“How are you doing?” I asked Clare as we sat on the couch, watching Rome and Cathy Leblanc play blocks on the floor with Tessa.
Roman had given the abridged version of what was going to be my three-book series to his family once he’d finally calmed down. As to be expected, they were all surprised. Rome’s surprise was expressed in a string of angry expletives similar to those of his son, but Cathy cried, exclaiming that she had a granddaughter before launching all of her pent-up Grandma energy on Tessa. Kristen spent half an hour trying to formulate a proper response. Though she did it while googly-eyed staring at Heath and Ethan.
Clare glanced up at Heath, who was leaning against the wall, hovering like a sentinel watching over his girls. Her cheeks were bright red when she turned her attention back my way, a shy smile playing on her lips. “I think I’m good.”
As it turned out, Heath was the one who had made this mysterious list of approved visitors. It consisted of Roman’s family, my parents, and his sisters. I thought it was crazy sweet that he trusted us enough to include people he’d never met on his list. However, after listening to him and Roman argue, I found out that he didn’t trust anyone. He’d just done extensive research on both of us before he’d first approached Roman.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about someone investigating my parents.
However, my wine told me not to worry about it.
And who was I to argue with wine? It had never steered me wrong before.
“You sure? I’m really sorry about all of this.” I motioned a hand around the room. “I would have asked them to leave, but not even the DEA has the manpower to deal with Cathy Leblanc’s wrath.”
She flashed me an understanding smile. “It’s okay, really.”
“Sex makes everything okay,” Kristen stated, flopping down on the other side of Clare.
“Kristen!” I scolded in a whisper.
Clare giggled, tipping her beer to her lips before glancing up at Heath again.
“What?” Kristen defended. “We all saw those two hoofing it down the stairs.” She jerked her chin in Heath’s direction. “Is the bottom half as hot as the top?”
“Oh God,” I groaned, dropping my head back against the back of the couch.
Clare didn’t answer. At least, not verbally. But her smile grew wide as she became enthralled with the label on her beer.
Kristen clutched her imaginary pearls. “Oh, sweet Jesus. It is. On that note, I need more wine.”
“We’re out. But Seth should be here soon,” I said, waggling my eyebrows.
Her smile curled down into a frown. “That hot-ass son of a bitch.”
I leaned into Clare, bumping her with my shoulder. “Just to get you up to speed, Kristen slept with Roman’s assistant. He hasn’t called her back.”
“Ouch,” she told Kristen sympathetically.
Kristen emphatically nodded. “Yeah, and worse, I’m stuck seeing him every single time I go out of my way to stalk him down at Roman’s office. The least Roman could do is fire him and make it challenging for me.”
Clare’s eyebrows shot up, her lips thinning as she suppressed a laugh.
As Kristen sauntered away, I told her, “You can laugh. We all know she’s insane.”
“She really is. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I can’t believe she and Roman are related.”
I looked up to where Roman was standing with Alex and Ethan, discussing something quietly. His handsome face contorted with anger. I, again, listened to my wine and took the last sip instead of trying to figure out what was wrong now.
“Oh, Roman’s crazy too. He’s just better at keeping it hidden than Kristen.”
Her gaze drifted up, following mine to Roman. “I’m sorry,” she apologized.
I snapped my attention back to hers. “For what?”
She shook her head and went back to peeling the label on her beer. “That Walt did this to you.”
My chest tightened, and I reached out and took her hand before giving it a reassuring squeeze. “He didn’t do this to me. He did it to all of us. That includes you. You don’t owe anyone any apologies.”
She smiled but kept her gaze aimed at her lap. “Do you think he was mine?”
“Who?”
Her sad eyes lifted to mine. “Your son…Tripp. I mean, my egg quality was bad, which is why we had to do IVF to begin with. But the doctors told us after my egg retrieval that they got three. Do you think maybe Walt had someone switch the eggs and you got mine, and that’s why he died?”
God, my heart ached at the mention of Tripp. I hadn’t had him for long, but that little boy was my life. I missed him every minute of every day and probably would for the rest of my life.
“I don’t know whose egg it was, but I know that wasn’t why he died. It was just one of those things,” I replied, glancing back to Roman, who was now studying me from across the room.
Reading my mood, he tipped his head in question, but I shot him a smile to let him know I was good.
I turned back to Clare. “Can I admit something so incredibly crazy that it’s going to make Kristen look like the definition of sanity?”