Keep My Baby Safe

by Bella Grant

  Maybe it’s time to make a change in my life, he pondered, leaning forward to peek at Diana. Watching her laugh at something Alyssa said was a breath of fresh air. She was still so beautiful—more so, he’d bet. The five years apart had been good to her, and he admitted to himself that he still wanted her, as much as he had when they’d met. After their divorce, he’d dreamed of her for nearly six months before they’d tapered off. The fantasies had been unbelievably hot, and he’d awakened with a boner almost every time. Easing his need with his hand had been incredibly unsatisfying, but he’d had no other choice.

  I can’t believe I still want her after all this time, he mused, shaking his head at himself. After what she’d put him through, he should hate her. Of course, if he was honest with himself, he had put her through hell too. He was slowly conquering his workaholism, and he wondered if she had kicked her gambling habit. With those two problems gone, they might be able to have a healthy, long-lasting relationship. And the problem of Alyssa, which was a barrier he wasn’t sure could be removed.

  With an abrupt jerk, he said, “What the fuck?” out loud, startling the waiter, who had stopped beside the table.

  “I’m sorry, sir?” the kid asked, wariness in his expression.

  “My apologies,” Travis replied, remembering his manners after being lost in thought. Before he could think better of his decision, and thinking of Michael’s encouragement, he asked, “Could you bring us another round, and I’d like to buy the birthday girl a drink.” The waiter glanced at Diana’s table skeptically. “Don’t worry, we know each other.”

  “Oh, that’s good! She didn’t see you here?”

  “No, the pillar blocks me. I didn’t know she was here until the staff sang to her,” Travis said with a grin to further ease the waiter’s concern. “Please find out what she’s drinking and bring it to my table. I’d like to deliver it.”

  “Will do,” the waiter answered with a grin.

  Michael returned shortly after the waiter had disappeared, frowning when he noticed only their empty bottles. “Where’s the damn waiter?”

  “I ordered another round. Calm down, titbag,” Travis jeered. He cleared his throat and said, “So I ordered Diana a drink.”

  Michael’s eyebrows shot up as he spun his head around to look at him, removing his eyes from the hot blonde two tables over he’d been making eyes at throughout the meeting. “Did you now?”

  “No harm in buying her a drink,” Travis growled, glaring at the table and wondering if, in fact, there was.

  “You’re absolutely right,” Michael responded, returning his gaze to the blonde. He banged his fist quietly on the table and said, “As soon as my beer gets here, I’m going to talk to the hottie at table three.” He swiveled his head again to look at Travis. “While you go over there and talk to your ex.”

  “Is that an order?” Travis asked, amusement on his face.

  “Do you need it to be?”

  As Travis opened his mouth to speak, the waiter reappeared with two beers and a mixed drink of some sort in a martini glass. “Your beers, and this is the drink for the lady.” He set all three on the table with a flourish.

  “What is that?” Travis asked so he knew if she asked him.

  “It’s a Cosmo. Very popular with the ladies,” the waiter explained. “Do y’all need anything else?”

  “Not right now, thanks,” Travis said dismissively. He heard the tone in his voice and smiled so he didn’t come off as an asshole. However, now that he had the drink, his nerves had ratcheted up to a nearly unbearable level. He was completely unaware that Michael was watching him until the man thumped his arm.

  “Dude, get off your ass and take that woman her drink. Say hello, chitchat if it feels right, then walk away,” Michael advised. “She’s not a stranger you’re trying to take home. You spent how many years with that woman?”

  “Four,” Travis said in a hushed voice. He sat back as if surprised. “I can’t believe it’s been nine years since I met her.”

  “And five since you divorced her,” Michael pointed out, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. “Do you regret the divorce?”

  Travis frowned but didn’t answer right away. He hadn’t at first, though the sexy dreams had plagued him. Sometimes, randomly throughout the years, she had appeared in his mind and brought a smile to his face. But he remembered the fights during the last year of their marriage, the ugliness of her gambling that he did understand was caused, at least in part, by his work. Had she, like him, kicked the bad habit that had ruined their marriage? With a sigh, he realized there was only one was to find out.

