Page 37 of Before This Ends (Before)

Oh, God. Even if don’t really know her and am unable to see her face to read her expression, I can tell by the tone of her voice alone that she is not happy with that bit of information. I’m tempted to go over and clarify to Hazel what Winter means but wonder if that might just make me seem guilty of something I’m not guilty of and cause a problem.

“Did she have a sleepover in your room?”

“No, she slept in Daddy’s room,” she tells her as the door is opened, and I inwardly cringe as Miles walks inside.

With a quick smile aimed toward Winter and me, having no clue the conversation taking place, he takes off his jacket, then removes the gun he has holstered at his hip, setting it on a high shelf. When Winter notices his arrival, she slides off her stool without a word to her mom and goes to greet him with a hug.

“Did you finish your homework?” he asks, picking her up and carrying her back to the kitchen.

“Yep, Emma helped me.”

“Emma slept in your bed last night?” Hazel asks when Miles walks into view of the iPad propped up on the island, and his expression instantly goes hard, the smile on his face slipping away as his jaw clenches.

“Win, go to your room for a minute,” he says, placing her on her feet, and she looks up at him, then to me, before she walks away with her shoulders slumped. “We spoke about this,” he bites out quietly, picking the iPad up off the island.

What does that mean? Did he already tell her I stayed the night?

“No, you refused to talk to me about it.”

“Yeah, but what did I say? It’s none of your business.”

“All I did is repeat what our daughter just told me.”

“She’s seven. All she knows is Emma stayed the night. You making it a big deal is going tomakeit a big deal,” he clips.

“I asked you what’s going on, and you won’t tell me.”

“When there is something for you to know, Hazel, I’ll fill you in. Now, I’m gonna hang up. Win will call you before bed,” he growls, then turns off the iPad and sets it aside.

“I thought about explaining things to her when Winter told her I stayed the night,” I say quietly, watching him rip his fingers through his hair, and he turns to glare at me. “I didn’t, because I wasn’t sure if it would make it better or worse.”

“You don’t need to explainshitto her, Em.”

“Okay,” I whisper as he stares at me. “Are you hungry?” His eyes drop to my mouth, seeming darker than seconds ago.

“Starved.”

I don’t know if it’s the look in his eyes or that single word spoken in his deep voice, but my body reacts instantly in some very inappropriate places. Clearing my throat, I drag my eyes off his and turn to the stove.

“You should go get Winter. She’s probably worried she did something wrong.”

It’s quiet for a long moment, then his muttered “fuck” hits my ears before I listen to the sound of his footsteps getting farther away.

CHAPTER14

miles

Walking into Clay’s apartment, I follow the voices I can hear coming through the open door of his living room. When I step inside the room, I find Tucker and Miranda on one of the couches, with Willow and Clay on two of the barstools turned to face them. I can’t see Kingston or Winter, but I can hear them playing over by the treehouse that was built inside the room. The entire space is almost as big as my entire apartment, with a play area that includes the treehouse that is in the shape of a tree and almost reaches the ceiling, a fully stocked bar, a giant TV with two smaller ones on the side of it, and couches to hang out on.

Late last night, Willow, Clay, Tucker, Miranda, and Kingston got back to Nashville after spending some time in Colorado, where Clay has a couple of properties, he likes to check on from time to time. And since Kingston has never really experienced snow or at least no more than a dusting of it here in Tennessee, Tucker and Miranda decided to fly out to meet Clay and Willow for a few days.

“You’re home early.” Clay stands to greet me with a one-armed hug. “Winter will be happy. She’s been asking where you were since we got her from school.”

“He’s lying. She’s been asking forEmmanon-stop,” Willow says, causing my gut to twist as I bend to kiss her cheek.

“She’s not exaggerating either,” Miranda says, coming over to join us, with Tucker right behind her. “She begged me to call Emma to see if she could come over as soon as she saw me.”

“She had a good time with her this week,” I tell her while shaking my head at Clay when he holds out a beer in my direction.

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