Page 63 of A Little Secret

“You good?” she asks.

I nod. “Yeah, just tired. Once I know Frankie isn’t across the hall, I’ll sleep better.”

“You sure living with Everett and Raine won’t be worse?”

“To be fair, I’ll have a couple weeks of freedom before they move in, but even without the freedom, I think I’d still prefer my brother and his girlfriend living across the hall over Dylan’s slimy, green soldier.”

She laughs. “Aw, come on. You two didn’t bond while we were away?”

“Nope.”

“Not even a little bit?” she prods.

I shake my head and shiver. “Not in the slightest.”

With a grin, she tilts her head. “How ‘bout you and Griff? Things at the party seemed…good, I think? And then…not so good.”

My lips bunch on one side. “Is this your attempt at sleuthing?”

“Hey, not all of us are as talented as you, Miss Detective.”

“Well, at least you admit it.” I pat her shoulder. “And, yeah. Griffin and I are fine.”

“You sure? Because he was wearing his pissed-off face this morning, and I have a feeling it wasn’t from the extra shots last night.” She steps a little closer and glances over her shoulder, confirming we’re alone. “Not to sound like a creepy stalker or anything, but I may have noticed how you gave him the cheek last night.”

“Pretty sure the Game Night rules applied,” I remind her. “Yes, a kiss was part of the rules to win game night, but I got to pick where, and I chose the cheek. So what?”

“Not arguing about the rules, only the reasoning behind them.” She hesitates, and a divot forms between her perfectly shaped brows. “I thought you and Drew were through.”

“We are through.”

“So why not kiss Griff?” She nibbles on the edge of her bottom lip, hesitating. Again. “You and him used to kiss all the time until you started dating Drew.”

“We didn’t kiss?—”

“During game nights, you did,” Lia argues. “Truth or Dare, Spin the Bottle, Seven Minutes in Heaven.” She lists them off, one by one, and I press my lips into a thin line.

“I also kissed Mav and Archer and Everett’s other friends during the games, too,” I remind her.

“Yeah, which is why it’s weird that youdidn’tkiss Griff last night,” she pushes. “You’re proving my point for me.”

Well, shit.

The girl might be onto something. I’ve never struggled with meaningless kisses. It’s all fun and games. All insignificant. Until it isn’t.

“Maybe I’m maturing,” I offer.

“Or maybe kissing Griffin isn’t a game to you…orhim.” She rocks back on her heels and tucks her thumbs into the front pockets of her jeans. “Just a thought.”

“Aaaand, I think you’ve done enough sleuthing for one day.” I fold my arms. “Besides, you’re terrible at it.”

“Or maybe I’m too good at it,” she counters. “I did learn from the best.”

“Oh, did you?”

“Mm-hmm.” She bounces her eyebrows up and down. “What happened on your little road trip, Fin?”

Not gonna lie. The old me would’ve told her everything. And maybe I should. But then, I’d have to admit I’m pregnant. Am I so wrong for wanting to keep the lid on that particular can of worms for now?

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