“Don’t worry about Garret,” I told her. “I think he might surprise you. But no matter what happens, you and that baby will be taken care of. Ryan and I will make sure of it. And if you don’t want to stick around the city, my parents would be all too happy to help you out with the baby.”

Her shoulders lost some of their tension. “I adore your parents. Jack and Gracie too. They helped me so much when I was at the shelter.” She grimaced. “I haven’t told them about my life here in the city, though. Especially Jack. He was so good to me while I was in Creswell Springs. That’s why I chickened out about going to your graduation. I didn’t want him to think I was playing Garret. And then there’s the whole keeping my identity from your brother…” Her voice trailed off, and she released a heavy exhale. “He’s going to blow up when I tell him who I really am, Nova.”

“If he hasn’t figured out who you are by now, then that’s his fault. He followed you on social media like a stalker. Every picture you ever posted, he saved to his own phone,” I confided, not sorry in the least that I was revealing so much about my brother’s obsession with her back then. “Either he’s a blind idiot, or he knows exactly who you are and is just waiting for you to confess to him.”

She bit her bottom lip, her eyes growing hopeful. “You think so?”

“Yes, of course I do.” I considered it from my brother’s point of view for a moment and laughed. “Actually, he was such an asshole to you back then, maybe he’s pretending not to know who you are because he thinks you don’t remember who he is. And he’s waiting until you fall in love with him before he confesses who he is. Perhaps he’s just as scared to lose you as you are of losing him.”

“I already love him,” Cali confessed unashamedly. “I tried not to, because I didn’t trust him, and I was worried he was like Manuel from what little I’d seen of him through social media. But he wore me down, and I started to see a different side to him. Garret is more like you than I realized. Sweet and kind. Even gentle at times. I haven’t told him yet, but I do love him.”

“So, tell him already,” I encouraged.

Her shoulders drooped. “I can’t. He’s been too busy lately. He comes home to shower and sleep, but then he’s right back out the door before I even get out of bed. We haven’t had sex once since he came back from your graduation weekend.”

“I didn’t need to know that part,” I muttered, making her grin.

“Sorry.”

“I haven’t seen Ryan since we got back either. All I get is the occasional text message reply. He hasn’t texted me first at all, and I’m trying not to be so needy, but I miss him.” I propped my chin in my free hand, feeling lonely and a little hurt that he’d been ignoring me. I didn’t want to be clingy like some girlfriends, but was it really asking too much to have him text me once?