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That was easier than I’d expected. “I’m going to get dressed, and we’ll leave in five.”
He nods and carries on a conversation for his dinosaurs as he drops them in. In a squeaky voice, he says, “Oh no! It’s so dark in this strange bag.” Then, in a different deep voice, he grumbles, “Still better than when that meteor came. Pipe down.”
I snicker and hurry off to my room. I could freak out about what to wear to see the father of my child, but the truth is, I don’t care. The man has seen me naked. To be fair, that was almost six years ago and certain things were higher up back then compared to where they sit now, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter what I wear. The result will be the same.
He either hates me, or he doesn’t. My clothes don’t really play into that.
So, I dress for warmth, since it’s frigid outside. Once I’m bundled up, I’m boiling. But it’s always like this. Owen is a slow dresser, and I’m a fast one, so I boil for five minutes until he’s ready to go.
We pile into my old sedan, and when I pull up to Mom and Dad’s place, Owen runs out before I can say a word to him. I’m glad he adores his grandparents so much, but I wish he’d slow down. There’s ice on the sidewalk up to their front step. He scoots across it expertly, though—a nimbleness I assume he gets from his running club. Unlike my sure-footed son, I have to step carefully to their door.
As soon as Mom opens it, Owen shoots through. “Mom says there’s pancakes.”
Mom laughs. “Yes, honey, on the table.”
“Thank you! She was gonna let me starve!”
She arches a gray brow at me, smirking. “Starving my grandbaby?”
“Your grandbaby is a drama queen, and we both know it.”
She laughs. “So, what’s this emergency, Aria?”
As much as I would love to tell her everything, there’s just too much to explain at the moment. I need to see Everett, and every second away from him feels like a second that will be used against me. “It’s…it’s a long story. I can’t get into it yet. But there’s a possibility of a happy ending in it for Owen, so I have to handle something big.”
“Can I help?”
“You already are. Thanks, Mom.”
“Anytime, honey.”
Cautiously, I make my way back to my car and gun it. I know the way to the MacMillan mansion. Soon, this will all be behind me.
-
19
Aria
When I pull up to the MacMillan mansion, there are a few cars out front, but Everett’s isn’t one of them. Maybe he’s upgraded since he came back home? One I recognize is Cormac’s SUV. I’ve seen it regularly whenever I work the school drop-off and pickup lines. It’s hard to bite back my anger at him.
I know it’s not his fault. He was trying to console his brother. But that doesn’t change the fact he’s the one who told Everett about Owen.
I throw my car into park and get out, only to find Cormac on the other side of his SUV. “Hey. Do you know if Everett is home?”
He scrubs his hand through his hair, and somehow, it still looks perfect. The things you can do when you have the money to do them…like looking perfect no matter what. It’s a talent I’ve noticed a lot of wealthy people have—in fact, the easiest way to know if one of my student’s parents is having problems is if there’s a hair truly out of place. “He’s not home, Aria.”
“Where can I find him?”
Cormac takes a breath. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
I gulp, wondering if he’s going to make this more difficult than it needs to be. “Yes. I am. I need to speak to him.”
“Obviously,” he notes quietly. “I am sorry for telling him. It was certainly not my intention, but that does not change how this happened. I had thought you had told him, or I never would have said anything at all—"
“Is that even true? If you knew and he didn’t, how long would you have sat on it? An hour? A day?”
His tone is measured. Everything with Cormac is measured. He is a stark contrast to Lily’s chaotic chef personality, and while I get that can be an attractive quality for someone to have, I wonder how well it works day to day to be with someone you have so little in common with. He gives a wan smile. “Everett is my brother, Aria. And that makes Owen my nephew. I would hope you wouldn’t want me to sit on that kind of information for very long.”