  “Earth to Travis!” Michael called loudly. “Man, I said your name three times.”

  “Yeah, sorry.”

  “You want to know what I think?” Michael asked with a grin.

  “Not particularly.”

  Michael scoffed. “You’re afraid to go over there because you do still feel something for her.”

  Travis jerked as if Michael had slapped him across the face. He started shaking his head, looked at his pal, and sighed. “Yeah, maybe. She was great before the gambling issue.”

  “And I’m sure you were great before the working issue,” Michael replied with a knowing look. “You told me everything. It won’t hurt a thing to go talk to her.”

  Travis stared at his suddenly sensitive friend. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  Michael chuckled. “That blonde has hypnotized me.” He hauled himself out of his chair and said, “Get up off your ass and take that drink to Diana before it gets warm.” He walked away before Travis could reply.

  Travis mumbled under his breath, grabbed the drink, and stood, hurrying to Diana’s table before he could stop himself. She glanced in his direction while he was still fifteen feet away, and the look of shock that crossed her face nearly froze him. But he forced a smile on his face and made his feet keep moving towards her table.

  Chapter 2

  Alyssa made a dirty comment about one of the waiters who’d sung to her, something about being positive she could see the outline of his “very healthy cock” in his pants. Diana snorted out a laugh and tried not to choke on her drink as she guffawed loudly enough to turn heads. A minute or so later, when the young man walked by, Alyssa caught her looking at his crotch and called her out.

  “I saw it! I swear I did!” Diana hissed, glancing over her shoulder at the man’s tight ass. “And he’s got an ass too!”

  “I saw that the moment we walked in,” Alyssa chimed, her face slightly reddened from the alcohol. “But he’s young. I don’t want to spend the night teaching a boy what I can get from a man.”

  “You are so bad!” Diana exclaimed in a higher pitch than was normal. “I have no idea why we’re friends.”

  “Don’t even play! You were sexually objectifying him as much as I was!” Alyssa countered.

  “I may be bad, but I am never as bad as you are,” Diana argued, gazing at her friend, who narrowed her eyes, shrugged, and nodded her head in agreement.

  “I’m a slut and damn proud of it!”

  They were giggling uncontrollably when Diana saw a familiar figure walking towards their table with a martini glass in his hand. Her eyes widened as she recognized Travis, and her laughter ended so abruptly it was as if hands had choked it off. As she stared at him, her stomach lurched, and the delicious drinks and food she’d imbibed threatened to reappear. Anxiety spilled into her, causing sweaty palms and a dry mouth. She was frozen, couldn’t move, and watched as he continued to approach as if in slow motion.

  He wore a pair of slacks the color of a storm cloud, and they were tight, as was the style in men’s professional wear. His cerulean polo created a contrast to his dark tan, which she knew was as much from genetics as from the sun, and his black hair was so black it was almost blue in the light. His chiseled features, a gift from his Native American heritage on his mother’s side, were honed even more sharply than they had been when the two of them had been togethe
r. Diana couldn’t stop staring.

  He stepped up to the table with the drink in his hand, smiling at Diana, sparing not even a glance in Alyssa’s direction. “Hi, Diana. Happy birthday.” He offered the drink, and when she didn’t take it, he faltered, his smile slipping just a little. “I, um, asked the waiter to find out what you were drinking so I could buy you one for your birthday.”

  “Are you sure it isn’t roofied?” Alyssa accused, and Diana jerked her head around to look at her friend.

  “Alyssa!” She returned her gaze to Travis. “Sorry.”

  Travis, who barely even glanced at Alyssa when she spoke, wore a bland expression. “No problem.”

  Diana’s eyes fell to the glass then returned to his, and she slowly reached out a hand to accept it. “Thank you.” She had absolutely no idea what to say to him, so she sipped the drink and smiled shyly up at him. “It’s perfect.”

  Travis’ smile brightened his face, and Diana’s flipflopping stomach settled. His smile had always calmed her and charmed her. He was more handsome than he’d been the last time she had seen him five years ago, and the desire that had been so strong in the beginning of their relationship raced through her. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair since he’d grown it long, and she wanted to smell him. She remembered his scent clearly and had slept with his pillow for weeks after he’d left until the smell of him had faded from it.

