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I waitfor her to tell me, to confirm everything Brewer just said, but she’s saying nothing.

“Brewer was just here. He said—”

“I’m not really up for a chat right now,”she interrupts heavily.“It’s been a really hard day and I’m tired.”

“Are you serious right now?” I snap. “What the hell happened? Where’s Everly?”

I hear a derisive snort.“I’m guessing she’s home. You should try there or wherever you slept with her.”

I blink, taken aback by the accusation. “Lauren—”

“Not right now, okay? I’m too done with this conversation to think properly.”

“It’s not what you think,” I say, even though I have no idea what she thinks or how it’s different.

“Did you?”

I don’t ask for clarification. I don’t bother to lie.

“Yes.”

I hear her exhale and it’s worse than if she’d screamed at me.“There wasn’t another woman you could have gone for? You had to pick my best friend?”

I move out of the kitchen, not because I’m hiding anything from Lachlan, but because Lauren needs privacy when we have this chat.

“I love her, Laur. I didn’t set out to, but...”

She’s silent.

The quiet fills the line while hollowing out my insides.

“So, you’re going to stay with her?”

My instinct is to say yes. Always and forever. Until the day I die. But Everly’s words from the cabin echo through my skull, reminding me that’s not possible.

“I don’t know,” I say at last. “I want to, but it’s complicated.”

“What about Mom?”she snaps, voice rising for the first time.“You made a promise to love her.”

“And I always will, but she’s gone, Lauren.”

Lauren scoffs.“Well, I guess that means you’re free of her and you can move on now, huh?”

“That isn’t fair,” I growl, fingers tightening around the phone. “I will always love your mother, but I need to move on, too.”

“Then find someone else!”Her scream nearly has me dropping the phone.“Don’t ruin the only friendship I’ve ever had.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to point out that I wasn’t the one who ruined that friendship, but this isn’t the time. There are so many bigger issues.

“What happened today?” I interrupt. “Are you okay?”

I hear her sigh.“I really don’t want to talk about it. You should ask Everly. She probably needs you more than I do.”

The line goes dead before I can think to speak. It sits still in my hands, a weighted bit of plastic with infinite possibilities, except the thing I need it for the most.

“Damn it!” I hiss under my breath.

I contemplate calling her back, demanding she talk to me, but knowing Lauren, she’s most likely shut her phone off.