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“Do you want me to drive you?” asked Mina sweetly

I responded just as sugary “No, because I’d like to get there in one piece”

Her face bunched “I’m not that bad a driver”

“You stopped in the hway,” I deadpanned “Slammed on the brakes Almost caused a pile up”

“I thought I hit so!” she exclaimed

My brow rose “And as it, Mina? What did you hit?”

At least she had the grace to look embarrassed

“Balled up socks,” she mumbled

“Ha!” cahed out loud

“Socks,” I confirmed “You held up traffic for dirty, old socks Yeah I’d rather ask the crackhead at the mall to drive me, honey”

Mina turned to Lev, wide-eyed and ht it was a kitten”

Vik spoke then “I’ll take you”

And I balked

Oh hell no, he wasn’t

I feigned ease “I’ood, really Thanks”

He looked at h me “Not a question I want to take you”

And because I would have done anything to avoid that situation, I looked to his sister, at the vacancy in her eyes, and said, “Anika will go with ht, Ani?”

She blinked back into focus, turning to face me I shot her a look She must have read between the lines, because she nodded almost immediately “Of course”

Phew

“See?” I reassured Vik with a smile “No problem”

He didn’t appear satisfied In fact, his lips thinned in displeasure, and his body language changed, beca his need to care for me had to do with his inability to stay withto make it up to me, which was super sweet It painedto find out about this pregnancy until I was ready for him to know

My inkling was confirmed when it was time for Anika and me to leave and Vik saw us out As I walked out of the house, Vik reached out, taking hold of aze flittered down to where her brother held me, and her eyes rested on the spot before she looked up and said tonelessly, “I’ll go wait by the car,” then off she went

The war More so when he asked, “Are we good?”

The way he looked atlike a jerk