Page 17 of Three of a Kind

My bladder must have shrunk three sizes recently.

Lennox looks as beautiful as ever, with her long, dark hair fanning around her face as she sleeps. She wouldn’t have gotten in until early this morning if she worked a full shift.

I still shake her awake with zero shame.

“Hey, wake up.” I give her arm another shove.

“What the hell, Brooklyn?” she grumbles, rubbing at her eyes. “I’m pretty sure I just fell asleep.”

“Dustin knows I’m pregnant,” I say, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Never in a million years did I expect him to pop up at our door. I was already in my comfy house clothes.”

“Oh, shit.” She sits up, leaning against her headboard.

“Yeah,” I agree, rolling my jaw from side to side. “Why was he looking for you in the first place?”

“He comes into the club a few times a week.” Lennox shrugs, and her hair falls over her face as she glances away. “He flirts, but I’m not interested. Thorne can’t stand him. I’m polite enough to keep my job. Nothing more.”

I study her face for any signs of deception. “Has he been giving you a hard time?”

Even though I can’t put my finger on why, it still feels like she’s keeping something from me.

“No, not really,” she says. “He’s just like any other customer. I mean, they all flirt.”

My hand slides to cradle the fluttering movements in my lower stomach. I’ve been able to feel the baby move for the last few weeks. It’s just so light that I miss it if I’m not paying attention. He or she must be doing their morning calisthenics.

“Really, Brooklyn,” Lennox says softly, stretching to run her hand over my stomach. “How much longer do you think you can keep the baby a secret?”

I sigh, shoving myself off her bed. “Some women manage it for their entire pregnancy…”

“Okay, you’re just being stubborn,” she says, pushing her lips together. “Me being friendly with Dustin might help?—”

“No!” My hand flies out as I point at her chest. “I don’t want you involved with the Barretts at all.”

“Thorne isn’t a bad guy,” she says, referencing Avan’s security guy that she’s into.

“He works for a…” I trail off, not wanting to scare her. She’s still young and a little too optimistic about humankind. “Just stay away from all of them. Please.” I walk toward her bedroom door. “Learn from my mistakes, so you don’t have to live them.”

“Brooklyn, wait,” she says, but I’m already out the door and heading to wake up my kid.

Admitting I’d never be able to afford my apartment and Libby’s daycare without Avan’s help is a hard pill to swallow. He set me up in the spacious three-bedroom unit when I was a few months pregnant.

He also continued to pay all my medical bills, even when it became apparent that he was disappointed Libby would be a girl.

At first, seeing how much less he cared about my pregnancy once we found out the gender made me want to punch him in the face.

Now?

I can appreciate the gift the universe gave me.

I’m just terrified that I won’t get that lucky a second time around. He wouldn’t have let me keep Libby if I’d birthed a proper “heir.”

It’s why I’ve put off finding out the gender of this baby.

I don’t have the resources to fight him.

All I can pray is that I keep my secret long enough to escape.

It’s so complicated.

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