Page 144 of Twins for Three Bad Boys

We split a grilled cheese. He insists on “helping” and manages to drop a piece of crust directly into my lap.

“Oops,” he says, not sorry at all.

After lunch, we stop by the hardware store because he’s decided explorers need “spy glasses.”

We leave with a tiny magnifying glass and absolutely no practical explanation for it.

Back home, we build a fort in the living room that defies the laws of basic engineering.

“This house,” he says, crawling inside, “is for explorers only.”

“Do I qualify?”

He considers me solemnly.

“Yes,” he says at last. “Because you’re nice.”

After dinner, when Evan is finally in bed—after two glasses of water, one last dinosaur fact, and a solemn promise that the Moon Kingdom is still structurally sound—Wayne finds me in the kitchen.

I’m rinsing plates that don’t need rinsing.

He leans against the counter by the drainer, arms folded, not quite relaxed.

“We need to talk,” he says gently.

My stomach tightens, but I nod. “Okay.”

“Pike came by the garage today,” he says. “He’s been digging into the school complaints.”

My hands freeze under the running water.

“And?” I manage.

“They’re empty,” he says. “Vague. No incidents. No documentation. Multiple reports in a similar style from the same device.”

I turn off the tap slowly.

“The same device,” I repeat.

“One person,” he confirms.

The room feels smaller.

“Does Pike know who?”

He shakes his head. “Not yet. And… there’s no proof your ex was behind the school stuff.”

I stare at him, incredulous.

“That doesn’t make sense,” I whisper. “He threatened me. He said I’d regret leaving him.”

“I know.”

“But if it’s not him…” My voice thins as I rack my brains for a name, a reason. But there’s nothing. “Then who?”

Wayne shakes his head. “Pike’s going to keep digging. He’ll let us know the minute he finds out something more concrete, but for now, you have to wait.”

The waiting might be the worst part. I lean back against the counter because my legs feel shaky.