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“A feeling?”
“Yeah, a feeling. Now give me the baby.”
“Aren’t you cooking us dinner?”
“It’s in the oven already. Now hand him over.”
I pass Deuce to her, watching as she makes silly zerbert noises on his belly. His giggles fill the room, light and infectious.
“Tell me more about him,” I prod.
“I don’t know anything more than what I told you,” she says, though her tone suggests otherwise.
“What does he look like?”
“Why does that matter?”
“I’m just curious. Trying to put a face to the name.”
She rolls her eyes but humors me. “Tall. Sort of muscular. Black hair, almond-shaped dark eyes, tan skin. And, um, he has a dimple, too.”
“That’s… very specific,” I smirk. “I could probably pick him out of a lineup with that description.”
“Youaskedwhat he looked like!”
“And you definitely told me,” I chuckle.
“What are you trying to say, Megan?”
She hands Deuce back to me, her mood shifting from defensive to annoyed. But I’ve danced around this long enough—it’s time to address the elephant in the room.
“I just think you might be protesting more than the occasion calls for because… maybe you’re attracted to him?”
“I’mnotattracted to that smug asshole. And even if I was, why would that bother me?”
She’s going to make me say it.
“Because,” I say, standing with Deuce and pacing the room to calm his fussing, “you feel like it would betray the feelings you’re already having for someone else.”
“Feelings?” she repeats, her voice rising slightly.
“Can you grab a bottle from the fridge and warm it for me?” I ask, ignoring her question as I focus on Deuce. “I think he’s hungry.”
She does as I ask, but the look on her face tells me she’s still waiting for an answer. “What are you talking about, Megan?”
“Lena…”
“What?”
I take a deep breath, rocking Deuce gently in my arms. “Can we stop pretending? You have feelings for Christian. Maybe that’s why you feel guilty that someone else caught your attention.”
“What? No! Christian is my brother’s friend.”
“I know who he is, Lena.”
“It’s not like that,” she says, her voice unsteady. “He’s just… someone who’s been there for me. While you and Hunter were dealing with all your… drama.”
Her words hit me like a slap, and I pause mid-step. Have Hunter and I been so wrapped up in our own chaos that we missed what Lena’s been going through? Has Christian become her lifeline in our absence?