"Yes, yes, I know, Max. You're hungry."

I finished making the bottle and crossed the room to the bassinet, the blue blanket I'd swaddled Max in over five times disheveled yet again as he kicked and fussed. I casted a glance at Michaela sleeping soundly beside him, still perfectly swaddled. If this was any indication of the personalities they'd grow into, I was in for a hell of a ride.

"Hey, Mia." Tanner poked his head in, lips curved into a weak smile. "You good? I have a few classes today but I'll head back here after practice to help you out."

I hoped I didn't look as relieved as I felt. Nodding slowly, I returned his small smile. "I'm all good right now, Tan. Thanks."

He gave me a quick, two finger salute before ducking back out of the room and disappearing down the hall. I waited until his footsteps completely retreated before heading for the computer chair on the other side of the room. Nudging Maya's diary aside with my elbow, I sat down and cradled Max in one arm against my chest, picking up the book with the other and flipping it to the page following the introduction.

Dear Mia,

Someone is stalking me. I know that sounds crazy and that's why I haven't said anything to you yet. Because I know with your logic you'd have some smart response. Like it was just someone who doesn't like me and my status, someone envious of me. I thought that for a while too. But today after I left Parker in the Gym, I saw someone in a black hoodie walking away from my car. When I got in there was a sticky note that said just one word. Leave. What the hell is that supposed to mean? I showed Park, but he thinks it's just a joke, and if he thinks that, I know you will. I'm freaking out, Mimi. What in the actual hell?

M.F

I inhaled sharply, touching my index finger and thumb to the bottom of Max's bottle as I tried retained the messy calligraphy before me. Someone had been watching my sister, stalking her. I could vaguely remember her being a little on edge the last few months of high school, but I'd chalked that up to her hiding the pregnancy from everyone. Obviously it was more than that. What's even stranger is that they'd given this diary back to me instead of keeping it as evidence. Shaking my head, and the past entry away, I looked to the next page.

Dear Mia,

I did something bad, like so bad you're going to kill me if you find out. I kind of, sort of, had a drunken one-night stand with Tanner last night at Parker's party. He was hammered and I think he thought I was you, but I was so drunk myself that I don't remember much. I'm such an idiot. At least it wasn't Parker.

M.F

If I wasn't holding a newborn, I may have slapped a hand against my forehead and shook my head in disapproval. Instead, I flipped to the next page, and with it, my suspicions ignited.

Dear Mia,

It seems like I can't keep myself out of shit and I keep asking you to bail me out and I'm so fucking sorry for that. You have a future and after that party a month ago, mine isn't looking so bright. I've been feeling really weird, and I saw you noticed it because you've been asking me every morning if I'm okay. Parker asked yesterday too, but you distracted him and I took it as an out. I bought a couple pregnancy tests last night and took them at Kya's house so there wasn't a chance you or Dare could find it. Or worse Mom and Dad.

Looks like I'm going to be a Mommy. And guess what? Tanner fucking Wells is gonna be a Daddy

My gaze dropped to the baby boy in my arms, my anxious leg shaking sending the book to the floor with a loud thud. I looked toward Michaela's bassinet, breathing out in relief when the room remained silent. As hopeful as I was that I could find some, any, sign that these kids could be Tanner's, it was very faint. I knew that melanin didn't always show right away, that it could take up to a year old for their skin to darken, but these kids looked as white as Maya and me. Plus, if there was even a chance, wouldn't Tanner have mentioned something, asked for a DNA test?

"You look ready to blow chunks." Parker's voice was a hushed whisper in the doorway, but managed to ease my anxiety a little. "I'm assuming you're finding something you didn't like in that diary?"

I only lifted my head and stared at him. He was sweaty, his forehead gleaming, and red tank top clinging to him. He'd likely just come in from his morning run and hadn't even bothered to shower before popping in. Seeing I wasn't in a joking mood, he, much to my horror, crossed the room and picked up the leather book and stared at the page. He stared at it for a long time, head tilting to the side a fraction, then shook his head and turned his blue eyes on me.

"There's no way the kids are Tanner's." Parker said with a genuine chuckle of amusement. "Even obliterated my man knows to wrap it before you tap it."

"Ugh, Parker! That's disgusting."

He flashed me a grin. "Just the truth. Plus, those kids don't look mixed. We could always get a DNA test, but I'm thinking Maya may have been—"

He trailed off suddenly, as if he were afraid to the words aloud. Whether it was because he was afraid to offend me or because he didn't want to think about his best friend in that kind of situation, especially since he could have prevented it, I couldn't decipher.

"Raped." I said, just to clear the air. "That's what I was thinking too, but if she was, she obviously doesn't remember. Which means whoever did it must have done it once she'd passed out."

"Or she got so drunk she blacked out." Parker contradicted.

I looked from him to Max. "She wouldn't have remembered sleeping with Tanner if that were the case, Parker. Whoever did it, raped her, did it while she was unconscious."

"That's sick." Parker breathed, pressing his palm into the armrest of the computer chair, as if he were trying to steady himself before we could take our inquires and assumptions further. "That's like an unspoken law for us men. Don't stick it in while she's out."

"Do you have any more disgusting sayings?" I asked, then considered my words and lifted a finger and cut him off before he could continue. "Actually, don't answer that. I gotta burp Max."

Parker remained a little too close for comfort, and when I stood and walked to Max's bassinet across the room after burping him, I felt as if I'd busted out of the tension filled bubble I'd been blowing up with my sister's best friend. All the theories, the guesses, the dots we tried to connect meant nothing without hard evidence. And there was only one possible way to be able to collect the evidence we needed to expand on those proposed theories Parker and I had thrown back and forth.

