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"I’uys in a bit," she says

"Peace!" Ty says, now fully invested in his dinner I slide lances up at ht as well eat it You do loves a fish fry," I say He winks at me, and as I pass he slapshis ar aith Rowe, and when I turn back one last tirew on es to fill our short walk hoo Her parents justtheir new house I let her go on, and I feel kind of bad when the realization hits her as alk into our dorm room that I was born and raised in California

"Shit, I’m sorry That was really lame You pretty much know all of that stuff I just told you, huh?" she says, bunching her face She’s one of those rare girls who canawful

"It’s okay You were telling et it," I set that you and Cass are sisters sometimes," she says "You’re so…"

"Different?" I fill in for her, opting for that word rather than the millions of others she could say about rees I smile "It’s weird that you’re twins; that’s all"

I kicka fort like Cass and I used to do ere little Rowe lies on her bed, her head flat along the edge as she blinks at me

"Why don’t you just tell him?" she says finally "Tell hiht, waiting for me to fill in the blank for her I don’t answer, instead only blinking back I don’t kno to get all of the things tangled between my head and my heart out of my mouth in a way she would ever be able to understand

"Is it because of his daughter?" she asks

I breathe in deeply and think about her words When the news broke about Martin’s arrest and Chandra’s recklessness, Leah became a part of every sentence that included Houston When Cass found out he was a father, her only reaction was "Wow" Nate and Ty co he was to have a kid, but they moved on quickly, too Rowe never said a word Nobody’s breathed a word about the fact that he has a child since, and I’ of a deal to the not to breathe a word about anything Houston-related around me

"It’s…co her hands in front of her and leaning forward, resting her arms on her knees

"Complicated for you? Or for him?" she asks

I pinch my brow, not really sure how to answer that, maybe a little defensive, too

"Sorry, that sounded harsh I only hter, trial, all that," she says

"Exactly," I respond, ht of all that

"His world see at me, my head in sync with hers "But he seems to want you in it"

Does he? There have been days since that last conversation in his drivehere we’ve seen each other, where I’ve thought about pressing his nu to him, and I was so sure he’d run to ht…on a date And as much as I wanted to brand him with my name--rip him from that table and carry him home as my own, I also couldn’t help but think of what Joyce said, about his capacity to love, and how much he deserves to have so hih" I breathe the words, reat at lying, I’ the truth--at least when it’s about me I don’t like the way it feels--self-reflection

"His daughter…Leah…she’s…" I focus on Rowe’s eyes now, and I can’t help but smile, because they look a lot like Leah’s, ovals that dip on either side, lashes that bat slowly and a warood to say she’s a