Page 66 of Triplet Babies for my Ex's Best Friend

That’s not entirely true either, but I understand what she means.

I nod once.

She shifts the notebook in her hands. “For what it’s worth, he seems really happy.”

There are a number of responses available to that.

The simplest is the only one I trust.

“He hasn’t laughed that way with someone new in a long time.”

Her face changes at that. Her expression is gentler than humor, quieter than victory.

“I’m glad,” she says.

So am I.

More than I should probably admit aloud on the first night.

Captain yawns hugely, then leans his full weight into Addy’s leg until she stumbles half a step.

She looks down. “You're aggressively affectionate.”

“He does that when he’s decided something.”

She glances up. “And what has he decided?”

I meet her gaze. “That you belong here.”

The words leave before I can edit them.

Her breath catches very slightly.

I should correct it, reframe it, make it about the dog and nothing else.

Instead, I hear myself say, “At least according to him.”

That seems to give her somewhere safer to stand.

She smiles faintly. “Well. He’s clearly a very smart man.”

“Questionable, but enthusiastic.”

“That counts.”

More than she knows.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Addy

There should bea rule against waking up in luxury.

Not because it’s unpleasant, quite the opposite. Because once you’ve slept in sheets that feel like they were handcrafted by angels with expensive skincare routines, it becomes very difficult to go back to regular life and not feel personally insulted by polyester.

I lie there, blinking up at the pale morning light spilling through the enormous window in my room, and try to remember where I am.

Then it hits me all at once.