The woman's eyes grew wide. She probably wasn't used to anyone standing up to her, but Milly wasn't a pushover. There were a million things she wanted to say to Lydia Gregory, and she'd managed to keep her mouth shut so far. She was playing nice.
That wasn't going to last much longer.
Twenty-Nine
FIRST OF ALL, ROAN DID not appreciate his friends ganging up on him like this.
Secondly, he did not like the fact that they were right. That only added insult to injury, and Roan was far beyond feeling tattered and broken.
It pained him to acknowledge that he couldn't take care of Liam on his own. Oh, sure, he could physically do whatever the boy needed, but Roan knew he did need these people in his life. They were his friends. Hell, they were his family.
"We'll forgive you for being a jackass once," Cam stated.
"Once?" Dare looked confused. "You think he's only been a jackass once? You mean once an hour, right?"
A rumble of laughter eased some of the tension.
"We're going to get through this together," Cam added. "Look at who you've got in your corner, Roan. We're not a bunch of lightweights here."
Roan glanced at all the faces before him.
Gannon's phone buzzed, and Cam instantly turned toward him.
"It's Milly. I have to get this."
Roan waited, his heart in his throat as Gannon answered the phone. He was silent for what felt like ever, but finally nodded.
"Yeah. Okay. Thanks for calling, AJ. We'll meet you at the hospital."
Roan's eyes widened, panic setting in.
Hospital?
Oh, shit. Was Liam okay? Please, God, let Liam be okay.
Gannon ended the call and glanced at Cam first, his tone a little flustered when he said, "Milly's in labor." He peered over at Roan. "Looks like your dad stopped by your house. Milly confronted him. She got a little riled up."
Oh, shit.
Gannon's smile was that of a man who was proud to call Milly a friend. "The woman can't leave well enough alone."
"Is she all right?"
"Yep. Although she is in labor and that baby's not gonna wait for us."
A rush of relief nearly sent Roan to the floor. That was when Roan realized Seg was standing directly beside him, there to catch him if he fell.
"We'll follow you," Dare told Gannon.
"We're … uh … leaving right now," Teague stated as Hudson turned and bolted for the door.
Roan swallowed hard when Cam turned toward him.
"We're right behind you," Seg stated, reaching down and taking Roan's hand as though that was the most natural thing in the world. "I'll drive."
Gannon nodded but then turned and walked right out of the building with Cam directly behind him. It was clear he was in a hurry.
"My father made Milly go into labor," Roan mumbled as he allowed Seg to lead him to his Range Rover.
"Is she not due yet?"
Roan shook his head. "Not for a couple of weeks." Roan felt the tension in Seg's fingers. "Not that it's a bad thing. The doctor told her she could have the baby any time now."
Seg's hand relaxed as he opened Roan's door.
Climbing inside, Roan realized this was the first time he'd been in this man's vehicle. He peered into the back seat and noticed … No way. The guy had a car seat identical to the one Roan had for Liam.
His heart leapt into his throat.
It was then Roan also realized they'd never been on a real date. Then it dawned on him that they'd bypassed all of that dating bullshit and jumped right in the deep end. Without a life jacket.
Roan's gaze tracked Seg as he crossed in front of the SUV. Roan's eyes were still following him when Seg climbed behind the wheel. The man looked calm and cool, not to mention sexy. Far beyond how Roan felt at the moment.
Without saying a word, Seg started the SUV, then pulled out of the parking lot and followed the caravan on the way to the hospital.
When Seg reached for his hand, Roan almost pulled back. Now that his brain had come back online, he was still contemplating his next steps. He didn't pull away, however. Having Seg here with him …
Roan glanced over. "I'm not sure I deserve you."
Seg cut his eyes over, frowning. "Funny," he said, without even an ounce of humor. "I was thinking the same thing. I definitely don't deserve you."
Roan wouldn't go that far. Despite both their faults, they did have amazing chemistry.
"We're quite the pair, huh?"
"Maybe that's why we work," Seg replied evenly.
"Do we?" Roan glanced out the window. "Work?"
"I'd like to think we do." Seg sighed. "That doesn't mean it'll always be easy."
"Nothing ever is."
"Or that I won't fuck it up," Seg mumbled.