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“Thanks,” I said, forcing myself to sit up and take my medicine. “I—”

“Knock knock,” Brooke called as she rapped on the door.

“I’ll get it,” Coast said, walking over to unlock it.

“Oh, well, hello there,” Brooke said.

She and the kids were all ready for the pool, and Joshua had a giant, floppy hat on his little head this time.

“Oh, no. Did you get sick too? They’re little petri dishes, these kids, I swear,” Brooke said.

“How do you do this?” I asked her, barely keeping myself from whimpering as I crossed my legs.

“Do what?”

“Be a mom when you’re sick.”

“I know I’m supposed to have some sage wisdom or something to give you. But I just let the kids destroy the place and eat garbage until I feel better. Looks like you have help, though.”

“He can’t—” I started.

“He can,” Coast cut me off.

“You have a life.”

“Parties can wait until you two are better.”

“Take a good, hard look, girls,” Brooke said to her daughters. “That’s a good man right there. Even if he is very, very clumsy and clearly walked into a door. Isn’t that right?” she asked, giving Coast a ‘work with me here’ look.

“Never look where I’m going,” Coast agreed. “Walked face-first into this,” he added, waving at his face.

“Well, I won’t stick around. Can’t risk these three getting sick. But if you need anything, you know where to find me. I think I still got me some of those masks to wear to come over, if I need it. Just holler, okay?”

“Thank you, Brooke. Really.”

“Don’t worry,” Coast said, shrugging. “I got them.”

“I bet you do. Okay. Down to the pool before that family gets back from visiting their granny. Mean little j-e-r-k-s they are,” she added with a head shake as she nudged her kids away from the door.

“She seems nice,” Coast decided as he closed and locked the door.

“She’s an angel,” I agreed. “The second she met me, she was acting like we were the oldest of friends. I’ve always envied people like that.”

“I’ve always been able to get on with people,” he said. At my raised brow, looking at his face, he smirked. “When I want to.”

“That’s never been me. I’ve always been a little awkward around new people. My mom used to worry it was because I was an only child.”

My gaze slid toward the playard, wondering if that was going to be my daughter’s fate as well.

It certainly didn’t seem like I would ever have another child. Even if I really did genuinely love being a mom. It was the whole having to trust another man again enough to be with him part that seemed very unlikely.

“I guess having people like Brooke around her might help Lainey be more extroverted too.”

“It’s good to have a circle. It’s not easy doing this shit alone,” he said, waving around the room.

There it was again.

That familiarity.