Page 66 of Falling for the Forward

Harry puts an arm around my shoulders and kisses my temple. “We love you, too.”

Mara blows me a kiss.

Dex looks at me over the dark rim of his glasses. “I love you, Suki, which is why I’m telling you you’ll regret it forever if you don’t try with Carter. With your whole heart.”

“Even though my heart looks like one of those models of a smoker’s lungs they show kids to scare them? All dark and shriveled?”

He considers. “Maybe you’re right. If you end up an old spinster with nine cats, my nine cats will have someone to play with.”

I roll my eyes. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Send him a tit pic,” Mara says. “He won’t even remember he was mad at you.”

“Tit pics are your solution to every problem.”

She shrugs. “They’re notnota solution.”

“How many tit pics have you sent to Professor Lumberjack?” Dex asks her.

“None.”

“Oh.” Harry’s brows hit his hairline. “She really likes him.”

The trivia host comes around to collect our answer sheets, and I take my phone out to check it.

Olivia: I got an A on my speech! I’ll show you my teacher’s score sheet tomorrow.

I get a pang of missing her, even though I just saw her this afternoon.

Carter and the girls have become everything to me. I’ve only ever asked myself what it would be like if things with Carter didn’t work out. It’s time to consider what things would be like if they did.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Carter

Charlotte frownsat her plate and sets her fork down.

“What?” I ask.

“Nothing.”

“What’s the problem? Eat your breakfast. We have to leave for school in ten minutes.”

Hallie carries her plate of French toast over to the trash can and dumps it.

“What are you doing? You just threw away your breakfast.”

“I don’t like it. I like it when Suki makes it.”

I press my lips together for a few seconds to avoid snapping. You would think kids wouldn’t be that picky about something as basic as French toast, but you’d be wrong.

“You guys drown it in syrup anyway. How can it taste that different?”

Charlotte cuts off another bite and eats it, her forlorn expression making it look like she’s being force-fed prison gruel.

“Just find something to eat and be ready to go in”--I look at my watch--“eight minutes.”

Olivia runs into the kitchen, her hair wet and her eyes wide with panic. “My hair dryer stopped working.”

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