Page 70 of Mending Scars

I pulled back and smiled. “Thank you.”

“Don’t forget the gift,” Nori reminded.

I took out the pink tissue paper and looked in the bag. I pulled the little baby outfit out and held it up. It had a bib, onesie, and pants; both the bib and onesie read “My aunt is cooler than your aunt.”

I laughed as I showed Ryker, who snorted. “I love it,” I said, hugging Nori again. “You’re more family to me than my real family ever was. Well, besides Kam, of course.”

She squeezed me tight. “I know, girl. Same here. I’ll always be there for you.”

When I pulled back, I looked around the table at the amazing people with me. My family. A smile spread over my face as I placed a hand on my bulging belly and gazed down.

I had everything I ever needed right there with me.

As soon as we set foot in Ryker’s apartment, he questioned me. “What happened earlier?”

I played dumb, even though I knew he wasn’t going to buy it. “When?”

He lowered his head to make eye contact with me, making me uneasy. My eyes flitted away, then back to his. “Don’t act stupid, Kaiya,” Ryker responded abrasively.

Shifting uncomfortably, I rubbed my hands up and down my bare arms. “It was nothing.”

“Bullshit,” he growled. His face was lined with anger. His jaw set, and his eyes burned with fury. “Don’t fucking lie to me.”

Damn it, how does he read me so well?

My brain raced as I held his gaze, trying to think of a believable lie. I’d lied to everyone about Kaleb for most of my life, so lying was a natural defense mechanism for me. I swallowed the lump in my throat as the perfect thing came to mind. “I just…” I started, then paused and sighed. “My mom text me.”

His face fell as guilt washed over, making me feel like a piece of shit for lying. He opened his arms and moved toward me. “Baby, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you to tell me.” His arms wrapped around me and pulled me against his strong frame.

Resting my head against his chest, I sighed, still feeling disgusted with myself. “Can we just forget about it? Please?”

Ryker rubbed his hands up and down my back. “Yeah, Warrior. We can.”

Cheering sounded throughout the bar as Ortiz hit a home run with two players on the bases. I took a swig of my beer as my brother clapped wildly. “Go Sox!” he shouted before turning from the T.V. to face me. “Can you believe that hit? Two strikes in the bottom of the ninth and then he blows it out of the park to tie it up. Unbelievable.”

“Yeah, it was a pretty good hit,” I replied unenthusiastically.

Ethan’s brows furrowed. “What’s wrong with you, bro?”

My argument with Kaiya and encounter with Molly were still weighing on me a week later. “Just have a lot on my mind.”

“Molly told me she ran into you last week.”

I nodded. “Yep. It was awkward at best.”

He chuckled. “Well, at least you’re trying.”

I took a long pull from my bottle. “Doing my best. I’m not gonna lie, it was hard to take that step.”

He patted me on the shoulder. “It’ll get better. Time heals all wounds.”

I snorted. “We’ll see.”

“Have faith, bro.” Ethan smiled warmly. “I do. You both love me too much to let what happened come between us again.”

“The past is the past, right?” I asked rhetorically.

He raised his beer toward me. “Cheers to that.”

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