Page 60 of Deadly Obsession

Aidan dropped Viv’s hand to take Evie’s shoulders and give them a rough shake. “Evelyn,” he said sternly. “Cait is stronger than you give her credit for. You don’t have to do anything else for her except be there when she needs you.”

“Right. You’re right.” Evie blinked rapidly. “I’m going to see if I can convince Libby to come down. She’s more nervous than I am, if that’s possible.”

“I’ll go with you.”

Both women disappeared around the corner at the top of the stairs moments before Declan came through the door.

“How’s everything here?”

“Canapés are being arranged in the solarium.” He gestured to the back of the house with a tilt of his head. “Your wife is freaking out, worried Cait is going to hate her.”

“Why is she worried about that?”

“I have no idea. She’s upstairs with my wife, trying to talk Libby into coming down. Apparently Libby is worried Cait will hate her too.”

Declan rolled his eyes. “I’ve never known Cait to hate anyone.”

“Me either, although she didn’t seem that interested in being around me after the funeral.”

“She didn’t spend much time around anyone once Finn was buried.”

“She saw you. And Brogan.”

“Brogan and I visited her to see if she needed anything. Did you?”

Aidan opened his mouth and closed it again. “No.”

He’d assumed she didn’t want to see him after his outburst and Declan’s reprimand. Assumed she blamed him for Finn’s death like he’d blamed himself, like Brogan did.

At a noise at the top of the stairs, he glanced up and saw the three women standing side by side. Evie looked a little calmer, and Libby looked nervous but determined. Only Viv looked steady and sure of herself.

Something punched through him at the sight of her. Not the familiar sensation of lust he often got when he saw her across the room, something deeper, headier, stronger. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it created a warmth that spread through his body and heated him to his toes.

“They’re both so nervous,” Viv whispered when she joined him. “They’re making me wonder if I should be nervous. I thought you said Cait was a sweet person.”

“Cait is a sweet person,” he assured her.

“Then why is everyone so fucking afraid of her?”

He reached up to tuck a stray curl that had come loose from her braid behind her ear. “I think they’re worried about hurting her.” Christ knew he was.

She nodded as if she understood and squeezed his shoulder. At the sound of a car pulling into the drive, everyone tensed.

“It’ll be fine, love,” Declan said to Evie, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. “Breathe.”

Libby reached for Brogan, who wrapped his arms around her from behind at the sound of a car door slamming. To steady himself, Aidan slipped his arm around Viv’s waist, curling his fingers into her hip to keep himself anchored as footsteps echoed up the front walk.

Evie didn’t wait for the knock to come. She swung the door open to Cait’s surprised face, and everyone seemed to notice what was different all at once.

“Holy shit,” Viv breathed low in his ear.

Holy shit was right. Cait stood framed in the doorway, her bright cap of blonde hair that swung to her chin fluttering in the breeze, kind blue eyes smiling if a little tired, and pregnant. Very pregnant.

“You…you’re…” Evie stumbled.

Cait looked past Evie to Libby. “You didn’t tell them?”

Evie’s head swiveled to look at Libby, and Libby blanched.

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