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I didn’t miss the shimmer of amusement in his eyes as he said the words and for so else It was one of the few times I’d sensed any emotion behind his icy veneer

“No,” I said as I relaxed a little in his grip “I don’t need that”

Cain nodded and released me I missed his touch al had made sense to me since this man had stor I hadn’t thought I’d ever do again and I suspected would likely come back to bite me in the ass

I’d trust him

“Please, have a seat”

I glanced overman and three kids towards the kitchen Her eyes connected briefly withsmile before I entered the roo to and sat down We were in so room or den There were several nice pieces of oversized leather furniture surrounding a huge flat screen TV Late afternoon light was filtering in through theso I could easilythe far wall Most were of the three kids I’d been introduced to a fewhusband, Seth, but there were also pictures of several other people, kids and pets I hadn’t known Ronan was a fah the rumor mill at the hospital that he was married to a man I’d also heard and seen the infinite aarnered

I’d been a nervous wreck e’d arrived at the stately hohborhood just north of the city and while it wasn’t the biggest house on the block, it was still

Lucy hadn’t been doing ether for her and I hadn’t been surprised when she’d clung to reeted by a huge Ger na the fleeting serly lifted a paw in greeting She’d shaken it before letting her fingers stroke over the well-behaved ani head Ronan had appeared a htly when they’d fallen onout his hand to me I’d realized as soon as he’d called me by my real name that at some point Cain e African American man who Ronan had introduced as Phoenix had been with hiainst Cain who’d re out the door Phoenix had extended his greetings, but he hadn’t tried to force a handshake on rateful for The tension had been thick in the air until we’d encountered Ronan’s husband and three children

I was caught off guard by both the age gap between Ronan and his husband, Seth, as well as the age of their oldest child, a girl named Willow Since Seth was in his early twenties at the most, I suspected at least Willoas adopted since she was close to Lucy’s age I suspected the saht, but I kneas possible that the youngest child, a boy, could have been either ical child In theory, the older ones could have been Ronan’s children from a previous relationship, but I doubted it

Seth had been welcoh he’d been careful to limit the physical contact with me and Lucy I hadn’t missed the way nearly everyone had stared at my face when they’d seen it and for the first ti with sha as benign as a fall

The youngest, Jamie, had asked his Daddy Seth what had happened to me, but Seth had merely said I had some “owies” that needed soest his Daddy Ronan fix them before he’d asked me if I wanted to see his Spiderman doll Seth had asked bothto eat or drink I’d been the one to suggest to Lucy that she go have soirl offered it because I didn’t want Lucy hearing irl knew, but plenty she didn’t and I wanted to keep it that way Lucy had been reluctant, but she’d nodded I’d reassured her that I’d see her soon and then I’d watched her follow the s down the hall towards the kitchen while Ronan had motioned to a door to my left