Jenalyn: Crossing Lines (#4) [Complete]

Chapter 18: Hayden

Saturday, 10:38 P.M. EST

I’m frustrated when I hear four knocks on the door because I finally convinced myself I could do this with Ty again. Now he’s got to get up to answer he damned door.

We’re not expecting anybody, and my management team is pretty strict about allowing anybody to disturb us after 10:30 PM. It’s got to be a staff member or Ivan, maybe it’s important?

I want to let myself relax, but I can’t help panic from rising to my chest as a weird pit forms in my belly. 

“Hurry up!” I whisper as Ty climbs off the bed and takes a moment to gather himself. “And be careful!”

He turns around with a laugh and looks at me as if I’m crazy. “It’s room service, Hayd,” he says. “Why do I have to be careful?”

I feel like they usually call before they come up here. I also don’t remember Ty calling room service because I’d eaten a few wings while we were at the bar. 

And I didn’t call…

Ty unlocks and then opens the door. I hold my breath with anxiety until I hear an unfamiliar voice. 

A friendly voice.

“… Complimentary… very important sponsor… for the expecting couple down at the bar…” 

I don’t hear much, but the conversation doesn’t last long before Ty thanks the man and shuts the door.

He returns to the bed, balancing a mental tray holding two different drinks and a folded piece of stationary on his palm. 

“What’s that?” I ask, climbing to my knees so I can get a better view. 

Shrugging his shoulders, he plucks the stationary from the tray with his free hand. He opens it, reading it over in his head before clearing his throat to read it out loud.

“To the beautiful couple expecting a child in Suite 522. Sparkling Water for our mommy-to-be, and a shot of whiskey for daddy-to-be. Enjoy!”

I snatch the card, the weird feeling in my belly faltering off slower than I’d like. “Hm,” I scoff, tossing the card back on the tray and scoping out the glasses. “Who’s it from? Did the guy say?”

Ty shrugs again, walking the tray over to the dresser on the other side of the room. “He said it was a sponsor of the hotel that found out we were here at the bar?” he says, more in question. “I don’t know. It’s probably that older woman that kept eying us up all smiley. She looked like a businesswoman, right?”

He takes the sparkling water from the tray, leaving the whiskey as he walks it over to me and places it in my hand. I’m not usually one for sparkling water, so I put it on the nightstand beside me.

“Or maybe the woman who wanted an autograph!” Ty calls out as if he’d cracked the case.

I let out a loud giggle, shooting him a look as if to say his guess was crazy. “No way,” I sneer with a laugh. “You were way too rude to her!”

Ty goes to take off the robe he’s thrown on to open the door and make his way back over to the bed with me. A sudden voice in my mind is quick to make its way to my lips though.

“Wait!” I call out, startling him. My eyes find his glass sitting on the tray across the room. “Aren’t you going to take your daddy-to-be shot?”

I know that he has been staying sober as one of his many ways to “make it up to me, and start our family right.” 

But I couldn’t help myself. I can’t have that shot sitting there teasing Jena’s monster. It may be a single shot, but it’d be enough to spark a whole binge with her.

“No?” Ty asks after a few moments in confusion. “I’m doing the whole sober thing with you, remember?”

I do, but it doesn’t matter right now. He needs there to be a me being sober to do the sober thing with me.

I point to the glass rolling my eyes. “It’s one shot,” I tell him with my brows flat. “It’ll be fun. Plus, it’s for Daddy…”

Contemplating it for a moment, he ultimately walks back to the dresser to retrieve the glass. He tells me to grab mine before getting back to my bed. 

“To parents-to-be!” he toasts, raising his glass to me. I follow suit, watching as he throws his back. He finishes, straightening his head to find that I didn’t take mine.

“Aren’t you going to drink yours?” he asks, his face twisting up as he tries to stomach the shot. 

I lean back onto the bed, placing the glass back on the nightstand. “Nah,” I say with a small laugh. “I don’t like sparking water; You know that. Now come here! Let me taste that whiskey on your lips!”