Page 26 of Seven of Hearts

I nodded.

“Is that where you disappeared to last night? To go see her?” he asked. Understanding dawned on him like a lightning strike. “You didn’t know...”

I shook my head. “Kylie mentioned it when we were about to play cards...told me how far along Leah was. I did the math.”

“That’s a shitty way to find out.”

“Sorry for ruining the party,” I muttered. “I owe Kris an apology.”

“That you do,” Will agreed. “But I think she’ll give you a pass, considering the circumstances.”

I shook my head. “Can we...keep this between us for now? I don’t think Leah wants Kylie to know it was me. She hasn’t told Ky.”

“Kristin can keep it quiet.”

“I’ll tell her. I just can’t handle it right now. She’s going to be disappointed in me.”

“Okay,” Will said as morning sunlight began to beam through the trees. “Take your time.”

“Is that it?”

Will chuckled, easing the tension. “You’re not a kid anymore. Now, if this had happened back when you were seventeen, I wouldn’t be keeping it from my wife. You’ve always been hard on yourself. I’m sure whatever self-flagellation is going on in your mind is enough to bear. Give yourself some grace. You’ll figure it out.”

I stared at the water. “I don’t know what to do.”

“What happened last night?”

“I went over there. She answered the door, threw up, then told me the baby was mine.”

“Must’ve been quite the wake-up call.”

“I think I was in shock,” I admitted.

Will nodded. “Leah probably understands that. She’s had a little more time to come to terms with it than you have. She was probably pretty shocked when she found out, too.”

“I saw the ultrasound photos...” I scrubbed my hands down my face, feeling like a stranger in my own skin.

“What was that like?” he prodded.

I laughed at the sky because I couldn’t fucking explain it. “She had them pinned on the fridge. And I—I wanted to ask her if I could take one.”

“Why didn’t you?”

I shrugged again.

Will tipped his head toward his next-door neighbor’s house—the DeRossis—where Leah had pulled into the driveway for work.

“Life is full of second chances, but third chances are rare,” he said as he stood and collected the two mugs. “Don’t waste them.”

I followed suit and nodded, feeling like the scolded teenager I had been when we’d first met. “Yes, sir.”

“And Logan.” Will paused halfway down the dock. “Being a good man doesn’t mean being a man who never makes mistakes. It’s about the kind of man you become when you do make one. I still think you’re a good man, Logan. In all the years we’ve been in each other’s lives, there’s never been a moment that I’ve doubted it. And if my opinion counts for anything, I’m not so sure this is a mistake.”

He disappeared up the yard and into the house as Leah eased out of her car. The coward in me was tempted to hide inside the house, but I knew that wasn’t the right thing to do.

Besides, she had already spotted me. The cheery face I had known for years wore a mask of cool indifference. I trudged through the yard before she could bolt.

“I didn’t think about the fact that you were probably staying at Kristin’s house,” Leah said when I was within earshot. She opened the back door and reached for an oversized tote bag that was overflowing with binders, chargers, craft supplies, and snacks.

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