No one gave a single damn what she thought, especially her son.

The only thing Hunter cares about is Cricket, and that has never been clearer as we approach Blue House in the chopper.

My best friend sits across from me, his hands clenched into fists. Waves of stress roll off him, and I can’t say I blame the man. He knows he’s got the fight of his life on his hands.

“I love her,” Hunter says, his voice hoarse. “I fucking love Cricket more than I thought I could ever love someone in my life, and I fucked it up by sleeping with her sister—when I thought I was with her.” He glances toward the window. “How can she ever forgive me for that?”

“There’s nothing to forgive. You didn’t know. She loves you too, man. You both just need time to process this and figure out how to move forward.”

“I have two fucking kids, and I didn’t know it!”

“And Cricket loves those little girls like crazy already because they’re her nieces.”

Hunter drops his head into his hands, his elbows braced on his knees. “And so did I, because they were her nieces. But they’re mine. Jesus, fuck. I can’t believe I have two daughters. Twin girls. And with Karma fucking Gable. You know she’s going to use them to fuck with me and Cricket, if Cricket will even see me again. Karma won’t hesitate to manipulate both of us by using them.”

I know my friend is dead-on. Karma Gable is a narcissistic opportunist. Nothing is ever her fault. Everyone owes her something. She’ll never hesitate to use an opening, even her own children, for her own gain. That has already been proven by the way she played Rango.

“How did I not know she wasn’t Cricket? I should’ve known.”

“She’s a great actress, man. Trust me, I can tell you all about it. She fooled me too. I was trying to get a letter to Whitney the day of her parents’ funeral. I thought I was giving it to Cricket, but it was Karma. She deliberately misled me. This isn’t a new game for her. You didn’t have a chance.”

“I should’ve known something was wrong. When I tried to talk to Cricket after that and she seemed confused, how could I not have picked up on it? I thought she was playing hard to get. And then when I finally manned up to try again a few years later, it should’ve occurred to me that Cricket would never have played those kinds of games. How could I have been so fucking stupid?”

Hunter turns toward the window, but I catch the look of anguish on his face. He’s tearing himself apart over this, and there’s nothing I’ll be able to say to make him stop. Cricket is the only one who can do that.

“Look, what happened in the past is over and done with. Now it’s time to move forward. You have two kids who need a dad, regardless of what Karma might say, and you and Cricket are going to be fine. You just have to give her a little time.”