  “I’m glad you like it,” he replied, glancing at Alyssa briefly as she huffed out a breath. His eyes narrowed briefly at her before he looked at Diana again. “How have you been?”

  Diana also looked at Alyssa, who was scowling hideously at Travis. She frowned at her but returned her gaze to Travis. “I’ve been doing really well. What about you?”

  “Great,” Travis answered, shuffling his feet.

  Diana, against her better judgement, asked, “Would you like to join us?” Travis appeared surprise, and his smile told her he might accept. A sudden movement under the table caused her to jump. Alyssa kicked her shin, and she jerked. “Ow!”

  “Sorry,” Alyssa said, her eyes pleading as she clearly tried to tell Diana something without speaking.

  Diana stared at her best friend in confusion, her brows drawn. The idea that Alyssa didn’t like Travis and didn’t want him at their table dawned on her. The two had never liked each other, Diana knew, but they’d played nice for her. Diana pretended she had no idea why Alyssa was acting strangely. “Are you okay?”

  Alyssa rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m fine.”

  Travis cleared his throat. “Well, I just wanted to say hi and happy birthday.”

  Diana rose from her seat and hugged him before she really thought about what she was doing. As her arms went around him, she sniffed, and her loins jumped in joy. His body felt the same, he smelled the same, and his arms around her felt as strong as they’d always been. She stepped back quickly, noting the odd look on his face and wondering what it meant.

  She wiggled her fingers playfully at his ponytail. “You finally grew your hair long. It’s beautiful.”

  He chuckled as he fidgeted, pulling on the ponytail that was straight as an arrow and black as night. “Yep. When you work for yourself, you get to enjoy all sorts of perks.”

  “I bet you do,” she replied with a smile, staring helplessly at him. When their eyes held for much longer than was polite, Alyssa cleared her throat to interrupt the moment. Diana’s face bloomed red when she caught his knowing smirk, but he winked at her as he always had when he was teasing her.

  “You look really good, you know,” he announced, and Diana’s face warmed further at the compliment. “Beautiful, actually.”

  “Thank you.” Diana stood awkwardly in front of him until a waitress laden with a tray full of food needed to pass. He stepped back, his eyes never leaving hers as he apologized to the woman.

  “Well, I’ll get back to my friend,” Travis told her when he stepped close again. “Hey, um, think we could be friends on Facebook or whatever?”

  “You have a Facebook profile?” she asked with emphasis on the word you. “I don’t believe it! You always said it was so dumb.”

  “I know, I know, I always said I wouldn’t, but it’s good for clients,” Travis admitted with a shrug. “I have a Twitter account, too, but I draw the line at the picture ones.”

  “Do you mean Snapchat and Instagram?” she asked, her own smirk lifting one corner of her mouth.

  “Yeah. I always say them wrong, so I try not to,” he said with a laugh.

  Diana nodded, snickering a little. “Welcome to the 21st century!”

  “Shut up.” He laughed, his handsome face pinkening just a little. He looked over his shoulder when a man’s voice called his name.

  Diana looked as well and saw a handsome man waving. He caught her eye and saluted, then sat down at their table. “You’ve been sitting that close and I never saw you,” she mused aloud. The sappy tone in her voice embarrassed her, and when she looked at him, she could tell he heard what sounded suspiciously like longing in her voice.

  Quietly, he said, “I’ve missed you.”

  Her head tilted to the side as a smile slid over her face. Hearing him echo what she’d been thinking reminded her so much of when they’d been together. They had finished each other’s sentences and texted simultaneously about the same topic regularly. She’d always thought they were meant to be because of little things like that, but life had proved her wrong.

  “I’ve missed you, too,” she answered truthfully. She wanted to say more, ask him to hang out, but she was sure that was a bad idea. She’d missed him, he’d missed her, but that didn’t erase the hideousness that had ended their marriage.

