Page 61 of Tangled Desires

“Hi, Harrison. Remember me?”

He chuckles. “Claire, right?”

“Impressive.” Her grin widens. “Didn’t think you would.”

He shrugs, glancing my way. “Hard to forget Immy’s friends.”

Claire’s eyebrows shoot up. “Immy?” She turns to me with a wicked gleam. “Oh, this just keeps getting better.”

“Okay, chill.” I groan, rolling my eyes.

“Not a chance.” She’s eating this up, her grin darting between Harrison and I. “Best gossip I’ve had all week.”

Harrison smirks, enjoying every second of this disaster. “I’ll be outside,” he says, his tone practically daring me to follow.

“Bye,” I wave him off like I’m totally unaffected, even though my pulse is doing laps and my brain’s screaming something likeabort mission. Yesterday, he’d said he loves my eyes, and my whole body acted like he’d recited Shakespeare. Pathetic. Someone cue a personality reset.

Claire’s questions are still buzzing in my head as we head outside. The June air is cool and smells like sausages, and the boys are chatting away, Xavier’s dad flipping steaks like a pro. I spot Bradley across the yard, talking to a guy I vaguely recognize from last year’s news—Sebastian Daniels. I recognise him from last year’s news coverage during the fires.

Grace Mitchell walks by, showing off Callie to everyone, while the rest of us sit around a long table with some of their extended family and friends. Laughter fills the air, but it’s the sight of a little boy near the jumping castle that grabs my attention. He looks lost, small, with mousy brown hair.

“Whose kid is that?” I nudge Isla.

She follows my gaze, her face softening. “Oh, that’s Bradley’s mate’s son. His partner, Sebastian Daniels. Apparently, he didn’t even know he had a kid until recently.”

“Wait, what?” I glance between Sebastian and the kid. “How does that even happen?”

Amelia leans in, whispering, “Apparently, his ex showed up on his doorstep a month ago, dropped the kid off, said ‘he’s yours now,’ and bounced. No interest in being a mum.”

I stare at the kid, the pit in my stomach growing heavier. Seeing him stand there, confused, it hits too close to home—knowing what it’s like to be left behind by a parent. I look at Claire, and she catches my eye, her expression steely yet sympathetic.

“I can’t even imagine,” Olivia mutters.

“That’s seriously fucked up,” Claire adds, shaking her head. We all go quiet, watching him, standing alone in the crowd, lost. Before I can talk myself out of it, I’m on my feet, heading toward him without a second thought.

“Where’s she going?” I hear Claire murmur, but I don’t look back.

I crouch down in front of the little guy. “Hey, kiddo. You having fun?” He just looks at me with big, serious eyes and shrugs.

“How old are you? What’s your name?” I ask.

He holds up two chubby fingers. “I two. Name’s… Theodore.” He stumbles over the word, and it comes out more likeTee-oh-door. “But… Mumma call me… Teddy.”

I wince, my heart sinking a little at the mention of his mum. “Nice to meet you, Teddy.” I smile down at him. “Can I call you that?”

He nods enthusiastically. “Uh-huh.”

I swallow, trying to keep it together. He probably doesn’t get half of what’s going on in his little world right now, but his eyes—those big, innocent eyes—tell me he knows something’s wrong.

“Want me to take you to your daddy?” He grabs my hand with his tiny fingers, and I’m already leading him over to where Bradley and Sebastian are talking.

“Hey, guys!” I call out, trying to sound casual.

Bradley smiles, and Sebastian’s face lights up with relief. “There you are, buddy.”

“Found him by the jumping castle.” I offer my hand to Sebastian. “Imogen Whitley.”

“Sebastian Daniels.” He shakes it, glancing down at Teddy. “Thank you, Imogen. You okay, buddy?” He crouches to meet his son’s eyes before turning back to me. “I’m still processing everything, learning. Balancing work and suddenly being a dad... It’s a lot.”

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