Devyn glances at me over her shoulder. “Mmm hmm. You too. Bye, Jackson.”

You too? Did she just tell him that she loved him? Oh Christ, this situation is shittier than I thought.

DEVYN

THANK GOD JACKSON CALLED when he did. I’m pretty sure Riley was about to kiss me. And I honestly don’t know how I would’ve responded to that. Hearing Jackson’s voice helped bring me back into the present. Riley is my past. I simply got caught up in my emotions talking about it with him.

“Riley, I have to get going.”

He frowns. “Back to Jackson?”

I bite my lip. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no. I need to get home to Nathan.”

“What’s the story with you and that guy?”

“Jackson?”

“No, the fucking Dalai Lama.”

I glare.  “You don’t need to be so rude.”

“Answer the question, Dev.”

“I really don’t think that’s any of your business.”

“Of course it’s my business!” he shouts. “If this guy is going to be spending time around my son, I have the right to know.”

I clench my fists. “He’s been spending time with our son for over two years! Are you saying you don’t trust my judgment?”

He stiffens. “Give me your phone.”

What? Is he going to call Jackson? “No.”

He rolls his eyes. “I’m not going to do anything stupid, Devyn. I want to program my number into it.”

I hand it to him hesitantly. I watch as he opens the text window and types something real quick before hitting send. His phone beeps a second later.

He pulls it out of his pocket and looks at the display. “There. Now we both know how to reach each other. And for the record, I changed my number when I moved to Georgia. I had planned on settling there and wanted a local number. It had nothing to do with running away.”

“You lived in Georgia? When?”

“After grad school,” he replies. “I took a job in Savannah designing private aircrafts.”

“Oh,” I whisper. “Then why are you in Seattle?”

He gulps. “That’s a story for another day. You need to get home, remember?”

I stand and walk to the door. “Yeah, I do.”

He follows me and opens the door. As I step into the hallway he says, “Dev, we’ll figure this out, okay? I’m not going anywhere.”

I nod. “Okay.”

RILEY

SHE’S BEEN WITH HIM for over two years? Shit. This definitely throws a wrench in my get Devyn back plans. Drew said she’s not living with him so they’re obviously not that serious, but still. I grit my teeth when I think about where she spent the night last night. Now I really don’t like the guy. I need to figure out exactly where they stand so I can plan my next move. I may have been a total man slut back in the day but I would never condone cheating. I’ve always thought that if you’re unhappy enough to even think about cheating, you need to figure your shit out or leave the relationship. Besides, I wouldn’t dream of sharing Devyn once I finally had her. No fucking way.

I pick up my phone and dial Brody as something comes to mind.

“Hey, asshole! Are you done unpacking yet?”

“Almost,” I say. “I still have to hang photos and shit but other than that, I’m done. Are you planning to watch the games tomorrow?”

“Do you have to ask? What’s up? You wanna hang?”

“My satellite isn’t hooked up yet so I was hoping I could tag along with you. Maybe you could see what Drew and his sister are up to and ask them to join us?”

Brody laughs. “Ah, I get it now. Well, lucky for you my plans happen to include hanging out at Drew’s house. I’m sure he won’t mind an extra guest. The hot sister should be there for your viewing pleasure.”

“What? I don’t want to see the sister! I’m just looking for a place to watch football.”

“Right, buddy. Are you in, or what?”

I smile. “Yeah, I’m definitely in.”

DEVYN

I’M JUST ABOUT TO walk out the door when Drew says, “Hey, a couple of the guys are coming over to hang for the games. They should be here in about an hour. Will you grab some extra chips and beer while you’re at the store?”

I freeze with my hand on the doorknob. “Which couple of guys?”

“My friend Brody and that guy you knew in college.”

“Riley?” I shriek.

“Yeah. Why? Is that not okay? I know he was kind of a dick but he promised me he’d behave next time he saw you.”

I look down at the faded sweatpants and threadbare 49ers t-shirt I’m wearing. “Drew! Why didn’t you tell me earlier? We can’t have people over when I look like this! I don’t have time to get ready and shop for groceries!”

He gives me a fleeting glance. “Who cares what you’re wearing?”

I groan and look down the hall to make sure Nathan is still playing in his room. “Drew, there’s something you need to know about Riley.”

“What?”

I blow a hair out of my face. “Well, there’s no good way to say it. Other than to come straight out with it I guess.”

He scrunches his face. “What the fuck are you rambling about?”

I take a deep breath and exhale. “Riley is Voldemort.”

“What does Harry Potter have to do with this? You’re not making any sense.”

I roll my eyes. “Think about that for a second. Riley is he who must not be named.” I give him a few seconds but he still looks lost. “Oh God, fine! Riley is Nathan’s father. Is that clear enough?”

“What.The.Fuck. Are you shitting me right now?” he bellows.

“Keep your voice down!” I whisper-shout. “Nathan doesn’t know yet. And I just told Riley yesterday.”

“Yesterday? You saw him? Where? And what do you mean you just told him yesterday? I thought he walked when he found out you were pregnant!”

“At the coffee shop across from Jackson’s house. He and Riley apparently live in the same building. And I didn’t exactly get the chance to tell him I was pregnant. We never even dated. We were friends…and we hooked up one night. He didn’t know I ever had a child until you told him.”

Drew laughs. “Oh, this is fucking priceless. Does Jackson know?”

“Yes, Jackson knows. Well, about the paternity thing. Not that they both live at the Marselle.”

“So what the hell are you going to do? Am I supposed to pretend I don’t know?”

“No, you don’t need to pretend. Lorraine knows too. Just don’t be open about it with everyone until we’ve figured out how to tell Nathan. I just need a little time.”

Drew stands up and grabs his keys off the kitchen counter. “Go do whatever girly shit you need to do. I’ll go to the store.”

I smile and kiss him on the cheek. “Have I told you lately that you’re the best big brother ever?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he mutters.

RILEY

I’M SITTING AGAINST THE curb in front of Devyn’s building waiting for Brody to get here. I pull up my text messages and smile while reading the one that I sent from her phone to mine.

Devyn: My memory didn’t do your hotness justice. The real thing is SO much better.

It was my attempt at lightening the mood. I was pissed and reacted poorly when I found out about Nathan. I felt a reminder of how playful we could be together was in order.  Did Drew tell her I was coming over? I don’t want her to be blindsided so I type a quick message.

Me: Hey, did Drew give you the heads up that you’re having company for the game today? And by company, I mean ME and Brody. Are you okay with that?

I wait for her reply.

Devyn: He did tell me.

That’s it? Really? I’m staring at my screen, waiting for that little bubble to pop up indicating she was typing something else. Hmm.

I start typing again when nothing comes.

Me: And? Are you okay with that?