  “It was really good to see you, Diana.” Travis laid his hand briefly on her arm, smiled, turned, and walked away.

  She followed him with her eyes to his table, where he sat behind the pillar that had been blocking him from view all evening. She whispered a faint, “Bye,” turned, and sat in the booth. When she looked up, she found Alyssa’s angry face glaring at her.

  “What the hell was that?” she demanded loudly, gesturing with one hand in the direction Travis had walked.

  Diana was bewildered by her harsh tone, and her head and shoulders jerked back as she opened her mouth. “Excuse me?”

  Alyssa gestured empirically towards Travis again. “What was that? You and the ex having a moment?”

  “So we had a moment. What’s the big deal?” Diana asked, her temper rising. She lifted the drink he’d given her and sipped again, toasting Alyssa sarcastically with it. “He bought me a birthday drink and said hello.”

  “It’s probably roofied,” Alyssa accused, her voice nasty, staring at the offending drink as if it were a cobra.

  “Oh, please! And you already said that,” Diana scoffed, laughing at Alyssa’s drunk suppositions. “I really hope you’re kidding because you sound completely insane right now.”

  Alyssa cursed under her breath and leaned forward. “Do you remember what he put you through?”

  “Yes, and I remember what I put him through, so you don’t have to worry,” Diana assured her. “I’m sure he has absolutely no desire for reconciliation.”

  “Then why would he buy you a drink?”

  “Because it’s a nice thing to do,” Diana insisted, crossing her arms over her chest. “Why are you being so weird about him coming over here?” Alyssa frowned down at the table, but Diana had seen the strange look on her face. “Alyssa? Come on, what the hell?”

  “I just don’t want you going through what you did five years ago,” Alyssa said seriously, reaching across the table to take her hand. She squeezed it tightly, but her voice was weird. “I could see it in your eyes. You wanted to hang out with him.”

  Diana sighed and squeezed her friend’s hand, putting aside the weird look on Alyssa’s face that had vanished so quickly. “I did think about it for a second, but it was a passing thought.”

  “Your he
art was broken, and I don’t want you hurting like that again,” Alyssa explained, her sincerity nearly real.

  “I know, and thanks,” Diana said, shaking herself. Alyssa was her best friend and loved her. She just wasn’t good at the comforting stuff. “He’s always going to be a part of my life, a memory I have. Good memories, bad memories. But I don’t think we could be together again. Too much ugliness at the end, you know.”

  “I do know.” Alyssa’s sympathy was unusual, and Diana’s discomfort returned. Her face must have revealed her thoughts because Alyssa changed the subject. “Hey, let’s have one more round, then find a place with loud music. We can dance!”

  Diana clapped her hands excitedly, actually putting away the suspicious thoughts. “I haven’t been dancing in forever! Let’s go now! We can drink at the club!”

  “Are you sure you can make it upstairs, drunky?” Alyssa chuckled from the back seat of the Uber as Diana climbed out unsteadily.

  “Of course! I had fewer drinks than you did, and I’m walking just fine,” she jabbered.

  “Yeah, you’re good,” Alyssa announced, turning to the driver. “She’s good. You can take me to my house now.”

  “Sure thing,” the Uber driver responded unenthusiastically, and Diana felt a little sorry for him. He probably drove drunk chicks home every weekend.

  “Thanks!” Diana called to him, leaning down so she could wave and smile. He lifted a finger and stared forward. “Text me when you get home.”

  “You think this guy might kidnap me?” Alyssa asked, giggling uncontrollably. Diana shushed her, but she waved her hand dismissively. “He knows I’m playing, don’t you?” The guy grunted his reply and continued to stare forward. Alyssa squinting her eyes and wiggling her fingers. “Bye!”

  “Bye,” Diana answered, snickering as she turned and walked up the steps to her apartment building. She unlocked the door leading inside, the only security her building offered, and wandered to the elevator. Usually, she opted for the stairs to add to her workout, but she wasn’t positive she’d be able to navigate them in the heels she wore and the condition she was in. Tipsy was the best description, and she liked the slightly spinning sensation in her head. She’d have no trouble sleeping.