Page 57 of Sweet Little Spies

Would he even show up for play night tonight? Or would hisparents’ interference send him right back to the airport, shutting them all outagain?

“I wish you two were talking,” Daisy was saying. “It’sweird. Like something stable in my world isn’t stable anymore. You should thinkabout this, Car. You’ve never had to date.”

“Dating sucks,” Devi agreed.

“It’s true,” Kenzie said. “The dating world is filled withland mines, cousin. You never know if the beautiful man who seems so into youis only trying to get into your pants for intel.”

“I don’t think I have to worry about someone working me forinformation. I don’t know anything,” Carys admitted.

Kenzie shrugged. “Neither did your mom and yet…”

Tasha sent her sister a frown. “Hey, she’s sensitive aboutthe whole her parents had sex thing. Uncle Sean and Aunt Grace are way morecircumspect than our parents.”

Everyone was more circumspect than Ian and CharlotteTaggart. Everyone in the world.

“Oh, I understand,” Daisy said with a shake of her head. “Irecently learned my father was the player of choice when it came to Hooter’swaitresses back in the day. Though I don’t think he kept it to Hooter’s. Ithink it was all the chicken wing places. He really liked chicken wings.”

“Girl, do not bring that fight to us,” Tasha said, gesturingto her sister. “Our dad was apparently Mr. Dom and did every sub at Sanctumwhile Mom was dead.”

Kenzie nodded. “Yeah, but he was sad she was dead. He waslooking for comfort. Uncle Li was just looking for chicken wings.”

“Well, my parents are practically perfect.” Devi sighed.“Dad died, but Mom didn’t like rip through a bunch of dicks. Probably becauseDad left her all kinds of knocked up. You know when you think about it, we havea real trend of dying and coming back.”

Actually, they had a real trend of epic love stories. Whenshe thought about it, all their parents had something serious to get through.She was sitting here thinking she was the only person in the world who everfelt this way, but she knew it wasn’t true. She was a freaking doctor, and shelistened to her patients. They all had stories. They all had heartaches.

Maybe it was time to start listening to her elders. How hadthey gotten through it?

Aunt Erin had lost Uncle Theo to a crazy woman who’dkidnapped him and wiped his memory. They were happy today.

Aunt Charlotte had faked her own death, and Uncle Ian hadbeen under suspicion he’d killed her for years. They were happy today.

Apparently her dad had been a massive asshole, and her momhad found it in her heart to forgive him.

And they were happy today.

“You know Dare didn’t know who I was when I slept with him,”Tasha said quietly. “I lied to him because we were in the middle of an op. Iknew I was in love with him and I lied. I let my team bug his room and downloadhis laptop. I almost lost him. In some ways, I think I would have if I hadn’tgotten shot and he had to face a world without me. We’re together today becauseof his generous heart.”

Kenzie sniffled.

“Nate didn’t know who I was,” Daisy said. “I stole a nightof passion from my big Aussie bastard and he forgave me.”

She knew this story well, and Daisy was embellishing. “Youwere after his dick, sweetie. Not his secrets. It’s not the same. You didn’tcause Nate a shit ton of heartache. Just a little confusion.”

Daisy sniffed. “Well, that makes me sound like a novella.You know like when Aunt Serena needs a break from the big books. You don’tthink she’d make me a novella, do you?”

Carys snorted. “Never. It was epic.”

Now she wondered if hers was epic. It had simply always beenthere. Aidan and Tristan had always been there, and until Tris decided to runoff to the military, they hadn’t had a ton of drama. She hadn’t cared when somejealous girls called her a whore. Her parents had accepted them with relativeease.

Was she wilting in the face of the first real trouble they’dever had?

Tristan had told her what he wanted, and she’d shut down.She’d gotten her feelings hurt and let him go.

“Hey, are we doing this or are you going to admit youremember nothing and promise you’ll duck behind me when shit goes down?” Kalahad on shorts and a sports bra, her magenta-colored hair up in a high ponytail.“Because shit is absolutely going to go down.”

“Hey, Kala, you could go easier on her,” Kenzie complained.

Cooper stood up. “Maybe we should talk about this first.”

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