Page 49 of North

This was the McIntyres’ home. Home to Connor, and Aiden—the boy whose life my father might’ve destroyed.

Oh, God. Was this another way to get back at me? Was Evie trying to make me realize that my father really was involved?

I stiffened, my stomach twisting.

“Why are we here?” My voice was tight, uncertain.

Evie didn’t answer right away. She unbuckled her seatbelt and then turned to me, her dark eyes unreadable. “Because you need someone on your side. Someone who isn’t afraid of the bullshit that North and his friends got up to.”

That was ridiculous. If North and his friends hated me to the point of hurting me like they had, then Aiden had every right to hate me even more.

“This is a bad idea,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “He—his brother—”

“Is an asshole,” Evie cut in. “And so is North. But Aiden isn’t like them, and he’s going to be fucking furious when he finds out what they were doing.”

I swallowed hard, my pulse hammering as the front door opened. Aiden stepped outside, his expression shifting from surprise to concern as his gaze landed on me. His light brown hair was tousled, his green eyes sharp as they flicked between us.

“Evie?” His brow furrowed, his lips dragging into a gorgeous smile. “Is that you, shortcake?”

“Hey, stranger!” she called, not even hesitating as she climbed out of the car, motioning for me to follow. My legs felt heavy, but I forced myself to move, to step onto the driveway even though every part of me screamed at me to turn back.

Evie trotted up the stairs and hugged Aiden tightly, a huge smile on her face that I’d never seen before.

I swallowed hard. Aiden’s gaze lingered on my face, his expression unreadable. I expected suspicion. I expected resentment. But what I got was something else entirely—confusion and something that looked a heck of a lot like compassion.

“Hi,” I murmured, waving awkwardly.

His lips curled further, and he stepped forward to pull me in for a hug. “Quinn Harley, how have you been?”

I smiled, shrugging. It made me nervous to have that amount of attention on me. And what was I supposed to say? It’s been shit? It was nothing compared to what Aiden went through.

“You probably don’t remember me,” he murmured, his voice teasing. “But I remember you. Your mom used to be good friends with mine. She used to bring you and Evie over to play with Lila on the weekends.”

“She did?” My brow furrowed, and he let out a laugh that Evie giggled along to.

“Yeah, silly, don’t tell me you forgot. You used to steal the Barbies and hide them in Aiden’s room,” she said, wrinkling her nose at me. Her smile fell a second later and she sighed. “Mind if we come in, A?”

“Yeah, of course,” he said, turning to go back inside. “Are you guys hungry or anything? I just finished making breakfast, but I can make something if you’d like.”

“I’m good,” Evie called, turning to hook her arm through mine. “You?” she asked, her brows pinched.

“I’m fine,” I said, and I hated how small my voice sounded as we went through the front door.

The inside of the house was simple, lived-in. It was not pristine the way North’s house was, and it was not curated like some Instagram-perfect mansion. It felt real, with framed photos on the walls, a half-empty coffee cup on the table, and a blanket draped over the back of the couch. It smelled like coffee and cinnamon, like comfort.

It was the kind of house that had love in it.

I didn’t belong here.

Evie didn’t waste time. She sat down on the couch, motioning for me to do the same. Aiden leaned against the arm of a chair, his arms crossed as he studied me.

“I need a favor,” Evie said bluntly.

Aiden’s brows lifted. “That’s awfully direct, shortcake, but I assumed as much.”

Her cheeks reddened at his teasing. “I don’t have time to be subtle.” She gestured toward me. “Quinn needs help.”

Aiden’s gaze flickered back to me, sharper this time. “What happened?”

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