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“Me, too.”

We dug in, then she turned to me and gave me a serious look. “Now spill.”

“I already told all of you everything while I was in the hospital.”

“You sure as hell did not. I saw the way Adam looked at you. That man is smitten.”

I coughed, almost choking on my cracker. “Smitten? Who says that?”

“I do. It fits.”

“Whatever.”

“What’s more, you’re smitten, too.” She looked at me over the rim of her wine glass. “Actually, I take that back. You’re more than smitten, you’re captivated, and it’s not because of his son, he’s just a bonus.”

I looked down at the plate in my hand.

“What?” she asked. “Did I say something wrong?”

“I agree, James is adorable.” I bit my lower lip. I really didn’t want to say anything more.

“Spill it, Avery.”

I didn’t look up. I couldn’t.

“Honey,” Angelica’s voice was low and encouraging. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Am I liking Adam because of James? I mean, I just had to give away a baby. Am I just… filling a void?”

Angelica didn’t immediately respond, which I so appreciated. She was really thinking about it.

“Have you cried yet?”

My head shot up, and I looked into her concerned brown eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“Have you cried about losing Olivia.”

“Why would I do that? I didn’t lose her. She went to Chloe and Zarek, exactly as we all planned.”

Angelica’s face softened. “I know that, and you know that, but deep down in your heart, where you nurtured that little girl in your body for nine months⁠—”

“Eight months.”

“Whatever. In so many ways, Olivia was your daughter, and you had to give her away.”

My mouth tightened. “That’s not true. I can’t believe you even said that.”

Angelica put her hand over mine, and I ripped it away. “Seriously, Angelica, I knew what I was doing from day one. Olivia was made from Zarek’s sperm and Chloe’s ovum. She was their daughter. I was just the host.” I felt my chin tremble.

Angelica didn't rush to comfort me or argue the point. She just sat there, quiet and steady, and waited. Which is exactly why I loved my friend.

"It's not like I didn't know going in," I said. My voice came out smaller than I intended. "I knew exactly what I was doing. I'm not… I'm not sad about it. I made the right choice. Chloe's been my best friend since before we were born and Zarek’s the best. Olivia is exactly where she's supposed to be."

"Zoe,” Angelica whispered.

"I'm fine."

"Zoe,” Angelica said my name just a tiny bit louder.