Page 79 of The Edge Of Us

The one that said spill, woman.

"What?" I asked innocently, wiping yogurt off my face.

She didn't even bother answering. Just raised an eyebrow and pointed to my phone on the kitchen island.

I picked it up and nearly dropped it again.

Jasper Ashford: Still thinking about that kiss. You taste like strawberries and rebellion.

I turned red. I mean, cherry red.

"Who texted?" Brittany asked, barely containing her smirk.

"Nobody," I squeaked, already typing back a sarcastic but secretly giddy reply.

She smirked harder. "You suck at lying, Holt."

"Mommy's red," Kyle announced with great pride.

I covered my face with a hand. "Okay, okay! Maybe someone kissed me last night. Maybe it was your Uncle Jasper. Maybe it was the best kiss I've had in years. Maybe I'm still dizzy from it."

Brittany shrieked. "I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I-wait. Uncle Jasper? Ew. No. Don't say that again. I'm traumatized."

I was laughing so hard I almost dropped Astrid.

"He's not your real uncle, Kyle," I said quickly. "It's just... Aunt Brittany being dramatic."

"Can I have pancakes now?" Kyle asked, clearly over it.

After breakfast, I got him dressed in his favorite dinosaur shirt. He wanted to wear mismatched socks because apparently that was what cool kids did. I helped him brush his teeth and fix his mini backpack.

"You smell like toothpaste and chocolate chips," I told him.

He hugged my leg. "I love you, Mommy. Don't let Astrid eat my toys."

"Deal," I said, giving him a kiss on the forehead. "Go, go! Brittany's driving today."

Once Kyle was off to preschool, I had a rare moment of peace. Astrid was occupied with blocks, so Brittany and I decidedto film a TikTok video for Luxe Beauty-something fun and spontaneous to promote the new lipstick drop.

"Alright, Holt, show the people what happens when a boss mom reclaims her crown," Brittany said, phone already recording.

I smirked, slipped on the new Luxe crimson lipstick, and posed dramatically. "This shade is called Savage, and yes, it's named after my ex."

Brittany choked. "DEAD. I'm actually dead."

We danced. We twirled. I even did a hair flip that made Astrid squeal. She ran into the frame halfway through, giggling and shouting "Mama! Mama!" with jelly on her shirt.

It was chaotic. Real. Perfect.

We posted the video, laughing so hard we didn't think twice.

Within an hour, the views started climbing. Hundreds. Thousands. Hundreds of thousands.

Then the comment appeared.

@JasperAshfordOfficial: I was there when she picked that shade. Looks better on her lips than in the bottle.

I stared.

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