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Tori smiled. “Come on, Swan. Let’s go get breakfast.”

The bedroom door opened. Then closed. Blessed silence settled over the room. Three seconds passed, and the door flew open again. Kinsley raced back inside. Before either of us could react, she launched herself at us. Her arms wrapped around both of our waists.

“Group hug.”

I laughed despite myself.

“I love you both so much,” she declared. “My lips are sealed. For real this time. I won’t tell anyone. Not even my guys.” She paused. “You know, at one point in my life, I was actually really good at keeping secrets.”

Neither Pasha nor I said a word.

“Okay, that sounded more convincing in my head.”

“It really did,” Tori called from the hallway. “If you don’t get out here, I’m leaving without you.”

“Rude.”

Kinsley squeezed us one final time. Then pointed between us. “But seriously. I love this.”

“Swan.”

“I’m coming, kill joy. And not the fun kind either.”

Pasha waited until the door clicked behind the girls before tilting my face up toward his. “I swear, Allison and I are just friends. I’ve been using her as a cover, so your brother doesn’t lose his shit and the secret comes out.”

I couldn’t stop shaking. The anger and hurt lingered still. “Why didn’t you tell me, though, that you were actively doing that?”

“It didn’t seem necessary. I thought you knew how I felt about you, and we talked about ideas on the plane coming home. Remember.”

“Yeah, I guess. Vaguely.”

“Not to mention the last several weeks you’ve wrung me damn near dry. I’ve even busted out the lanolin a few times.”

“Stop,” I said, as heat rushed through my cheeks.

“And just so you know, my cock only works for you.”

“Really?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

He chuckled. “God, I love you. Yes, you are it for me.”

His expression softened, his thumb brushing away the remaining tears. I took a deep breath to calm down. The sincerity in his eyes made it hard to stay angry.

“I’m so overwhelmed right now,” I whispered, feeling exhausted.

“I know, princess. Let’s get through today, one step at a time. Okay?”

I nodded. “Okay. I guess we should go, huh?”

“If we’re going to make it on time, yes, we need to leave now.”

My mind shifted as we gathered our things in silence.

He was right, as usual. Every minute we delayed was another minute spent prolonging the inevitable. Still, I couldn’t seem to make my feet cooperate. He turned toward me, likely expecting me to follow. Instead, I stood there, frozen and with a large-sized knot in my throat.

Everything felt so uncertain. What would either of us look like on the other side of today? Pasha frowned slightly.

“Princess?”