Page 28 of No Save Point

She looks at Tate like her brain is still working through the fact that there’s another one of me standing in front of her, but not me at all because we are not the same, and she sees it instantly.

She sees it in the way I’m still gripping the railing, still coiled tight, still standing too close to the stairs like I could drag him back up if I had to. Her lips part, her brows still furrowed, her voice coming out softer now, half-formed, still catching up to her thoughts. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Fuck.

I knew that was coming. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hit like a goddamn hammer to the chest.

Tate huffs out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, Carter. Why didn’t you tell her you have a twin?”

I grit my teeth so hard my jaw aches. I can’t answer that, not right now. Not while Tate is standing right here, watching me like this is his own personal highlight reel, waiting to see what I’ll do with the fact that I just got caught in a half-truth. I inhale slowly, force my voice to stay even, steady. “I— uh it just… never came up.”

Haven tilts her head, expression sharpening. “Never came up?” she repeats, like she’s trying the words on her tongue, testing them, seeing if they sound as ridiculous to me as they do to her.

I don’t answer because there is no fucking answer that’s going to make this sound better than it is.

Tate pushes off the banister, stretching like he’s already bored of this conversation. “Well, guess it’s out now,” he says, his voice teasing, but I know him too well.

That makes me want to shove him straight back up the stairs and lock the goddamn door. I exhale hard, rolling my shoulders, forcing my expression to stay blank. Haven is still looking at me, still waiting for more. But I don’t have more to give her, not yet.

So I do the only thing I can. I turn to him, voice flat, firm. “We’re good here.”

Tate’s brows lift slightly, amused at the dismissal, but he doesn’t argue. He just smirks, shrugs, and makes his way back upstairs without another word. The second he’s gone, the silence he leaves behind is so fucking loud. Haven is still sitting there, staring and waiting for something I don’t know how to give her.

13

Haven

Istare at the spot where Tate disappeared, still trying to wrap my head around it. Carter has a twin. Same face, same frame, same dark brown eyes that make you forget how to think. But that’s where the similarities end.

Tate’s hair is darker, longer, curling at the edges like he couldn’t be bothered to fix it. Ink ran up his arms, followed by a snake curling along his neck, bold enough to make you look twice.

Tate is hot. Obviously, but it’s not the safe kind.

I tuck my legs up onto the couch, finally looking over at Carter, who’s still standing near the stairs like he’s half-expecting Tate to come back down and make another scene. Instead, he stays gone, and Carter finally exhales rolling his shoulders like he’s trying to shake off whatever the hell that was.

I tilt my head, studying him, noticing the way his jaw is still tight, the way his fingers flex slightly at his sides.

Before I even realize I’m saying it, the words are out. “Is he always in such a shit mood or is that just a special occasion?”

Carter pauses. He lets out something that’s almost a laugh, but not quite. “Nah, he’s pretty much always like that.”

I nod softly, dragging my fingers over my knee, letting that sit for a second, letting it settle before changing the subject. I pat the open space beside me, raising an eyebrow. “So, you gonna sit with me or just stand there looking like you’re waiting for something to explode?”

Carter gives me a small smile, the tension in his shoulders loosening slightly. “Honestly I was waiting to see if you run after that little family reveal.”

I let out a tiny laugh, shaking my head. “I mean you could’ve warned me a little, but I guess I’ll let it slide, for now.”

He huffs a laugh at that, finally moving toward the couch, dropping down beside me, all broad shoulders and easy confidence, like he wasn’t just visibly stressed out five seconds ago. I don’t forget things easily and there’s something he’s not telling me, but I let it go. Men always have a way of spilling secrets no matter how tightly they try to guard them, even the sweet ones.

He leans back, propping an arm against the back of the couch, eyes now glued to the TV. “So what are we watching?”

I shrug. “Dunno, you put something on before you disappeared. Thought I was just gonna be sitting here judging your taste in shows.”

Carter grins, slow and teasing. “You were looking forward to that, weren’t you?”

“Obviously.”

He shakes his head, reaching for the remote, flipping through streaming services like he’s actually looking for something, as if this isn’t just an excuse to let the silence fill the room for a minute.

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