Page 23 of Unmasked

“Hey, beautiful.” A handsome man with whiskey-colored eyes threw her a flirtatious smile.

Something about him seemed vaguely familiar, and she grinned as the pieces fell into place. “You must be Miles.”

His smile widened. “You know who I am?”

“Yeah,” Mason said wryly. “I already warned her about you, so leave her alone.”

Mason flicked an I-told-you-so look her way, and she had to laugh. A broad man with colorful tattoos stuck out his hand next. “Ink.”

“Glad to be here,” she said.

The young blonde tucked against his side ducked out from under his arm and approached her. Her bright blue eyes sparkled as she greeted her with a hug. “I'm Irina.”

Everleigh recognized her from her press pictures and realized she hadn't used her stage name, Rina. The fangirl inside her was jumping up and down screaming excitedly, but she fought to play it cool. Though they’d had the occasional celebrity sighting in New York, she’d never actually spoken to a music star. “Nice to meet you. I'm Everleigh.”

For a second, she studied the two of them, so perfectly content together. She wasn’t quite sure what she’d pictured in her head, but this wasn’t it. It was a strange combination for sure—Ink was huge and covered in tattoos while Irina was the epitome of the clean-cut All-American girl. Despite their differences, they just fit.

Once introductions were complete, she turned to Mason. “Where is Vivi?”

“In the house. I'll let her know you're here.”

She nodded and forced a smile. Mason left, and she turned back to the group, a little unsure. “Let's grab you a drink,” the pretty redhead named Audrey said. “What's your poison?”

“Just water, thanks.” She watched as Audrey grabbed a bottle from a cooler and passed it her way.

“Thank you.”

“So, where are you from, Everleigh?” Adalyn asked.

“I was born here, but for the past ten years I lived in New York.”

Her eyes widened. “Like, the city?”

Everleigh nodded. “Manhattan.”

“Ooh, that’s exciting. I’ve never been there before,” Hannah added. “Was it fun?”

“For a while.” She shrugged. “It sounds terrible to say, but after so long you just kind of get used to it. Honestly…” She glanced around. “I’d take this any day over the city.”

“I can understand that,” Adalyn said sympathetically. “It’s a whole different world.”

“It is.” Everleigh was transfixed by the beautiful toddler Adalyn bounced on her hip, and she gestured to the baby. “Jaclyn, right? How old is she?”

“Just turned one a couple months ago.”

“She's beautiful.”

“Thanks.” Adalyn smiled at her. “Want to hold her?”

Was it that obvious? Everleigh loved kids, and all she’d ever wanted was one of her own. She felt a phantom flutter in her belly as she stared at the tiny blonde girl. “Um... If she won't mind.”

“Of course not.” Adalyn grinned, then sighed with relief as she passed her to Everleigh. “I need a break anyway. My back is killing me.”

Everleigh situated Jaclyn on her hip as she studied Adalyn. Her stomach was slightly rounded, and she couldn’t figure out if it was from her first pregnancy or if she was expecting again. Adalyn seemed to read her mind, because she let out a little chuckle as she rubbed her belly. “In case you’re wondering, yes—we’ve got a second one on the way.”

Adalyn tipped her head up to her husband as Jaxon moved forward and slid an arm around her shoulders. “Yep. Wasn’t letting her get away from me this time.”

It was a curious statement, but Everleigh didn’t dare ask. Emotion crackled in the air as something passed between them that only they understood. A soft smile curved Adalyn’s face as Jaxon squeezed her shoulder.