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Salem sighs deeply. “He only proposed to me because his parents were gonna cut him off and disapproved. They’re super religious. Guess I just wanted him to fight for me. For us. Be a fucking man and stand up to them for once, Jesus Christ. We spent two years of our relationship hiding it from them.”

Yeah, I remember. Taylor hadn’t been happy about it, and he was the one who’d ultimately let the cat out of the bag—the interfering asshole.

We’re both quiet momentarily as I twist her wet strands into a braid. “I wish I could give you some solid advice, but my own love life is a mess right now. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Turning her head, she hits me with another glare. “You brought Dev here to ruin the wedding, didn’t you?”

My forehead hits her damp shoulder as I let out a groan. “Honestly, it was a mistake, and I didn’t know he’d bring Logan. I just…wanted to make Matty mad.”

“I think all you’ve done is make him realize that he probably made the right choice in leaving.”

“What the fuck?” Raising my gaze, I rear back incredulously. “Why the hell would you say that?”

She rests a cheek on her knees. “Think about it, Xed. He decided to make it work with Val because she got clean, and Hannah needed her mother. And you’ve been drunk, high, or both since the moment he told us all he got drafted.”

“That’s…” Well, that’s different. Yeah, I’ve always been a weed connoisseur, but I didn’t even start all the drinking and snorting until after he left. “I was good to Hannah. I loved her. She had everything she needed.”

“I know she did.” A sad, tired smile pulls at Salem’s lips. “But sometimes…sometimes, love isn’t enough.”

College Freshman Year

Chapter twelve

“What am I supposed to do? How could this happen?”

Taylor scoffs, running an inked hand through his shaggy dark hair. “What do you mean, how? You didn’t cap it before you tapped it, bruh.”

Because it wasn’t my choice.

Anguish has my eyes watering, and I drop my head into my hands from where I’m sitting on the sectional in mine and Xed’s living room.

I messed up. Messed up so bad.

Christian pats my knee next to me, Taylor’s on-again-off-again girlfriend Salem rubbing circles into my back on the other side. “Did you use any kind of protection?”

Stifling a sniffle, I think back to that night over a month ago and try to skirt around the fact that I was too drunk to consent. “It’s all kind of fuzzy. Some guys from the team invited me over to their dorm for a party, and I remember drinking a lot. And then Val showed up...she got me more drunk. Took me into the bathroom…”

Everyone is silent momentarily, and I raise my head to find Taylor biting his lip, sitting on the arm of Xed’s chair. “Do you think she’d poke a hole in it if you did?”

The blood drains from my face as Christian lets out a mirthless laugh.

“She’s a perra loca, so probably. You know how manipulative she can be, Matty. And if she thinks this is her way back into your life...“ He trails off, the unspoken words hanging heavy in the room.

“Stop,” I whisper, my voice cracking as I shake my head. “Don’t. I can’t—" My hands ball into fists, pressing against my temples. “I can’t think about it like that. I can’t believe she’d—”

“Why not?” Taylor interrupts, his tone sharper than I’ve ever heard it. “Why the hell not, Matty? She’s done worse. Don’t act like you don’t know who she is.”

Because if I start thinking like that, then I have to accept the fact that she’s not just manipulative—she’s a fucking predator. And what does that make me?

“Fuck, what do I do?” Tears are streaming down my cheeks now, and I try to catch Xed’s eye, but he won’t look at me. Hasn’t spoken a word since Jenna dropped the news on him that Valerie is fucking pregnant because I couldn’t tell him myself.

The weight of it all presses down on me, heavier than I’ve ever felt. I should have told him. I should’ve said something weeks ago, but the words froze every time I opened my mouth. How the hell do you tell the person you swore to protect that you might’ve royally fucked up your entire life?

“Is she gonna keep it?” Salem asks, her gray eyes full of sympathy, and I feel my throat close.

“I... I don’t know if it’s even mine.”

She purses her lips in thought. “You’d make her take a paternity test?”