He doesn’t love you. Snap out of it.

Looking away, she closed her eyes and soon she heard his door shut. Leaning against the counter, she covered her face and shook her head as the tears spilled onto her hands. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. He was supposed to love her, she was supposed to be holding their baby, and she was supposed to be fucking happy.

Instead, she was in a heap of tears while her ex-lover, who she was still stupidly in love with, slept in the room next to hers.

Her boyfriend was begging for her love.

And her brother had no clue what the hell was going on.

It was easy to say that her life was a fucking mess.

“When did you start cooking?” Karson chortled as Jordie laid a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him. Lacey smiled as she switched arms with Mena Jane so she could eat. Mena was wide awake and alert, watching everything Jordie did. There was something about their relationship that was special. She loved him as he did her, but since the night before, it was hard for Jordie to look at her without thinking that he could have had a baby that looked just like her.

Just like Kacey.

Turning to put the pan back on the burner, he braced himself against the stove and pulled in a breath through his nose. He didn’t sleep any the night before. He stayed up, reliving the last eight months. If he hadn’t been so fucked up, he could be a daddy right now. Maybe he would have let Kacey in, maybe he would be married to her. But then, the more he thought about it, the more he knew he had to go through everything he had to be where he was now. He wouldn’t have been a good man for Kacey. He might have been a good father, but even that wasn’t certain. He needed the help he’d gotten. It was that simple.

Given the chance again, he wouldn’t have left Kacey behind; he would have been honest.

But like Elli said, he had learned from his mistakes. Now it was time to make up for them.

Clearing his throat, he picked the pan back up and made Kacey a plate. She was running late this morning. Or avoiding him. In the past, they would share the bathroom, moving around each other, but this morning he didn’t hear her door open until his shut. It sucked, but she needed time. As much as he was hurting, she was hurting ten times worse. He hadn’t been there for her, she’d had to do it alone, and that really weighed heavy on his heart.

“I cooked a lot in Mountain Care,” he said, speaking of the rehab center as he set her plate on the island. “I actually like it.”

Lacey smiled. “Then please, cook away.”

He sent her a grin, grabbing his own plate and sitting across from her at the island. As he shoveled his eggs into his mouth, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kacey coming down the hall. That was the thing about Kacey. No matter what, he always knew when she was near. And when he caught sight of her short work-out shorts and black sports bra, he was sure he wasn’t going to make it through training.

Not with that hot bod distracting him.

“Hey, Lacey, have you seen my Assassins work-out windbreakers?” she asked, walking through the kitchen, completely ignoring him. But he couldn’t ignore her. Not with a body like that. She must have been training more than usual the last eight months because, holy fuck, she was ripped. He didn’t remember those abs the last time he had her naked but, boy, did she have them now. Her arms, spectacular, her legs, strong as an ox, and an ass he could bounce a quarter off of. His shorts grew tighter as he drank her in, his fork paused at his mouth as she bent over to look in the dryer.

Thank you, Lord.

“I have no clue. Jordie’s been doing the laundry,” Lacey said before leaning over to kiss Mena.

“What?” Karson and Kacey both asked, their faces twisted in almost the same way. It sometimes freaked him out how much they favored each other. They were practically twins.

Lacey looked up. “What? He just started doing it.”

“They are folded in your basket,” Jordie announced, ignoring their stares. “Also, why should Lacey be doing laundry? She’s still recovering and also fighting her own demons. You two need to be a little more thoughtful,” he said, but he might as well have been growing a second head.

“You did laundry?” Karson asked and then glanced at Lacey. “Plus, I told you I’d do it today.”

She shrugged but Kacey was still standing there gaping at Jordie. Snapping her mouth shut, she glared. “Don’t wash my clothes.”

For some reason, when she glared, she was the cutest.

Jordie grinned. “But I like checking out all your naughty girl panties,” he teased, and Karson groaned while Kacey’s glare deepened.

“Bro, come on, that’s gross,” he said, causing Lacey to laugh. It was nice to see her smiling and not crying. She had been taking her meds like she had promised Jordie, and he thought she was doing better.

“That’s the only way you get to check them out,” Kacey spat back, grabbing her basket.

He knew he should have left it alone. It was too early to tease and pick at her, but he couldn’t help himself. He missed their banter, he missed her, and also he liked the little scowl she wore when she was irritated. Plus, Karson wouldn’t expect anything else. Until Jordie was honest with him about Kacey, he had to play the part of Kacey’s biggest pain in the ass. So, grinning up at her, he said, “For now.”

Karson scoffed and Lacey chanced a glance at Kacey, shaking her head. But he could tell he had crossed the line. That she wasn’t ready for their banter. Her mouth parted, her eyes went to slits, and he was pretty sure she was ten seconds from throwing the laundry basket at him.