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She nods, taking a sip of coffee with an eerie calm settling over her. “We take this one day at a time, Carly, and if things get worse, we’ll be there to help her. But if you charge in now, you won’t be around and you won’t know if she needs you.”

“I hate it.”

“I know. I do, too.”

Silence descends over us and I take a sip of my coffee before taking a deep breath in an attempt to relax.

“So,” Dottie prompts, watching me with a raised brow. “Anything else on your mind?”

I shake my head. “Nope.”

“Whatever happened with that boy of yours?”

After another sip of coffee, I set the cup down and sigh. “I took your advice and let him in.”

“And?” she asks as she fights back a smile.

“And, turns out the asshole is married.”

“No,” she gasps, shaking her head as she lays her hand on the table in front of her. I nod, my chest aching with all the things I’ve been avoiding as I look away from her. “Tell me everything.”

With a sigh, I turn back and step completely out of character as I spill my guts – telling her everything from the moment I met Chance until last night when he was pounding on my door and telling me he couldn’t walk away from me. When I finish, she’s quiet – studying me intently.

“Could it be a mistake?”

I scoff. “No.”

“Did he confirm it? Did anyone else?”

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “You’re the first person I’ve talked to about this.”

“So, it could all be a misunderstanding.”

“A secret wife is not a misunderstanding.” My phone buzzes on the table and I grab it, thankful for the distraction.

Ivy:

Julian has tonight off.

Family dinner at 6?

“Ivy wants to have a family dinner tonight at six and she’s bringing Julian,” I mutter, already uncomfortable with the thought of being in the same room with the man who I’m convinced is hurting my baby sister.

“Okay,” Dottie says, looking toward the kitchen. “I think I can scrounge something up.”

Me:

Sounds good.

After pressing send, I stand up and offer Dottie a smile. “I’ll see you tonight then, I guess.”

“We were still talking about your beau,” she points out and I shake my head.

“There’s nothing to talk about and I have an appointment to get my nails done. Hopefully, a little relaxation will help me forget this shitty week.”

She makes a noise of annoyance as she stands up and wraps me in a hug. “See you tonight, Sweetie.”

* * * *