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NATALIE COULDN’T RECALL ever having been this nervous

Carrie had gone to a sleepover birthday party for Matthew’s youngest niece, and so he had invited Natalie over for a sleepover party at his place She’d packed a bag and spent the night So with him to have a birthday

lunch for his niece at his ht that vulnerable look in his eyes that parental tasks to do with Carrie so often brought out in hi else about him

Still, she shouldn’t have agreed

“This is a bad idea”

Matthew glanced over at her from the driver’s seat “Why’s that?”

“I shouldn’t be here”

“Of course you should I want you here”

“What about your fa to think when I’ to knoe spent the night together Your mom, too”

“That bothers you?”

Apparently, it did

“Don’t worry All my family will love you”

Aly, they seemed to do just that

Natalie had been hugged and had her cheeks kissed a dozen tihbors, and hoped there wasn’t a pop quiz because no ould she ever remember all their names

Elaine shared her brother’s pale blue eyes and dark hair and was a beautiful wohters Her husband was a boisterous Italian orked in the restaurant business, but Natalie didn’t catch any more details than that