Page 69 of Mended Hearts

Meh. Contractions are basically period cramps atm.

Plus, your brother all but carried me to the passenger seat of the car, and now I’m watching him sprint into the house and back like he’s on fire.

It’s highly entertaining.

Quinn and I are just watching him go back and forth and giggling our asses off.

Elora

Awe, I’m glad we raised that one right.

Brexley

He really is the best.

I hadto give it to my brothers. Of the two who’d found their people, they both loved them so loudly that nobody could miss it.

I loved that for Brex and Noel.

Wasn’t at all jealous.

Okay—maybe a little.

Mostly because Ollie had me on high alert, and I must’ve finally been ovulating because I needed an orgasm or a strong drink so badly I could cry. Maybe both? Hell, a stiff breeze might get the job done at this point.

Ollie—the cocky bastard—had, in fact, rendered Obi Wand entirely unappealing.

It wasn’t the same. Which, I mean,duh. But I hadn’t realized how delectable a man’s bodyweight was. What whispered words could do to me.

There was something sacred about keeping our one night between us—just our little secret—but somehow not telling the girls he almost kissed me last night was harder. Maybe because it would mean something entirely different. But how the hell was I supposed to explain that my boss probably almost kissed me, and that it was somehow worse because I’d already had him in my bed?

Scanning the park, I quickly spotted Beau in his neon green t-shirt on the far side.

Note to self: always dress the kid like a traffic cone. So smart. So helpful. I deserved a pat on the back for that this morning. He moved too fast for neutrals—hell, if I could attach an LED headlamp, I would.

I raised my hand to my mouth and let out a sharp whistle with my thumb and middle finger. His head popped up immediately, eyes locking on mine.

Little devil just grinned and sprinted up a tube slide, like I couldn’t round him up if he didn’t come when called.

Adorable little shithead.

Laughing, I jogged to the other side of the playground, climbed a ladder, and crouched to waddle-slide down a ramp, popping out just in time to catch him bursting from an adjoining tunnel.

Roaring like a monster, I scooped him up and tickled his tubby little belly. He shrieked and kicked, cackling like a maniac.

I would never understand how Carly just walked away from these babies.

In the years since, it was like she went out of her way to make their lives worse—and the more time I spent soaking up these giggles, the more I hated her for it.

“Okay,okay!” he screeched in surrender…

I threw my head back and let out a full belly villain laugh. “Muwa-ha-ha-ha!!”

“You win, you win!”

“Bet your bottom I win, Skippy. You think you’resosneaky.”

“Am sneaky,” he argued, giggling as I flipped him right side up and trapped him on my hip.

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