Page 58 of Meet Your Maker: Part One

I do, because I’m curious too. Shadow props the kitchen door open, and Banjo sits up, scratches his ear with exaggerated enthusiasm, and then tromps back into the house. Shadow grabs my cup and follows him in, promising to bring me a refill.

I stare at Tomas, letting my gift unfurl, prodding gently at the edges of his emotions. A wall of tension meets me, his shouldersstiffening like a door closing. I swallow the urge to say, This is what happens when you won’t talk to me.

A few minutes later, Ben reappears in sweatpants and a tee, sneakers dangling from one hand. His hair’s tousled—whether from the shift back or an impromptu kitchen make-out session, I can’t tell. But he’s got that sheepish look he gets when he’s trying not to gloat.

“Ended up over at Wade’s place,” he says by way of explanation, shrugging. He drops into a chair and starts pulling on his sneakers, one by one, tugging the laces tight. “Mishka was already out, running around with the girls. Figured I’d join in.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “Of course you did. Is he having fun with them?”

“He’s great,” Ben says, double-knotting the first shoe before switching to the other. His grin softens. “Acting like a normal kid—well, as normal as any of them can be. They’re really good for him.” He grins again, finishing the knot. “Wade said he’d come by in a bit, but Mishka’s set on spending the day with them. Sue mentioned something about making shoofly pie.”

“Shoofly pie is basically a sugar bomb with crust,” I say, shaking my head. “Guess they can handle three over-sugared kids.”

Ben chuckles, leaning back in his chair. “Better them than us.”

And then it hits me. “Daddy must be bringing The Judge over!” My excitement flares. “We should do some shopping later—”

But before I can finish, Tomas stands abruptly, his movements stiff and jerky. He lets out a heavy sigh, muttering something I can’t catch, and heads back inside without a word. What the actual fuck, Tomas?

Shadow reappears with a steaming mug of coffee and Ben accepts a kiss on the cheek from them murmuring his thanks while my patience wears down to the nub.

“You know what?” I say, my voice tight. A headache blooms behind my eyes. This is why I hate secrets.If they wanted to keep me in the dark, they could’ve at least sprung for a blindfold and a cigarette.

“Something’s going on, and if Tomas won’t spill the beans, you two are going to tell me what’s going on.”

Xavier and Ben share a look, and my stomach flips. The kind of flip you feel on a rollercoaster when you realize you forgot to buckle your seatbelt. They both avoid my gaze, and Xavier drains Ben’s cup, their eyes darting away like they’d rather be anywhere else.Seriously?

“We can’t tell you,” Ben finally says, his voice quiet.

I let out a bitter laugh. “So this is how it’s gonna be? Some messed-up ‘bros before hoes’ situation? Because I did not sign up for that.”

“No!” Ben’s eyes widen in horror. He actually looks kind of offended. “Goddess, no, Sunshine. That’s not what this is at all.”

My chest tightens, confusion tangling with anger. I don’t know if I’m relieved or just more pissed off.

Xavier reaches out, their fingers brushing my arm, but I pull away. “Then what the hell is it like, huh? Because I’m feeling really out of the loop here. Just tell me!” I grumble under my breath, “God, I hate the miscommunication trope.”

I glare at Shadow. “And you—I don’t want to be calmed down right now!”

“We want to tell you, Amor,” Shadow says softly, their eyes pleading. “But this isn’t ours to share.” They look toward the house. “You know that.”

A minute later, Tomas strides back out and stops in front of Shadow. “What?”

“Tell her,pendejo. Her feelings are hurt. You’re making me hurt my mate’s feelings because you’ve decided that angst is your entire personality today.”

Tomas runs his hands through his hair and lets out an extremely dramatic sigh before finally meeting my eyes. “Yeah, fine. You’re right.” He turns to me. “We need to talk. Before your dad gets here.”

He’s dreading whatever he’s about to say, and I’m starting to get scared.

“Should we go inside? Or is out here okay?” I blurt. “Fuck, are you breaking up with me?”

“No, no, sweetheart. It’s nothing like that.”

“Well, what is it like, then? I already know about you and Vivien. Is that it?”

Ben shakes his head. “Tommy, this is ridiculous. Just tell her, or I will.”

“I bought us a farm.”

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