I stare at him, so thrown by what he’s telling me I can’t even make a coherent sentence. “No?”
“He was on the yacht in Greece with Julian Masters.”
Oh . . . the good-looking one.
“The one with the dark hair?” I ask as I act dumb.
“That’s him. He’s a politician in London and of Spanish descent. He’s helping me with the red tape.”
“Christopher . . .” I pause as I try to collect my thoughts. “You can’t take him out of Spain. It’s his home.”
“Is it?” he replies with an annoyed tone. “He slept on a stained mattress on the floor, all alone in a deserted house. No plumbing, no electricity. Nothing. He had my postcards pinned to the wall with a photograph of you in the center. We are literally all he has, Hayden, and I can’t leave him here. I won’t.”
I look over to Eddie serving a group of men at the bar, and I’m overcome with emotion. The lump in my throat hurts as I try to swallow.
Poor Eddie.
“Even if it’s just until he’s eighteen or nineteen and old enough to get a rental on his own,” he says softly. “I can get him schooled to read and write so he at least stands a chance.”
I nod as I listen, remaining silent.
There are no words for this situation. I’m completely shell shocked.
Christopher’s eyes hold mine. “What are you thinking?”
I sip my drink and shrug. “Have you really thought about what this means for your future? A child is a lot to take on, Christopher.”
“I know.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “But what am I supposed to do, Grumps?”
“I don’t know,” I whisper.
We sit in silence for a while.
“What does he think about all this?” I ask.
He shrugs. “He seems excited to come with me. I mean . . . what are his other options? Be scared every day that some fucker is going to steal his phone while he sleeps on the floor?”
Fuck.
I can’t imagine being all alone. How frightening it must be for him. Christopher’s silhouette blurs, and I quickly wipe my tears out of my eyes.
Christopher stares straight ahead. He looks like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders . . . and now I know that he does.
“You’re such a good man, Christopher.”
His eyes hold mine, and the air crackles between us. He slowly reaches over and tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. “It’s so good to see you, Grumps.”
I’ve never needed to hug someone so badly in my life.
And I can’t.
My heart beats faster, and I’m in information overload. Everything is different, but nothing has changed. Our fucked-up situation is still the same and yet now even messier.
There’s a child.
I stand abruptly. “I should get going.”
“What, where to?” He seems surprised.
“Bed. I’m . . . exhausted.”
“Are you staying here?” He frowns.
“Yes.”
“Me too.” He gives me a soft smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”
“Okay, bye,” I blurt out in a rush. I need to get away from him right now.
This is all just too fucking much.