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When Remi got to Colton’s room door it opened before she had a chance to knock. What was he doing? Standing there watching out of the peephole for her? He reached out, grabbed her, and pulled her inside. “You’re not going to believe this.”
“What’s going on? What am I not going to believe?”
She gazed up at him and froze. Colton looked like he hadn’t gotten any sleep last night. His hair stuck out at funny angles, and his eyes were red. “I think my father isn’t really my father. I mean, I think my mom had an affair and they covered it up.”
“What? Are you serious? You know I was joking about your dad last night, right?”
“Your comment got me started, though. I couldn’t stop thinking about how my father and I don’t look anything alike. So, I called my mother and asked her straight up. And do you know what she did?”
Remi gasped. “She admitted it?”
Colton’s mother was the kind of person who got anxious before a change in weather. She would often stand on the front porch with her hands twisted, lips pressed tight, waiting for Colton to come home from school. She took worrying to a whole new level. How a woman like that could end up having an affair was beyond her.
“No. She didn’t say anything for a long time. Like I had shocked her and she didn’t know what to say. Then she denied it.”
Remi waited for him to continue, but he just stared at her. “Wait,” she said, squinting at him. “Her being shocked is proof she had an affair?”
Colton raked his hand through his hair and let out an exasperated noise. “Well, when you say it like that it sounds stupid. But I swear, Remi, there’s something here. I can feel it.” He put his hand on his chest. “There’s something my parents are hiding from me.”
“Okay, okay. Calm down. Let’s talk this out.” Remi sat on the couch and motioned for Colton to sit next to her. “Maybe it’s not what you think.”
Colton sat, then put his head in his hands. “I think I need to get a paternity test. If they’re not going to tell me the truth, I should find out on my own, right?” He peeked at her. “That’s the smart thing to do. But how do I get my mad’s DNA without him knowing?”
“Geesh, Colton. Are you seriously listening to yourself? Think about your parents. Your mother. Would she really have an affair?” The thought was so absurd, Remi couldn’t even believe he was entertaining the idea.
“If you had heard her on the phone…” He didn’t finish his sentence. He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t know what to do, Remi. We always joked about it as kids, but now I honestly think it’s a possibility, and it’s freaking me out a little.”
A little? Try a whole lot. But she didn’t say that to him. “Come here.” She pulled his shoulders down until he was laying on her lap. “Roll onto your back.”
“What are you doing?”
“Just do it.”
Colton obeyed, and Remi began massaging his temples. This was obviously something that was stressing him out. He needed to calm down and try to think this through rationally. “Relax. You’re so tense I’m surprised you haven’t had an aneurism or something.”
“That’s not how those work.” He did gift her with a small smile though, which delighted her. She even saw a hint of his dimple.
“I know. Just, let your tension ease a bit.” She turned toward him and began massaging his shoulders. They were full of knots. And amazing muscles. Man, he must work out every day. He’d become incredibly buff. If that was because of his acting jobs, then she was all for it.
“Mmm,” he said as she worked over his muscles. “That feels good.”
“Great. Now try to let go of all your thoughts about your parents. We can do some digging. I’ll help you look into it. But don’t let it stress you out so much. What is, just is. It won’t change anything to know if your father shares your biology or not. He’s still the dad who raised you. That won’t change.”
He was silent for a moment. She kept working over his shoulders and then started on his arms. “You’re right,” he finally said. “I hadn’t been thinking about it like that.” His muscles softened.
“There. Let all that stress go.”
Colton closed his eyes. “Where did you learn to do this?”
Remi chuckled. “Nowhere. I’m just rubbing your muscles. I’m not like trained or anything.”
“You should be. I’d pay you good money to do this.”
“How much is good money?” Because she would quit her job in a heartbeat if Colton would pay her to be his personal masseuse. Heck, she’d do it for free.
Colton smiled—this time his full grin with the dimple included. He looked up at her. “Crazy amounts of money.”
She laughed, and a wave of pleasure washed over her. Even though he was joking, it made her feel extremely good he was enjoying her massage that much. Now, if only there was a way to get him to see her as a potential date instead of just a friend, but Remi had no idea how to do that. She wasn’t any good at that stuff. And time was ticking. It was already Wednesday, and they were all leaving the island on Saturday morning. Why had that seemed like plenty of time yesterday, but today it didn’t seem like nearly enough?
