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I looked at my watch and the phone, suddenly feeling stone-cold sober. “I’ll be there.”

“Guess you’re a nicer ex than mine, then.”

“Can I ask what happened?”

“He broke a window at O’Malley’s. EMS was dispatched, so we had to come. Owner of the bar called after we brought him in and decided not to press charges. Apparently, the owner is friends with one of your guy’s friends, but I can’t release him on his own in his condition.”

Calder had never been violent in his life. Now it’s come to this? The guilt kept piling on. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

I took an Uber to the police station. Just as I was about to walk in, my cell phone rang. Rafe. Of course. Perfect timing. I glanced between the cell and the door and shoved my phone into my pocket before heading into the lobby. After a few minutes, a uniformed policeman walked out with Calder.

Calder smiled. “There she is. The love of my life.”

Oh God. Was he so drunk that he didn’t remember the last few weeks?

The cop extended a hand with a bag. “Puked on himself. Clothes are in here. We gave him a shirt from the lost and found.”

“Thank you.”

He shook his head. “He’s all yours.”

It took effort to maneuver Calder into an Uber. Once he was safely inside, he leaned his head on my shoulder.

“Do you know how much I love you?” He sighed.

I wasn’t sure how to answer, so I didn’t. But that didn’t stop him from continuing.

“Did you know I carry a picture of you in the back of my wallet because I never want you far away from me?”

I closed my eyes. “That’s very sweet.”

“Everywhere I go has a version of you. Every song. Every stupid restaurant. Tonight I was in the bar when ‘The Bones’ came on. That was the song playing the first time I saw you.”

“You remember what was playing the night we met?”

“I remember everything about you, Talia.”

My heart felt so heavy.

“Jeans, red tank top, red boots, and a black sparkly belt. And you had the necklace on that spells out your name.”

“Really? Are you serious?”

He lifted a hand and attempted to tap a finger to his head, though he missed the first time. “Got it all in here.”

He was drunk enough that he’d puked on himself, yet he still remembered the outfit I’d worn the night we met and the song that had been playing. God, I’d screwed over the sweetest guy.

I shook my head. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Say it’s all been a bad dream and you didn’t dump me for my best friend.”

For a fleeting moment, some small piece of me wished I hadn’t. “I’m so sorry, Calder.”

A few minutes later, we pulled up at the brownstone. It wasn’t easy getting him up two flights of stairs, but we made it. I still had my key, so I opened the door and steered him straight into the bedroom. He plopped down and laid back immediately, and I kneeled and untied and slipped off his shoes. I was just about to lift his legs and swing them onto the bed when he popped up and ran to the bathroom, covering his mouth.

Shit.

I followed and stood at the door to make sure he was okay. Mid-gag, my cell started to ring. Rafe. Again. No way was I going to answer standing next to a puking Calder, so I sent the call to voicemail and went about taking care of the man who needed me. I rubbed Calder’s back, got him some Coke to sip, and let him rest his head on my lap when he decided to lie down on the bathroom floor. I stroked his hair until his breaths deepened to a light snore.