There was a long silence. “You’d give her up for me?” Another drawn-out silence, and I realized I wasn’t even breathing in case I missed the answer.

“I love you, River. More than anyone else in the world. If it was her or you, I’d choose you, but I know that neither of you would make me choose. It’s not the kind of people you are.”

Hell no, I wouldn’t make him give up the only person he considered family. That was, if I was about to abandon him just because he had a crazy ex-girlfriend and a stalker. I decided River had spent enough time in his feelings; I wasn’t going to let him keep imagining the worst scenario until he’d talked himself out of a relationship with us.

I snuck back a bit, then stomped down the hall like I was just coming from the living room. I knocked gently on the door jamb. They both turned toward me, Devan giving me a soft smile and River’s face a mask of guilt, his eyes looking at the cut on my cheek.

I strode over to him and climbed him like a tree, until he was forced to put his hands under my ass or let me drop to the ground like a lead weight. I gripped both his cheeks in my hand and kissed him hard.

It was a claiming kiss; if someone was watching, other than Devan, they’d know that River Cooper was mine. Apparently, the only person second-guessing it was the man himself.

So I told him. “You’re mine, River. I’m keeping you, and as long as you hold the baby, I’ll bitch fight any ex you have for the honor.”

Devan snorted. “No, you wouldn’t. You’re a lover, not a fighter.”

I gave him a death glare. “Fine, I’ll give you such a passionate public display of affection that old ladies will blush, ex-girlfriends will see red, and you’ll have to protect me from their velociraptor claws.”

River shook his head, burying his face in my neck. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. Let’s just work out how that crazy wench found you and then plug that hole right up, because I’m not buying that she just stumbled across you and created an incident of her own volition.”

Dev raised an eyebrow at me, and I briefly wondered if he knew I’d been eavesdropping on them. “I agree with Star. Something seems fishy. Who’d have something to gain from you being embroiled in a PR scandal?”

“Some of the second string, maybe. A rookie or two who might make my spot. Someone who wants my sponsorships, though I don’t know who.”

“Or that woman from ASPN,” I added.

“Andrea Esperanza,” they both groaned simultaneously.