Page 30 of Crocodile Tears
Even if the twenty-seven-year-old Dove agreed with him, the twelve-year-old Dove was devastated. He'd been my first crush, my first kiss. We’d had no idea what we’d been doing and hadpractically knocked each other's teeth out, but it had been a memory I’d held onto for a long time.
“Never,” I echoed, trying to sound indifferent even as a million thoughts whirled in my mind. “Especially not after you cheated on me,” I added, and a few of my siblings audibly gasped.
“Whoa!” Deacon leaned into the table. “I didnotcheat on you.”
“You cheated on me in Medovier,” I countered.
“That was my rogue assassin character that cheated on you, and that campaign ended fifteen years ago!”
“Still, it started a habit of cheating, didn’t it?” I countered.
“Oh my god, you guys are such nerds,” Crane said with a laugh.
“It’s seriously adorkable,” Heron jeered. “You’re fighting over a board game.”
“It’s not a board game!” Deacon and I said at once, which only incensed me further.
The rest of my family clearly didn’t understand what a slight it had been. They always acted like I was getting upset over losing Monopoly. But at the time, Deacon and I had told each othereverything,and even though it was “just a game,” it had still hurt. And it had hurt even more when he’d gotten his character killed off to go start a fun new life in New York that I’d known I wouldn’t get to be a part of. I’d lost my best friend that day, and he probably hadn’t even thought twice about it.
“You know, it's getting late,” Deacon said with a sigh, rising from the table.
“Deacon, don't go,” Mom pleaded. “Really. Dove’s just being, uh . . . Dove.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I muttered.
Deacon waved to the table. “Thank you for the lovely meal, Mrs. Lachlan.”
“I hope you'll come back again,” Mom offered.
“Thank you,” he replied noncommittally. “It’s been a nice walk down memory lane,” he added, giving me one last look before he left.
Chapter Fifteen
Dove
When Deacon shut the front door behind him, the room erupted into a cacophony of everyone shouting over each other.
“You all have completely lost your minds,” I screamed to be heard. “You are too charmed by his fame and good looks to remember he isnotour friend.” I turned toward Hannah. “And don’t think I won’t be bringing this up again in the future!” She cringed and rubbed her belly.
“I mean, you were kind of being extra dickish to him though, Dove,” Crane said. “Like, you don't need to go so hard on him for making mistakes at a board game when you were kids.”
“It wasn’t a board game!” I snapped.
“I mean, he wasn't that bad,” Heron echoed. “He was really nice to everyone.”
I gaped at the twins.
“We're still on your side,” Crane added hastily.
“Well, you’re definitely not acting like it!”
“Shit, I'm not on your side anymore,” Finch said with a laugh. “Not when you’reclearlydeluding yourself about your feelings for him. I'm with Hannah, Team Deacon all the way . . . . Hannah, you okay?”
Before I could shoot down Finch’s suggestion that I had any feelings for Deacon other than hatred, I was halted by her concerned expression. I followed Finch's line of sight and found Hannah zoning out at her plate. “I think . . .” She stood up, revealing wet leggings. “I think my water just broke.”
“What?” Hawk shot up. “Okay, okay, uh . . . I guess it's go time.”
Everyone leapt up from their chairs as Hawk started barking orders like a military commander. My pulse raced with excitement as we all moved into action.
