“Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t make her cry. Talon did.”

“What did I do?” Talon asks, coming into the kitchen and stopping at my side.

“You made Cece cry.” I tip my head back to look at him, and his brows draw together before he looks at Cece.

“You can’t have your family clean up my house or your crew fix it,” she states firmly. “Mia mentioned you’ve been trying to finish your build, so I know you need to focus on that. And besides, I can’t afford to do anything right now, not until I get the insurance money—”

“This isn’t up for discussion,” he tells her, gently but firmly cutting her off before she can say more. “Money isn’t an issue. My family wants to help, and like I told Mia, the house I’m building will be built and will sell, but right now, something more important has come up, so we’re going to transfer our energy to it.”

“Why…?” She shakes her head. “Why would you do that? We don’t even really know each other.”

“Because I love your sister,” he tells her easily while grabbing my hand like he’s afraid I might run off. “Family takes care of family.”

Tears fill her eyes once more and spill down her cheeks faster than she can wipe them away. “Now you really did make me cry.” She sniffles as she walks toward him, and I release his hand and stand back as they embrace, still too stunned to move or say anything after he just dropped that bomb. “Thank you. I’ll pay you back when I get the insurance money.”

“No, you’ll put that money up until you need it,” he tells her softly, which makes her cry harder.

His gaze meets mine, and tears burn the back of my throat. I thought I loved him before this moment, but now I know that was only the half of it, or maybe that’s love, finding something new every day that reminds you why you chose the person you gave your heart to.

The moment is shattered when the doorbell rings, then rings again, and again. I look at Talon, wondering if he’s expecting anyone, and he shakes his head muttering, “I’ll be back,” before stopping to kiss my forehead.

When he leaves the kitchen, Cece goes to my mom and Chaz, who both wrap their arms around her as she continues to sob.

Not sure what to do with myself, I grab my cup of coffee from the microwave and start to take a sip, but I stop when I hear someone shout, “Let me in to see her!” and Talon growl back, “Fuck no, you need to leave.”

“What now?” Chaz asks, looking at me

“I don’t know.” I set down my cup and leave them in the kitchen then gasp when the front door comes into view and I see Talon shove Winston’s chest, pushing him back off the porch.

“Oh no.” Cece rushes around us to stand between Winston and Talon with her arms out to keep them apart.

“Who’s that?” Mom asks me.

“Umm... Cece’s boss?”

“Jesus, what the hell have you girls been up to?” Chaz asks, storming toward the front door, but I rush ahead of him when Talon steps outside.

“Why are you here, Winston?” Cece asks, sounding distraught.

“I heard your house was broken into.” He rips a hand through his hair before continuing, “I went to check on you, but you weren’t there, so I made a few calls and found out you came here last night.”

“Where’s your wife?” Talon asks him, his voice vibrating with anger as I wrap my arm around his waist, and he rests his over my shoulders.

“I don’t know.” Winston glares at him. “Probably her house.”

“Winston,” Cece calls quietly, and his jaw tics as he focuses on her. “As you can see, I’m okay. Just go home.”

“Why didn’t you call me?” The hurt in his tone makes my chest ache.

“You know why,” she whispers, her shoulders sagging. “I told you I can’t do this.”

“So what? I’m just supposed to let you go?” he questions, sounding devastated.

“You made your choice, and even though I wish things were different, I can’t live a lie alongside you.”

“I love you, Cece.”

“I know.” Her head drops forward, and he starts to move toward her, but she steps back out of reach. “Please just go.”

“This isn’t over,” he whispers before turning and walking away.

“Come on,” I tell Cece as he goes to his SUV, and I wrap my arm around her waist then turn her back toward the house. Once we’re inside, I lead her to the couch in the sunroom and take a seat next to her, grabbing her hand while Chaz and Talon head out the back door.

“What the hell was that?” Mom asks, sitting down on the other side of her.

“Mom.” I shake my head, telling her without words to be quiet.

“What? I want to know who that man was and what that was all about.”

“He’s no one.” Cece leans forward, resting her face in her hands. “Can we just have breakfast and forget what just happened?”

“No, we can’t,” Mom snaps. “For months, you kept your separation from Mike to yourself, thinking you could handle it all on your own, and look what happened. Now is not the time to hide things.”

“Mom, please stop. You’re not helping things right now. Why don’t you take a moment to go get dressed?”

“Fine.” She stands up and starts to storm out of the room, but pauses to add, “But this conversation is not over, not by a long shot.”

Shaking my head at her dramatics, I rub Cece’s back, then ask quietly, “Are you okay?”

“I’m in love with a married man.” She pulls her hands from her face. “I’m not okay. I’m an idiot. I don’t even know how it happened, but it did, and… and God, I’m so stupid.”

“You’re not stupid, and he obviously feels the same about you,” I tell her, hoping to make her feel better, but I know it sounds ridiculous, considering that he is married. And he’s obviously not about to change that, which I really do not get, seeing as he admitted he’s in love with Cece. “He said he’s been separated from his wife for years. Why won’t he just divorce her if they aren’t together?”

“They have a prenup. If he cheats or is the one to ask for the divorce, she gets everything, his money, his business, everything. I guess after ten years, it becomes null and void, but I’m not going to live a life where we’re together only behind closed doors for the next three years, and the rest of the time I have to pretend like he doesn’t mean anything to me.”

“Wow, that’s… that’s…”

“Fucked up. I already know, and there is no way I’m going to subject my girls to that kind of drama, not when I would be either lying to them or asking them to lie so the truth didn’t get out.”

“I can’t believe he’d ask you to do that.”

“He didn’t ask me, but I’m not an idiot. I know that’s exactly what would happen, and his wife is crazy, like really crazy. She shows up wherever he is and is always making a point to start drama at the restaurant. I don’t even want to imagine what she would do if she found out about us.” She shakes her head. “I’m just done. It’s time for me to stop thinking with my heart and to start using my head.”