Page 195 of Wicked Brutal

“Thank you.” Danny wipes beneath her eye again. She catches his wrist. “Stop collecting evidence.”

His face finally cracks. Not much. Just enough. And when he kisses her forehead and pulls back, his own eyes are fucking glassy. Becca sees it. Her whole face softens.

Danny looks away. “Nope.”

That gets a watery laugh out of her. She reaches up and turns his face back. “Hey.”

“I’m good.”

“Liar.”

“I’m happy for them. I really fucking am.” His eyes drop to the ultrasound picture still in her hand. “We just never…” He doesn’t finish. He doesn’t need to.

Becca’s thumb moves over his knuckles. “No.”

Danny swallows. “I would’ve liked that.”

Becca leans into him. “Me too.”

His arm goes around her. For a few seconds, they just sit there together. No jokes. No pretending. No trying to make it smaller.

Then Becca looks at me again. “We’re happy for you. I mean it.”

“I know you do.”

She looks back at the picture. “I can miss ours and still love yours.” My throat tightens. “Some days I’m really fucking good at doing both.” Danny kisses the side of her head. She breathes out. “Today might not be one of them.”

“You don’t have to stay.”

Danny gives her a look. “I was thinking we should go.”

“Good thought.” She hands the ultrasound picture back to me. Carefully. Then holds onto the corner for one extra second. “Can I see it again?”

“Anytime.”

“Maybe tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow.”

Danny stands and takes her hand. But before they leave, he looks at me, his eyes still a little red. “I’m fucking happy for you, man.”

I stand enough to grab his shoulder. He pulls me into a quick hug. Hard. Then lets go before either of us has to make that weird.

Becca comes around the table and hugs me too. “Don’t stop talking about it because of us.”

“I won’t.”

“Good.” She pulls away and points at me. “And if you tell anyone I cried outside the Edgewood dining hall, I’ll deny it.”

“You didn’t cry. Eye sweat.”

“Thank you.”

Danny holds out his hand. She takes it. And they walk toward the building together, not rushing, Danny’s arm going around her halfway there, Becca folding into his side. I watch them until they disappear through the doors.

When I sit back down, nobody talks for a minute. Cat has her face tucked against Kaiden’s shoulder. Penny is holding Xander’s hand in both of hers. Iz stares toward the doors. I look at the ultrasound picture. Yesterday, I couldn’t stop thinking about everything that could still go wrong. Today, all I can think is that Danny would’ve given anything for the moment I got without even knowing how precious it was until I had it.

I slide the picture carefully back into my wallet.