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Dad wanted to take me out for lunch. Now I’m baby shopping.

Lu

Daisy was in here, being a bitch.

Xanthe

What happened?

I give them a rough update and then put my phone down to finish the cakes. When I’m done, I sit back to admire my creation just as Lore steps into the kitchen. He’s wearing all black today—a tight, long-sleeve shirt straining over his muscles, his cut, jeans, and boots. His hair is tied back in his usual messy, perfect man bun.

“You okay?” he asks, his violet eyes widening in pleasure when he sees the cake. “Oh fuck, yes.”

I’m about to ask him if I’m okay about what when I realize he’s still in the group chat. “Yeah, I’m fine. And no touching until after dinner.”

He pulls out a chair and sits on it, studying me. “Daisy’s not wrong. Haze gives me a run for my money when it comes to casual sex.”

“Lore—”

“But since you and him got together? He’s been different. He’s more relaxed, less in his head. Happier. And I haven’t seen him pay anyone else with tits any attention. All he sees is you. Have you seen the way he looks at you like he’s not even sure if you’re real?”

Leaning back against the counter, I cross my arms over my chest. “Look, I can’t say that her words don’t hurt. I mean, all of that stuff did happen. Was I around then? No, but it still hurts to hear about it. I don’t want to know what he did with any other women.”

“Which is exactly why Daisy said what she said. She saw you both looking happy, knew he took you out, and was jealous.”

“I know that,” I whisper, sighing. “I get in this happy bubble thinking everything is going so well for me, feeling so happy, and then she’s the reminder that everything is not okay. Haze has a past and potentially a baby with this god-awful woman. Besides ignoring it and trying to pretend that’s not the case, I don’t know how to handle it.”

Haze steps forward, his eyes soft. I don’t know how much he heard, but he definitely heard some of it. “Come here, baby.” He closes the space between us and wraps me in his arms, my face buried against his chest. “I’ve fucked around, you know this.”

“Haze—”

“And what she said about those women is true.”

“I don’t need to hear this, Haze.” It hurts to hear about him with other women.

“I want it all out in the open so we can let it go,” he rumbles, taking a deep, shaky breath. “That’s not who I am with you. You get me? When I have you, I don’t need all of that.”

“Haze—”

“I love you, Luella,” he whispers, running his hands down my back in soothing circles. I suck in an audible breath. “I’m in love with you. I don’t want anyone else. I can’t change my past, but going forward, I want to be everything you need.”

“I love you, too, Haze,” I reply, my lower lip trembling.

I’ve always loved him.

We never got our perfect fairy tale, but we get it right now.

And for me, that’s enough.

Because there’s no one else I want to be with.

In all my years of dating and flirting, I never met another man I felt a connection to.

When I lift my face, I see that Lore has left us alone. Looking up into Haze’s eyes, he lowers his face to rest his forehead against mine while his thumb sweeps across my neck. “I’ve never said that to another woman before.”

“I’ve never said that before, either,” I confess, softly kissing him.

“I always knew you were mine,” he says against my lips. “I was your first kiss. And I’m going to be your last.”