POOL HOUSE
JESS
I pulled Laura aside, dragging her into the hallway while the guys were still in the kitchen, laughing and celebrating like lunatics. Their voices echoed through the house, but I was too frustrated to care.
“Okay, what the hell happened?” I demanded, crossing my arms. “Did Josh tell you about Sarah?”
Laura didn’t even try to play dumb. She just winced, her cheeks turning faintly pink. “Yeah, he mentioned it.”
I threw my hands up in disbelief. “What the hell was he thinking, Laura? Letting her stay with you? She’s practically a stranger!”
Laura let out a sigh and leaned against the wall, biting into a cupcake like we weren’t in the middle of a crisis. “He feels guilty,” she said, seeming a little defeated.
“Guilty?” I repeated, trying to keep my voice from rising. “For what?”
“For being the injured one on the island, or something like that. He still hasn’t opened up to me, Jess. I’m worried,” Laura said, her tone softening.
“He thinks he owes her–at least enough to give her a place to crash for a while.”
I groaned, pressing my fingers to my temples. “This is so typical
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of him. Always trying to save the world without thinking it through. And you’re okay with this?”
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Laura shrugged, the corner of her mouth twitching into a sly smile. “Well, I owe her my husband’s life. I don’t think refusing her help will help my case one day when I’m looking at the pearly gates, you know? Don’t worry, I drew the line at living under the same roof. She will get the pool house. I told Josh he‘ s kicking her out in two weeks, or I’m kicking him out.”
I blinked, caught completely off guard. A laugh bubbled out of me before I could stop it. “You seriously said that?”
Laura grinned, completely unfazed. “Damn right, I did. Loòk, I feel bad for Sarah. She’s been through hell, and I understand why Josh feels he owes her. But won’t turn my house into a guilt–funded charity.”
Before I could say anything else, the unmistakable pop of a champagne cork echoed from the kitchen.
“To baby girl… I think Suzan is a great name!” Josh’s loud, exaggerated voice carried down the hall. “May she never inherit her dad’s temper!”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t keep the grin off my face. “Those two are impossible. You need to put Suzan to rest fast,” I
muttered, glancing back at Laura.
“Don’t stress,” she said, patting me on the shoulder. “Josh means well, even when he’s being a total idiot. And as for Sarah… well, she’s not our problem forever.”
I nodded, feeling a little of the tension in my chest ease. “I hope you’re right.”
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“Of course I am,” Laura said confidently. “Now, come on. Let’s go make sure those two don’t burn the house down and eat cake!”
I laughed despite myself, following her back to the kitchen.
An hour later – we were all in a sugar coma in front of the TV, watching nothing of consequence. Laura was sleeping on Josh’s lap while they waited for football highlights.
The TV droned in the background, but the moment the host’s voice shifted to that patronizing tone reporters use to stir the pot, the room went still.
“There you have it,” the host said, her perfectly polished smile plastered on the screen. “Two football players who almost lost their lives if it wasn’t for the one woman who saved them–both refusing to admit there might be more to those weeks than they let on.”
The silence was deafening. Josh and Luke both froze, their laughter evaporating as they exchanged a loaded look.
I felt the tension in the room thicken, saw the way Luke’s jaw tightened as his eyes dropped to the floor, lost in thought. Before he could spiral, I crossed the room and cupped his face with my hands, pulling him back to me.
“Hey,” I said softly, making him meet my gaze. “It’s okay. It’s just the media. We don’t care about the media. We care about this- right here.” I moved one of my hands to rest against my belly. “Family.”
His sharp features softened instantly. Luke looked down at me, the storm in his eyes calming. He nodded slowly, then dipped
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his head and kissed me, pouring every ounce of gratitude, love, and relief into that one moment.
When he pulled back, his voice was barely above a whisper. “We need to tell our parents.”
I grinned up at him, my fingers still resting against his stubble. “Yeah,
