Page 118 of Triplet Babies for my Ex's Best Friend

“No, you’re not.”

“I already checked trains, and I’m not scheduled to work so the timing couldn’t be better.”

I forgot how insane she is. “You can’t just invite yourself.”

“I’m not inviting myself,” she says. “I’marriving.”

I sit up, dragging a hand through my hair. “Luci, this is not… this isn’t a thing. It’s… complicated.”

“Complicated how?” she asks, softer now.

I hesitate because how do I explain this without sounding completely unhinged?

“That’s just it,” I say finally. “It’s… not supposed to be anything. He’s my boss. I live here. There are rules. Boundaries. Responsibilities.”

“And yet,” she says gently, “you’re bright red because of him, and you have the look of someone who’s been pacing.”

I groan. She knows me too well. “I wasn't pacing.”

She snorts. “Addy.”

I exhale slowly. “It’s just… he’s… different.”

“Oh, I love that,” she says immediately, eyes lighting up again. “Tell me everything.”

“No.”

“Addy…”

“He’s just… not like Bryce.”

“Well, that’s a low bar,” she says dryly.

“I know,” I admit. “But it’s more than that. He’s… steady. He sees things. He listens. And it’s…” I cut myself off, shaking my head. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me.”

I soften slightly. “I know.”

She studies me through the screen, her expression surprisingly serious now. “Are you happy?”

The question catches me off guard.

I think about it, the madness, the tension, the way nothing about this situation makes sense. About the way I feel when he looks at me.

“I don’t know,” I say honestly. “But I don’t feel… small.”

“Okay,” she says quietly. “I’m definitely coming.”

“Luci—”

“I’ll be there Saturday.”

I sigh. “You're exhausting.

“And yet, I'm coming.”

Before I can argue further, I hear footsteps behind me. I glance up to see Ethan, standing just at the edge of the living room, jacket off, tie slightly loosened, watching me with that quiet, assessing look that immediately makes my brain forget how to function like a normal person.