Page 106 of Mended Hearts

“Hey!”

“What? You about snapped my neck when I asked where the tent was. And you were dizzy!Oh my god, Pax put us all on Leighton Watch because he thought you were hiding cardiac symptoms.”

I mean… same.

“I wasn’t keeping anything from anyone. There wasn’t anything to tell. Our situation is complicated. I don’t ask for a play-by-play of the dicks you’re riding.”

She beamed. “Your loss. I’ve had some spectacular hookups. If you ever need to get railed, theBomberroster is ripe for the picking.”

“Oh my god, Kaia.”

“What? Look at their asses in those pants and tell me I’m wrong.”

“No interest in baller ass, thanks.”

“Again. Your loss. But this isn’t about me.Myeggo isn’t preggo. Tell me how the hell this happened.”

“We hooked up on Halloween,” I admitted.

“That tracks. But why haven’t I met him? Or heard an inkling? Since when do we keep secrets?”

“We didn’t actually start dating until… well… last night was our firstofficialdate.”

“And who is this mystery man?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Don’t you think I should tell the father before I go spreading the news all over?”

“Sure. Yes. Very good,” she said solemnly. “ButI’mnotall over. I’m your other half. We are a package deal. Two-for-one special. Two musketeers.”

“About to be three.” I smiled weakly.

“Ha—good one. My point is, this turd burglar better get real comfy with me being all up in your business, because I’m not going anywhere.”

“What does that mean?”

“That I’ll stay,” she said with a shrug. “You’ll be due what, in July-ish?”

“That sounds about right,” I muttered, discreetly counting it out on my fingers.

“So I’ll stay after snowbird season ends.”

“Kaia, what about work?”

“I can find clientele anywhere. That’s the magic of social media.”

“You’re serious?”

“Bitch, like you wouldn’t do the same if the roles were reversed, and—ohmygod.” Her eyes rounded comically.

“What?”

“You went home with Oliver Hart on Halloween.”

“What?”

“Alice said he drove you home because you’d been drinking. Pax said you seemed fine.Ohmygod, you didn’t let him drive you home because you were drunk. It was because you wanted to climb that man like a tree and—apparently—you did just that, andnowyou’re carrying a Hart heir or heiress and?—”

“Lord have mercy,breathe, Kai.” No wonder Ollie always cut me off. Did I sound this unhinged when I connected dots?

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