.

He raised a finger to his lips and nodded toward the toddler bed.

Ruby lay on her belly, under the blanket, her little bunny pressed to her side. Tex had given her one of my pillows. Her breathing was deep and even.

“Asleep?” I whispered.

He nodded.

I gestured for him to follow me into the kitchen. I withdrew two beers, then I led him to my bedroom.

His eyebrows rose.

“I don’t want to wake Ruby,” I said quietly. “Not trying to seduce you.”

He smirked. “I know, Holly. It’s not really your style.”

What would he know about my style of seduction? Impulsively kissing a guy I wanted was hardly my usual method. My cheeks heated and I lifted my beer to take a drink.

“I hate this IPA shit,” Tex grumbled, but he lifted his bottle and gulped it down, his throat working with each swallow.

I tore my gaze from his throat and sank onto the end of the bed. “You think she’ll sleep through the night?”

“She tired herself out pretty good, but it’s hard to say. New place. New people.”

“Yeah. She might have been more comfortable with her family.”

“Youare her family.” Tex sat down beside me and knocked his shoulder into mine.

“You know what I mean,” I mumbled.

“Do you want to be her dad?” he asked bluntly.

I jerked my head up. “Of course I do!”

“Then start acting like it. This is your chance to show everyone you can be the father she needs. This is your second chance, Holls. This is your redemption.”

“Right.” I took a breath. “You’re right. I have to prove myself.”

“Well, I didn’t say that,” Tex said, the contrarian bastard. “You’re her father, whether anyone likes it or not. You’ve gotnothing to prove. But you can certainly show them they’ve all been wrong about you.”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

“And you’re not alone in this. You’ve got me.”

I looked over, trying to read his intention. How much help could he really be from Hayworth? Unless he meant he’d come back…

He averted his gaze, not meeting my eyes. “Knight and the guys too,” he said. “You know they’ll be here for you.”

“Knight wasn’t exactly jumping to help with Ruby at the hospital. He seemed out of his depth.”

Tex grinned. “Finally something he’s afraid of, huh?”

“Maybe a little, yeah. None of the guys seemed all that comfortable with her. Just you.”