Page 90 of Unlikely

“Raine,” I say gently. “Will you excuse your dads and me for a little bit? I need to talk to them in private.”

Her eyes dance between the three of us as she nods. “I guess I can hang out with my mom’s girlfriend.”

An unexpected laugh slips out of my mouth, appreciating her levity more than she’ll ever know.

“I think you’ll get along just fine,” I tease.

When my eyes land on Jesse and Leo and I tilt my head to their back door, they both stand to follow me. Before I get up, Clementine’s hand squeezes my thigh as she leans in, lowering her mouth to my ear. “I love you.”

She kisses my temple, and I breathe in the strength her words give me.

Just as we’re about to step outside, their doorbell rings, and Jesse’s expression turns sympathetic. “Fuck. I’m sorry,” he says. “We invited Julian and Deacon to come here after lunch.”

His voice trails off and I fill in the blanks.

“But I had a major breakdown,” I blurt out, only half joking.

“Well, I wasn’t going to put it so bluntly,” he murmurs. “Do you want me to tell them to leave?”

I wave him off. “Absolutely not. They’re your friends, and I know how supportive they were to you both after Lola died.”

Deacon is Jesse’s boss, and Julian is his husband. They played a pivotal role in helping Leo and Jesse move forward last year, so it isn’t surprising that they were invited to spend time commemorating Lola today.

Leo grabs my hand and looks up at Jesse. “Take your time settling them in, we’ll be in Lola’s room.”

My whole body stiffens. I’ve never been in Lola’s room, and he knows it.

“Leo,” I breathe out, his name filled with both reluctance and a warning. “I don’t know if I can.”

“Of course you can,” he coaxes. “It’s time.”

Leading me down the hallway, he squeezes my hand reassuringly before he opens the bedroom door and guides me in. The room is custard yellow and there are pictures and writing all over the walls.

“What’s all this?” I ask, completely unprepared for the sight in front of me.

“This was Raine’s idea,” he explains. “She spends hours in here when she’s home, writing on all the walls, talking to her sister. She’s only recently started to include pictures.”

My feet lead me farther into the room, until my fingertips are running across the wall, tracing all the words Raine has written.

“You know,” he says, “Raine is something else. That daughter of yours?—”

“Ours,” I snap, glancing over my shoulder, correcting him. “She’sours.”

And just like that, it all makes sense. The key fits perfectly into the lock, the missing puzzle piece is found.

“She’s ours,” he repeats, and I know we’re no longer talking about Raine. “She wasalwaysours.”

Leo closes the distance between us. “How many times did you tell me Raine was mine? That blood and circumstances didn’t matter, that she was unequivocally mine?”

I had said those things to him. I had repeated them over and over when insecurity plagued him, reminding him that he was part of our misfit family and nothing would ever change that.

“So why is it different for you?” he challenges. “Why is Raine mine and Lola not yours?”

Tears fall down Leo’s cheeks as Jesse’s strong arms wrap around me. He kisses the top of my head as my sobs fill the room.

“I’m so sorry I missed this,” he says.

I shake my head, trying to talk through the tears. “It wasn’t your job to notice.”

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