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"I’ anywhere I live five aveanytian into ation, I should at least be allowed to hold Rae in the process

- FIFTEEN -

RAEGAN -

So Audrey was beautiful Not like your everyday beautiful--if there was such a thing--but like she should be on the cover of sos were about as long asnext to her I shouldn’t have worn flats today And didn’t she just have a baby? Where was the post- pregnancy belly I thought ere all blessed with?

I still didn’t understand how she and Lane hadn’t ended up together I had a hard tiether for years and yet nothing had happened How is that possible? They were both gorgeous Gorgeous people eous… Audrey’s husband, Jace, was out of this world He was tall--like crazy tall He had at least three inches on Lane, but he wasn’t built the sainning to feel inferior in comparison to all of these tall, attractive people around irls like that I needed to straighten et over it

Jace rabbed Audrey around the middle I didn’t know if it was intentional, but he ood two feet Audrey ave him over her shoulder should have removed all doubts about her and Lane from my head Jace whispered into her ear and she nodded in return, s down the dirt road and we all turned to see it approaching the house I felt Lane pull ht?" I felt his words whispered againstso you better not be mad at me," I replied

I set us back to the house soon," he continued to whisper

"Me too"

"You nervous aboutmy friends?" he asked

"No," I replied quickly Then I backtracked "Yes"

The truck that pulled up near Jace’s SUV was drenched in mud Not just little splashes here and there, but full-on covered in filth I couldn’t say what color it actually was if I tried The windshield was only clean where the wipers had sot out of the truck Huh? But it wasn’t Jace, because he was standing behind us, still holding onto Audrey

"Whoa…" I whispered Jace had an identical twin I knew Jace and Jaxon were brothers, but I hadn’t heard anything about twins

"Crazy, huh?" Audrey said frorowled into ainst him and moved further into his chest Kate squirmed down from his arms and reclaimed Braden’s hand

"Uht Lane was thetwo of these guys side-by-side would take rasp They were dreamy

"Rae…" Lane continued and now he fully held ontoour displays of affection away from the kids We hadn’t kissed or made any advances in front of them They didn’t seem to catch on to his current possessive actions, so I let hi Jax and Jace for the first tirasped ly We all watched as Jaxon, as covered in as much er-side door He reached inside and scooped out a girl with long, blonde hair This led as he carried her away fro as he looked at her squirhed loudly at one another, probably because they were both caked in dried mud

Surprise, surprise, she was a knockout too… even dirty "What the hell is in the water here?" I whispered, mostly to myself

"Why do you say that, babe?" Lane asked

"It’s nothing" Or it wasn’t really anything to get worked up over, at least Maybe in the past four years while I’d been locked away, people just got better-looking for soh, co this asped "Put ed to escape his areous, she wasn’t another long-legged superht and seemed to have all the sahed beside us

"It’s her fault!" Jaxon laughed

"Oh, like you’re really going to coain, pulling her into his body

"What the hell happened?" Jace asked

"Dude," I heard Lane growl as he elbowed Jace

"Sorry, little ears," Jace responded softly

That caught Jaxon and Em’s attention, and they both looked down at the two kids standing next to us

"Oh my God!" Es I have ever seen!"

"Wow, she’s like your clone, uys are all pretty overwhel," Lane said to the crowd around us He reached down and easily scooped up both Braden and Kate in a protective gesture They held onto his shoulders to balance themselves It was quick, but Braden looked down atsmile Lane had just made him feel special in front of everyone I rubbed his back, excited for him

"I’m sorry," Emerson cooed up at them

"No, no I don’t like that tone, beautiful," Jaxon said to Eot you over your last bout of baby-fever"

"So, watching Quinn and Cole’s baby actually worked?" Jace laughed

"That baby doesn’t sleep She’s one years old, shouldn’t she be sleeping by now?" Erumbled

"Some babies are just like that Braden’s alht At least now I can tell hio back to sleep," I interjected

Jaxon smiled wide at me "I like you already"

"U to talk Eed," Lane informed me

"Not co" Jaxon scooped Em back up into his arether

"You could alatch Jocelyn," Audrey added

"No thanks," Jaxon quickly replied, setting Ehter? Your niece, by the way?" Jace questioned his brother