A gut feeling.
“No,” I say firmly. “And especially not Maddie. She doesn’t make impulsive decisions unless she’s absolutely certain in her heart.”
He studies me a second longer, then nods. “Yeah. You’re right.” He claps my back. “Well, shit, Nate. Congrats. Does Mom know?”
Guilt twists low in my stomach. “No. We want to keep this between us. Only you and Adelaide will know. There’s a good chance we have a long road ahead of us, and it would be stupid not to have some type of support system.”
“That’s me.” He thumbs his chest like an idiot, flashing an over-the-top grin. “Your support system.”
I ignore him and keep going. “It’s not that we don’t want to tell her. But once Maddie tells Mase, I’ve got Dad, Seb, and Harrison. There are so many people weighing in. Too many opinions. Too many questions.”
“I get it…”
“And if it doesn’t work out,” I add quietly, “that’s a lot of disappointment landing on Maddie at once. She doesn’t need that on top of a rejection.”
“Nate.” Leo’s tone softens, stopping my spiral. “You’re going to get approved. And you don’t have to defend this. Everyone who matters will understand.”
I nod once, but the tension doesn’t fully leave my shoulders.
“Keep an eye on Maddie this week,” I say.
“She’ll be fine by tomorrow. I’ll crash in the guest room when you leave.”
“I’m not talking about the stomach bug.” I glance at him. “She’s going to bury herself in work so she doesn’t obsess over the application. I don’t want her burning out.”
“Let’s be fucking serious for a minute. That girl lives and breathes work. There’s no burnout in sight.”
“Gentlemen,” Owen announces, walking over to shake our hands, then wipes the back of his nose. “Sorry, I’ve been MIA.”
MIA, or snorting coke in the back room for the last thirty minutes.
It’s honestly a miracle the neighbors don’t complain about his parties. We’re far enough away not to hear it, but the poor bastard sharing his floor has to be losing his mind.
“No worries,” Leo says smoothly when I stay quiet, his tone shifting. “But you’re going to need to tighten the ship soon. It was one thing when it was just us. Now Nate’s girl lives there too, and we can’t have that shit happening.”
Owen grimaces. “Look, man, I don’t even know the guy. Someone else invited him. I’ve been putting up signs with my apartment number ever since a couple of girls wandered into Mrs. Hankle’s place on Sunday morning while she was heading to church. Co-op board was not thrilled.”
I go still. “What do you mean you don’t know the guy? The one who came to my apartment?”
He takes a slow pull of his beer. “Yeah. Guest of a guest.”
I scan the room; I don’t spot the guy anywhere.
He was here when we arrived, but when I lost track of him, Leo said he was probably embarrassed and bounced, but I still get a bad feeling.
My phone dings with a security notification, so I open it immediately and see it’s from the office.
“What the fuck is Linc doing at M-Squared at ten at night on a Friday?”
Leo leans over, squinting. “Probably catching up on work.”
“Doubtful,” I mumble.
“Stop stressing, he’s a weird guy. Get over it.”
“Hi, Leo.” We look up to see two gorgeous women standing before us.
It takes everything in me not to laugh at how they’re both leaning into him with their tits practically hanging out of their dresses.
