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same. She’d managed less than five hours of sleep the entire weekend, and that was usually about the point at which her body and brain came to a consensus that it was finally time to hit the sack. But Bay, true to form, didn’t seem inclined to just let this go.
    Her friend’s brows drew together, creating a stubborn little furrow between them that Lily was all too familiar with.
    “Are you sure you’re all right, Lily? I’m serious. You’re way too pale.”
    Lily smiled with genuine affection. “You worry too much, Bay.”
    “Someone has to. I’ll never understand how you managed so long without—” She stopped, snapping her mouth shut before the words came out.
    But Lily knew exactly what they would have been.
Without a family. Without anyone who cared enough to take care of you.
Even unspoken, they stung. She had wanted a lot of things in her life that she hadn’t gotten, but pity had never been one of them.
    “I can take care of myself. I’d think that would be more than apparent by now,” Lily said, her voice clipped. She didn’t want to fight with Bay, didn’t want to drive her off with a bunch of defensive BS either. But she wasn’t in the mood to have a discussion about her family or lack thereof. Not now. Preferably not ever. She looked away, beginning to gather up her things with stiff little movements.
    Bay’s hand on her shoulder, the touch gentle and apologetic, made her pause. Still, she kept her gaze averted. She didn’t want her friend to see the unshed tears that suddenly filled her eyes.
God, I must be exhausted
, Lily thought. It wasn’t like her to let a simple mention of her crappy parental situation get to her.
    But then, it was always when she was most tired that she had also felt the most alone.
    “I’m sorry, Lily. I know you can take care of yourself. But it doesn’t make me a bad person for wishing you hadn’t had to for so long, does it?”
    Lily sighed, her shoulders sagging. “No. I just hate being thought of as the poor little orphan no one wanted. It’s pathetic.”
    “No. What’s pathetic is adopting a kid and then dropping her the second Plastic Bimbo’s baby factory starts working. What’s pathetic is caring more about your image than your child.”
    Lily heard the icy fury in Bay’s voice, and loved her for it. But it was time to end this conversation. She didn’twant to expend any more energy thinking about the family that had cast her out—or the reason why they did it.
    She blinked away the aggravating moisture in her eyes, straightened, and turned to look at her friend. “They don’t matter, Bay. They haven’t for a long time. But that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate your burning need to kick their asses on my behalf. I’m just really tired, which means that Prince Insomnia has finally left the building. I’ll be fine with some sleep.”
    Bay let her hand drop and stepped back, but that stubborn furrow in her brow remained. “You’re sure?” Her big blue eyes were soft with concern. “We’re good?”
    “We’re good. Promise. You go have fun, okay? Call me tomorrow with the gory details.”
    Bay lifted her eyebrows. “How gory? Like, sexy-time gory?”
    Lily wrinkled her nose. “No, like if he lives with his mom and collects action figures gory.”
    They laughed together.
    “You got it,” Bay said, then threw her arms around Lily in one of the impromptu hugs it had taken her a while to get used to but were as natural to Bay as breathing. She envied her friend that, her comfort with physical affection. It had been in such short supply for most of Lily’s life that it still startled her more than anything.
    Except, of course, when given by a man who seemed to have been made entirely from moonlight and shadow.
    “Be careful on your way home, then. I’d offer to drive you, but I know how far that would get me.”
    “You’re finally learning.” Lily gave Bay a quick squeeze and then drew back, frustrated that Tynan had reappeared in