Page 179 of Cross Check

Me

Cool. I’ll text you later!

“Ethan. Put down the gavel.” Hudson takes the plastic toy from Ethan with a sigh. “There’s a baby, and I don’t trust you with any object that could turn into a weapon.”

“But Maverick is allowed to use it? Doesn’t seem fair.” Ethan huffs and crosses his arms on the couch. “Favoritism, I tell ya.”

“It’s okay, dude.” I pat his thigh. “I’ll get you your own gavel that you can use.”

“This is why you’re my favorite, G.”

“Evening, folks.” Maverick stands at the front of the living room. He holds Murphy in one hand and a bottle in the other. “Sorry for the delay. I had to get Murph’s food warmed up.”

“Can I ask a question about breastfeeding?” Ethan chimes in.

“No.” Liam doesn’t bother to look up from his book. “You may not.”

“Guess everyone is going to attack me tonight.” Ethan rolls his eyes and taps the paperback sitting on Liam’s lap. “The story was fine.”

“Fine?” Riley asks. “It was phenomenal. I don’t normally like second chance romances because they’re never believable, but I believed this story.”

“Agreed. The way the two characters came back into each other’s lives was beautiful,” Hudson adds. “It felt natural. They would make it as a couple after the epilogue, for sure.”

“I liked the story, but I’m worried about two years down the road,” I say. “They don’t want the same things. I mean, sure, they love each other, but he wants kids and she doesn’t. She loves the small-town life and he lived in the big city for a couple years. Can a relationship withstand those fundamental differences?”

“For the person you love? Yes,” Liam says, and I blink at him. “Why are you looking at me like I have three heads, Everett?”

“You said something incredibly insightful, and I’m caught off guard.”

“I’m an incredibly insightful person,” he throws back, and Ethan snorts.

“Incredibly insightful at being a dick.”

“Our focus should be the book.” Maverick lifts Murphy in the air, changing her position so she’s leaning over his shoulder. He pats her back then kisses her forehead. “Not who may or may not be an insightful dick.”

“It’s a good question, Grant, but Liam is right. I always wanted to get married, but Madeline doesn’t. She’s divorced, and it’s not something she wants to go through again. I accepted that, because I’d rather be with her and not married than married to anyone else,” Hudson says.

“And people change.” Maverick shrugs. “Look at me. Look at Sully. He never used to talk to anyone. Now he does interviews like it’s no big deal.”

“Piper,” Liam grunts. “I do interviews with Piper. No one else.”

“This book made me want to live in a small town,” Connor says. “Having everyone know your name sounds fun.”

“The downside is everyone is in your business,” Riley challenges. “You can’t keep any secrets.”

“I can keep a lot of secrets,” Ethan boasts, and I roll my eyes.

“Please. You’d fold under pressure in a heartbeat,” I say.

“Like you’d be any better! You’re a pushover, G-Money. Someone would ask where the treasure was hidden, and you’d spill the beans without any interrogation.”

I tuck my chin to my chest.

He’s so wrong.

Not a single person in this room knows Amelia spent the night at my house. No one knows I kissed her until her lips were swollen, and they definitely don’t know I got her off with my fingers and my mouth more than once.

Spilling the beans?