Hard Love (Hacker #5)(48)
Author: Meredith Wild

I’d never really talked to Alli about my sex life with Blake, especially after she’d started hooking up with his brother. It seemed . . . weird. We’d discussed flings in the past, but I’d always been too swept up in my relationship with Blake to really get into the details. Not to mention a lot of the details were probably illegal in some states. I couldn’t take for granted that half the things we did in the bedroom wouldn’t completely terrify my best friend. Maybe today was a day for confidences though.

“I think the whole pregnancy thing has him unnerved. He doesn’t know what to do with me,” I said, hoping to keep it simple.

She hummed and tapped her lips. Mischief sparkled in her eyes. “Maybe he needs motivation.”

“Call me crazy, but you look inspired.” I couldn’t imagine what she was thinking.

“I could be. I think we have a few more stores to hit.”

* * *

BLAKE

I walked into the sports bar a few blocks outside of Fenway and looked around. Dean was at the bar, staring up at the televisions. He’d dressed casually, in jeans and a jersey. A well-worn baseball cap shaded his eyes. I took the stool beside him.

“No suit?”

He glanced over at me. “Casual Saturday. Plus, I’m heading to a game this afternoon with the kids.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to cut into your family time.” For probably the first time in my life, I meant it. I’d been notoriously work-driven, especially with any matters that required the expertise of an attorney. But in a few short months, I’d be spending every spare minute with our new little family.

That reality hit me hard. Everything was going to change.

Dean cleared his throat, derailing my thoughts. “I know I’m one of your favorite people and all, but to what do I owe this pleasure?”

I stared up at the televisions broadcasting another game. I wasn’t ready to dive right into the confession I’d kept from him for the past several years. It seemed strange to think, but Dean was one of the closest friends I had. Though we almost never interacted outside of business-related matters, he knew me better than most. Circumstances had demanded it.

“You know something funny? Every time I see you, it’s because something has gone haywire in my life. You’re lucky I don’t hold it against you.”

He laughed. “You’re the one always getting into trouble. Not me.”

“Not this time.”

He glanced down at the bar and spun his coaster in a small circle. “So what’s up? What’s gone haywire now?”

“Is there anything new with Evans?”

I cared about the answer, but I was still buying some time. I hadn’t heard from Dean during Erica’s excursion, not that I would have cared about anything he had to say.

“Not that I can tell. Hopefully between him and the police, they’re stalling out with whatever they’ve found. The Election Commission did a recount though. The governorship is going to Fitzgerald’s opponent. Fitzgerald didn’t make any statements on Friday after they announced it, though. We’ll see what he has to say, if anything, next week.”

Satisfaction coursed through me. I knew Erica would have mixed emotions about the news, but nothing was mixed about my wanting Daniel to feel the weight of that loss. I wanted him to feel it completely and for as long as possible. He didn’t strike me as someone who handled failure well, not unlike myself.

“Probably could use the weekend to let that news settle in,” I finally said.

“No doubt. I’m sure it’s turning his world upside down. Hopefully that doesn’t complicate things for us.”

I couldn’t imagine what Daniel’s next move would be after such an extremely public letdown, but Dean was right to wonder if it would bleed into my current situation.

“I wanted to talk to you about the election actually.”

He responded with a short nod, waiting for another kind of confession, no doubt.

“I know who tampered with the voting machines.”

He shot me a stony look. “Say that again?”

“I can’t exactly prove it’s him, and that’s why I never mentioned it to you earlier.”

He spun on his stool and glowered. “You know the actual person who’s behind this and you never fucking mentioned it?”

I bypassed his reaction and proceeded to detail all of it. From my first brush with the authorities as a kid, most of which he already knew or had heard, through the years of Trevor’s persistent bullshit stunts, to his all-around damaging partnership with Max.

Dean’s expression had turned from agitated to skeptical, a quality I valued and paid him well for.