Page 133 of Runaway Bride and Prejudice

“What do you need?” Lex asks. “How can we support you? I know Parker flew us in for the playoffs, not knowing any of this, but the timing is perfect.”

“You needed us, but you wouldn’t have called,” Grey adds. “But now we’re here!”

And then she crosses the room to throw her arms around me, giving me the hug I didn’t know I needed. It’s a little awkward since I’m slouched in a chair, but still perfect. I close my eyes, as much to hold back the tears as anything.

Soon, there are more arms going around me, the weight of another sister and then another.

“This doesn’t mean I fully forgive you for not telling us,” Callie whispers in my ear. “Or Amelia for leaving you.”

“Same,” Lex says. “But I’m getting there.”

“Thanks.”

Grey chimes in. “I’m not mad at anyone. I just want to help you fix this so we can have another sister and then you can have a bunch of babies and we can be the best aunts ever.”

“A little too soon to talk about babies,” Callie says.

“They’re married,” Grey points out. “I can talk about babies if I want.”

“They probably need to work this out before they think about kids,” says Alex.

We’re still in the middle of a messy, four-person hug turning into a close-up bickering match about babies when there’s a knock at the front door.

I freeze. No one ever comes by my house.

My first thought is that it’s Amelia.

Which can’t be right. She may be my wife, but she doesn’t know where I live.

What’s more likely—Alec is coming to talk to me about my decisions and how they’re affecting the team. Or it’ll be the whole group of guys, staging an intervention of some kind.

As long as it’s not Coach, here to take another swing at me.

“Expecting someone?” Callie asks.

My sisters pull away, Grey patting me on the head like a dog.

“Nope.” Standing, I rub my hands down my thighs before walking to the door, trailed by my sisters.

When I open the door, it’s not the guys.

“Hey,” Amelia says, giving an awkward wave.

She’s standing on my front porch surrounded by multiple bags and a rolling suitcase so full it looks ready to explode.

“Hey?” I try to keep my voice steady, not betraying the wild way my heart is beating in my chest. I don’t want to allow myself any kind of hope. Especially not when I’m still hurt. And angry.

But Amelia looks shy and more than a little unsure.

She clears her throat and drops her gaze to her feet. “Things aren’t great with my dad right now, as I’m sure you can imagine and … I hoped maybe I could crash on your couch?”

CHAPTER 27

Amelia

Groveling at my estranged—canI call him estranged???—husband’s door was not in my plans for the day. Or the week. Or the year.

But after the conversation with my dad in his office, there’s no way I can stay at home. I only hope Van says yes.

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