Page 101 of Small Town Sizzle

“Alex, please—” I start, but he cuts me off with a sharp glare.

“You knew, didn’t you?” he accuses, his voice shaking. “How long have you known?”

“I just found out,” I say quickly, trying to calm him. “I swear, Alex.”

“You knew,” he hisses as his glare shifts to Garrett. “You can’t actually think I would believe that you knew my mom was pregnant and didn’t think it could be yours?”

“I didn’t know your mom was pregnant. I…didn’t even know she had a kid until I came back to Hicks Creek for Mom’s funeral.”

He stands abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. “This is unbelievable,” he mutters, pacing the room. “You kept this from me. Both of you.”

“Maya didn’t know. Alex, I didn’t know,” Garrett says, standing as well. “If I had—”

“But you didn’t,” Alex snaps, spinning to face him. “You didn’t know, because you weren’t there. You weren’t there for me, for my mom—nothing. And now you just… show up and expect me to what? Be okay with this?”

“No,” Garrett says firmly, his voice full of emotion. “I don’t expect anything. I just want a chance to be in your life.”

“A little late for that, don’t you think?”

“Alex, please,” I say, stepping toward him. “I know this is a lot to take in, but we—”

“No, I need to get out of here.”

“Alex,” Garrett starts, but Alex is already moving toward the door.

He grabs his shoes and yanks them on, his movements quick and jerky. “Don’t follow me,” he says sharply before grabbingGeorge’s leash. The dog races to him, sitting in front of him, so that he can go for a walk. They walk out the door, then Alex slams it behind him.

The silence that follows is suffocating. I turn to Garrett, my chest tight with worry.

“What do we do?” he asks.

“We give him time,” I answer as tears stream down my cheeks.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Garrett

Istand frozen in the living room, staring at the door Alex just slammed shut. Every instinct I have is screaming at me to chase after him, to find him and explain, but my feet feel like they’re encased in concrete. My hands clench into fists at my sides as my thoughts spiral. I’ve messed up already—how do I make this right?

I take a step toward the door, but Maya grabs my arm. “Garrett, wait,” she says softly, her eyes searching mine.

“He just walked out,” I say, my voice raw and strained. “I can’t let him leave like that, Maya. I need to—”

“Chasing him right now will only make things worse. He needs time to process, and so do you.”

I look back at the door, every muscle in my body tense with the need to do something. But the sincerity in her eyes, the way her voice soothes the jagged edges of my thoughts, makes me pause.

“Maya…” My voice cracks, and I don’t even know what to say next. My shoulders slump, the weight of it all pressing down on me.

She steps closer and wraps her arms around me, holding me tightly. I didn’t realize how badly I needed this until now. Her embrace grounds me, pulling me back from the edge of panic. I bury my face in her hair, inhaling the faint scent of her shampoo, and then I release and just let myself be in her arms.

“We’ll figure this out,” she murmurs against my chest. “Together. But right now, you need to give him space. He’ll come back when he’s ready.”

I nod slowly, though every part of me still feels conflicted. “I think… I think I should go for now,” I say quietly. “Give Jazlyn time to come home, let Alex settle, and… I don’t know, clear my head.”

She pulls back just enough to look up at me, her hands still resting on my chest.

“I think that’s a good idea,” she says.