A DNA test.

My sister's words bothered me enough that I was on edge the entire twenty minutes I spent in the coffee shop down the street from the boys apartments. Since it'd grown dark, Tanner had promised to meet and pick me up, but that had been close to fifteen minutes ago and I was starting to grow tense where I sat.

It wasn't that I was thinking someone was watching me; I could feel it. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up and my whole body had grown cold, all the way down to my fingertips. The fear that whoever had murdered my sister had their sights set on me was causing my heart to race and tingles to race up my arms. It was how my panic attacks usually started and the last thing I wanted was to experience one of them in the middle of a crowded coffee joint. Even crazier were the scenarios that continued to ricochet around in my head. Scenarios such as Tanner having been the one to murder my sister because the babies actually were, by some miracle, his. Just as I started to shake off the crazier theory, a dark hand shot into my line of sight and snatched my coffee cup right out of my own. Relieved by his appearance, I thought the feeling of being watched may go away; that he had been the one watching from afar before he approached. Unfortunately it remained, and after a few seconds, Tanner peered up from behind my coffee cup and glanced over my head, body growing tense.

"What is this?" he asked rather than point out the obvious, eyes staring at my cup of coffee in disgust. "It tastes like a pumpkin shit out coffee."

I busted out laughing despite my uneasiness, or maybe it was a side effect of it. "It's a Pumpkin Spice Latte."

"You are such a white girl." he grumbled, thrusting it back into my expectant hands. "I thought higher of you, Mia."

"Well, you shouldn't have." I said through a smile. "I love Pumpkin everything."

He narrowed his eyes, but the corners of his full lips twitched into a smile. "Spending six years lusting after you, you would have thought I'd know that. Maybe that's why you never gave me a chance."

"I can assure you, Tan," I sipped at my coffee. "that is definitely not why."

"It's because I have zero intelligence and your like the next Marie Curie then?"

I couldn't help but smile at that. "Not that either, though I'm surprised you even know who Marie Curie is."

"Then why?" he feigned confusion, tapping his fingers along the light stubble on his jaw. "Why can I get every other girl on this beautiful planet in my bed except you?"

I made a gesture with my hand in his direction. "That's why."

"Hmm?"

"I have no interest in being another consolation prize for you, Tanner. Maya was just another conquest for you and—"

"You know about that?"

The sudden shift in the air between us was a good indicator I probably should have kept my mouth shut about the entire thing until we got a DNA test. His big brown eyes shot over my head again, but this time his jaw clenched and the look they held I was unable to catch, but was sure it wasn't pleasant.

"We were drunk." Tanner said softly, despite his hardened expression. "I thought she was you. Though, even drunk, I should have known better. Not only do you not drink, but you'd never willingly sleep with me. I'm sorry, Mia."

"Why are you apologizing to me?" I responded confusedly.

He allowed his eyes to recede and fall on me again, softening when he saw my expression. "Because I'm not proud of it. I'm not proud of any of my "conquests" as you put it. As much as you'd like to think it, I'm not like Parker."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I immediately jumped to his defense, but it seemed to only prove whatever point Tanner was trying to make further because he sighed and slumped back in his chair.

"Think about it like this, Ms. Valedictorian. The dumbest, goofiest idiot in the entire little town, in love with the pretty, extraordinarily smart daughter of the Pastor." he said with a dismissive wave of his hand for effect. "But she's in love with his best friend, who won't even bat an eyelash in her direction. She's part of the scenery to him. So the giant idiot does the only thing he can to have even a fraction of that attention; he flirts with her pretending he doesn't care. Because he thought maybe if he pretended enough it'd come true."

My heart sunk hearing his words. There had always been a part of me that had suspected that there were underlying feelings for me deep inside of Tanner, but every girl he slept with pushed me further away and the thought eventually fluttered to the back of my mind only resurfacing on the few occasions he'd allowed me to see passed his playboy façade.

"Doesn't help I'm black." he added quietly. "Your dad is extremely racist. I didn't want to cross any lines or boundaries."

That made my heart sink even further because he was right. If my father ever saw either of us girls with Tanner, he would have blown a gasket. He pretended as though he didn't care, but the comments he made behind closed doors always had Maya and me fuming. We always waited until we were in our room, of course, to vent and put our simple minded, bigoted father down.

Opening my mouth to offer up a response, I was cut short by Tanner stretching his hand across the table and wrapping his hand around mine. "Don't freak out, don't say a word, just follow my lead. Someone is watching us and I want to see what they do."

Without any more of an explanation, Tanner shot to his feet and helped me to mine before securing his arm tightly around my waist and leading me out the door. He threw a few glances over his shoulder on our way to the car, lips parted a fraction as if he were going to say something, but he only shook his head repeatedly before stuffing me into the passenger seat of his car. He waited until the doors were locked and we were heading back toward the apartment building to speak, eyes trained on the rearview mirror.

"They're tailing us." he whispered, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "That's fine. I know how to play games too."

As I grasped the console to my left, my eyes widening, I looked over my shoulder to nearly be blinded by headlights. But sitting there, right in my line of sight, was the dead shell of my sister. Only she wasn't laying like a rag doll on the floor of her Weekly as I'd seen in the pictures Detective Thatcher had show us, but scribbling in a leather bounded book. Then, almost as if she were still there, actually in the back seat of Tanner's car, I heard her quiet voice, strained and hoarse, as she whispered.

"Mia, someone's stalking me."