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Not having her integrated into the family made this feel... temporary. She wasn’t theother woman, everyone knew about her, but she was still an outsider. Though of course I didn't expect her to date everyone in the house, shedidneed to get along with them. That was my one deal breaker.

Well, that and hard drugs.

“Hey... speaking of being a mom,” Mattie paused, rubbing the back of her neck. “When was your last period?”

I choked, again.

I forced the half-chewed bread down with a gulp of lemonade. Part of me expected her to laugh or to say it was a joke.

She didn’t.

I wiped my mouth with a napkin to buy more time, but that’s when I realized—I couldn’tremember.

“April... I think.” It was after the twins’ birthday but before Memorial Day. “But they’ve been weird since I had Rosie.”

Plus, I was breastfeeding. That had to mean something.

“Look, if you say you’re okay, I believe you.” Mattie gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “But if you’re pregnant—which is fine—I need to know for workout purposes.”

I nodded, trying to pretend the world wasn’t spinning.

Rosie was seven months old.

She wasn’t even crawling yet.

The last time I had a baby, I nearly died.

Getting pregnant againwasn’tresponsible. I had so much to—

“Mase, you look like you’re going to hurl,” Mattie said cautiously.

I felt like it, too, but I forced a weak smile. “Just tired.”

She looked skeptical, but she didn’t push.

“If you’re that tired, I don’t think you should drive home. I’ll take you.”

Her offer was sweet, but I still had to pick up the kids from daycare. Mattie wasn’t an option.

“I’ll call someone,” I promised without having the faintest idea who I’d call.

But just as I started to consider who might be the least busy, the bell above the café door chimed.

And just like that, I had my answer.

Chapter 6

Sebastian

When I asked Lucian to set me up with an apprenticeship at his shop, I assumed most of my days would be spent piercing ears or organizing jewelry. And—for the most part—that was true. But I was also the shop bitch.

“Sebastian, go take out the trash. Sebastian, clean the bathroom. Sebastian, we’re thirsty–go get coffee.” I changed my voice to mock them as I pulled a crumpled sheet of paper from my pocket.

It had everyone's orders scribbled down like I was some underpaid waitstaff. I had a Ph.D., for Christ’s sake. I used to kill people for a living, and now I was fetching four iced coffees fromLoaves of Lovelike a glorified intern.

I should spit in Lucian’s.

At least if I embraced my title as theprophetof the Sons of Christ, I wouldn’t have to do this shit. But then I’d have... other problems. So maybe getting Sera’s overly sweetened latte wouldn’t kill me. Not today, at least.