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“When will you tell me?”
I don’t need to elaborate. He knows what I’m referring to.
His lips tighten and his body stiffens. “Soon. I promise, Ellie. Just give me a bit of time.”
&nbs
p; “Am I going to hate it?” I ask, curiosity and unease mixing together.
Apprehension flashes in his eyes. “To be honest, I don’t know, and that scares the shit out of me, because I can’t lose you again. And I won’t give Maisy up.”
I purse my lips, my mind going a mile a minute, trying to conjure up what this secret is. It could be anything. I have no hope of guessing.
He gets to his feet and holds out his hand. “Come. You’ve got visitors.”
My eyes widen. “I do? Who?”
He taps the tip of my nose. “Remi and Eden. They’ve come to make you their new best friend. Their words, not mine,” he adds when my brow raises.
For some reason, this sends warmth running through me. Remi and Eden were really nice when we met at Mae’s house. They seem like they’d be good women to be friends with, and since Maisy and I will be here for the discernible future, it would be smart to get to know them. After all, they are basically Judge’s sisters-in-law, so I’ll be around them a lot.
I nod. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
He laughs and snags an arm around my waist. “I need something first.”
With that, he swoops down and takes my lips with his. I grip his shoulders and hold on tight, because he always knows how to make my knees weak with just a kiss. Right now is no different.
I moan against his mouth, desire pooling in my stomach. We’re taking a chance that Maisy will walk in on us with the door open, but in this second, I don’t care. I need to feel his lips against mine. After the turmoil of looking at our past, I need the comfort and reminder that I made the right choice by giving us another shot.
God, I really hope I made the right choice.
EDEN, REMI, AND I ARE on the back patio watching Maisy, Thea, and Elijah playing in the small kiddy pool they brought over. The pool is too small for the girls, the water barely covering their thighs, and there’s not much moving room, but they don’t mind. Remi said Elijah’s in the phase of transitioning from crawling to toddling around on his short, chubby legs. He tries so hard, but he only makes it a few feet before he tumbles down on his butt. I think he mostly does it on purpose, because he makes a splash, which causes an infectious giggle from us all.
Maisy’s having a ball with him. I haven’t seen her laugh so much in a long time. It’s been months since she’s been able to be a real kid, and I’m soaking up every second of watching her do something as normal as playing in a pool.
“How are you settling in?” Eden asks, taking a sip of her ice water.
“It’s been good so far. Malus is a lot different than where I grew up though.”
Eden and Remi share a look before Remi brings her eyes to me. “Malus is a one-of-a-kind town, but it’s a really great place to live.”
“I think I’m going to like living here,” I state truthfully. I haven’t had the chance to really explore yet or meet many of the townsfolk, but what I’ve seen so far, has been nice.
“You’re lucky,” Remi says, laughing. “When I came to town, everyone gave me the stink eye.”
Eden nods. “Same.”
Confused, I ask, “Why?”
“Because the people of Malus aren’t fond of having new people come here,” Eden explains. “It’s a tight-knit community and they don’t like outsiders coming in who could throw off the serenity they have here. You’ve been given an automatic acceptance because you’re a part of Judge’s past. The guys….” She pauses, her brows scrunching as she thinks. “This is essentially their town. They run it with an iron fist, but everyone respects them for it. Things are… different here.”
“Eden,” Remi says, her voice a warning.
She darts her eyes to Remi. “Don’t worry. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Wait, wait.” I sit up in my chair and face them fully. “What do you mean things are different here? Is there something I should know about?”
Worry twines itself in my blood stream, making my skin feel hot.
