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“Thank you for trying to work something out for the Dunes, but I don’t want you to be disappointed tonight if Aiden shows his true colors.”

I looked at him. “You don’t think there’s anything redeeming about him do you?”

“Not a damn thing.” He closed the door behind him and walked onto the deck.

“I hope you’re wrong. Is Grayson asleep?” I asked.

“Yep. We read his new spaceship book three times.”

I smiled. I had picked it up for him at the library. “I’ll go kiss him goodnight before they get here.”

I walked down the hall. Suddenly, the walls felt like they were tilting. I reached out and grabbed for support.

Holy shit. This pregnancy was starting to affect everything. I took a deep breath and looked behind me to make sure Cole hadn’t seen me almost fall.

I just had to make it through dinner. Get Mary Ellen back to North Carolina. And then I could tell Cole about the baby.

I took three more breaths before I could let go of the wall.

I had prepared a pitcher of mojitos, the guacamole dip Cole liked so much, and had shrimp ready to go into a shrimp boil. I checked the clock. Only five more minutes until show time.

I carried the mojito pitcher and the snacks to the deck. Cole was sprawled in one of the two lounge chairs.

“Maybe I should go ahead and have one of those.” He looked at the glasses.

He wasn’t the only one. I was nervous. I wished like hell I could drink. I poured and handed him one. “Here you go.”

“Aren’t you having one?” he asked.

“Oh yeah. Of course.” I poured a second one and turned from him so he couldn’t see I wasn’t actually drinking it.

Two minutes later, I heard Mary Ellen’s laughter from the beach. I looked over the railing to see her tucked under Aiden’s arm. He whispered something in her ear. My chest tightened as they took the steps.

“Hey, y’all.” I waved.

Aiden grinned. “Thanks for the dinner invitation, Kaitlyn.” He handed me a bottle of wine. “This is for you.”

“Aww, thank you.” I plastered on a smile. “I’ll put this in the fridge and be right back.”

When I returned from the kitchen, Mary Ellen was pouring drinks for her and Aiden. If I didn’t know they had only met last night, I would have guessed they had been a couple for a while. They moved in sync with each other. Maybe there was something to the connection she said they had.

Aiden crunched on a chip. “This guacamole is delicious.”

“Thanks, I made it today. It’s Cole’s favorite.”

“How’s the knee?” Aiden pointed to the leg still in a brace.

I could tell Cole was reluctant to enter a conversation with him. “Getting better.”

Mary Ellen threaded an arm through Aiden’s. “Aiden was telling me today about a trip he might take to North Carolina.”

I knew I looked stunned. I quickly tried to rearrange my face. “Oh, wow. What kind of trip?”

“I have some business with a boat builder in Charlotte. I was thinking I might make a detour through Chapel Hill while I’m there.”

“That’s quite a detour.” I held on to the mojita I couldn’t drink.

He grinned. “Isn’t life full of detours?”