Page 166 of A Sky Full Of Stars

“I don’t,” Dylan cuts in. “I wouldn’t trust that guy as far as I can throw him,” he jokes. At least I hope he’s joking, otherwise I’m fired.

“Shut up,” Summer says with a laugh. “He’s the best person to be looking after Josh right now. I told Lainey to call him or Lucy in an emergency. Though Josh will be missing us, and you too, Lainey. So, I appreciate that. But I want the full story when I get home.And you…” She turns to Thomas again, her lips pursed, making him cringe. “Youhave just made me the happiest sister in the world.” She smiles as tears prick her eyes. “Sorry, it’s the hormones,” she adds, eliciting laughter from the rest of us. “I just want you to be happy, and I love Lainey.”

“Thank you.” My stomach twists in knots. I wasn’t expecting this to all come out today.Now. But I’m glad that it has. “I promise we’ll tell you everything when you’re home. For now, look after yourself and your littlest one.”

We say our goodbyes, and as we walk out of the hospital, Thomas grabs my hand, linking our fingers in a very coupley gesture. “Is this okay?” he asks, and my chest warms.

“It’s perfect,” I say honestly, because even though I’m nervous about it all, it’s what I want. It’s what I’ve always wanted. Who knew such a simple connection could mean so much. There’s no more hiding—from others, each other, or ourselves—and God, that feels good.

When we get home, Joel and Josh are laughing in the living room as they roll around on the floor. But as soon as Josh sees me, he abandons his game and rolls onto his back, reaching out for me to lift him.

“All okay?” I mouth to Joel before turning back to Josh. “I missed you, Little Man. How was Uncle Joel?”

“We had a great time, didn’t we, J-Man,” Joel says, ruffling Josh’s hair as he stands up. “There were a few tears, but he was easy to distract. How’s Summer?”

“She’s good,” Thomas says. “She was lucky. She hit a fence with her shoulder as she fell, and it sounds like it propelled her toward the edge of the grass. So while she still hit the concrete, it wasn’t as much of an impact as it could have been.”

Joel sighs. “That’s a relief, and the baby’s all good?”

“What?” I bark out. Joel has such a blank expression that my eyes flash to Thomas’s before moving back his way.Is he guessing?

He laughs out loud as he shakes his head. “Your faces. Dylan called while you were driving home. That guy can’t keep a secret to save himself.”

“Is that right?”

“Yep.” His smile widens before he bounces his eyebrows. “I thought you’d ‘barely seen him,’” Joel says to me, referring to what I said about Thomas living here. “Guess it was aninstantconnection then.”

Jesus. Dylan really can’t keep his mouth shut. “Yeah…uh…it’s been a little longer than that.”

“So you’re the girl.” He nods knowingly, only I have no idea what he’s referring to. “Lainey’s the reason you were bringing around fake dates?” he says to Thomas. “So no one asked you any questions?”

Holy shit.Joel’s observant, I’ll give him credit for that, but he’s wrong in this case. Not that we need to tell him that.

“That’s exactly right,” Thomas says, smiling my way. “But how the fuck did you know that?”

“One of your dates, a few years back. She said the two of you were just friends and that, quote, ‘I think he might be a virgin. We all talk and no one has ever slept with him.’” My eyes widenbut I can’t hide my laugh as he continues. “Since I knew that wasn’t true, I figured there had to be another reason.”

“Maybe I wasn’t interested in sex, or maybe I preferred men?” Thomas says, making my head snap his way.

“Both could have been true.” Joel shrugs. “But you know we’re all supportive, and you would have had a crack at Eli. That guy is dreamy. No one can resist him.”

Thomas and Joel laugh while my eyes bounce between them. “Who’s Eli?”

“A friend of Delilah’s. You’ll meet him one day. He often comes to our Friendsgiving parties.”

“Your what?” Why do I feel like we just went from zero to one hundred without even explicitly confirming with anyone that we were a couple.

“Welcome to the family,” Joel says with the most comical smile I’ve ever seen. It’s a little scary if I’m being honest. He squeezes my shoulder as my eyes flash to Thomas, my expression wary.

“Stop,” Thomas admonishes. “Don’t scare her off.”

“I’m sorry. In all seriousness, it was nice to hear you are together. I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, Joel.” I smile, but this “family” stuff is going to take a bit of getting used to. Though if one positive has come out of this conversation, it’s that I now understand Thomas a whole lot more. As an outsider, the way this group works is a little intimidating, and he’s always felt like an outsider.

“If you’re all good here, I’m going to head off to see my girls,” Joel says. “Delilah will be thrilled with Summer’s news, and I want to tell her before Lucy or Cory do.”

Jesus. This is going to be interesting.

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