Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right by Rosie Steppe

Chapter 689

"Come and eat," Xander called.

I didn't move, just watched him as he set the table. "Come on, give it a taste," he coaxed.

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Under the soft dining room light, he looked so much like Hayden. The way he moved, the way he stirred the soup earlier-everything about it was familiar.

You can fake a lot of things, but those tiny habits? The stuff you don't even realize you're doing? That's harder to fake.

So... Xander had to be Hayden, right?

That thought pulled me to my feet. I walked over and stopped behind him. Before I even knew what I was doing, I wrapped my arms around him, resting my face against his back. His body tensed, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he said softly, "The food's ready."

"You're Hayden, aren't you?" I whispered.

Xander didn't say a word.

Imoved around to face him, gently grabbing his shoulders to turn him toward me. "There's no one else here, just us. You can tell me the truth. Please... tell me you're Hayden. Okay?"

"I'm not," he said, his voice cutting through the fragile hope I'd been holding onto.

"I'm Xander," he repeated.

I let go

hand. "I'm sorry," I murmured. "It's just... when you're wearing that apron and cooking like that, you're exactly like Hayden. Even the way you stir soup with your left hand, three times, is just like him." His jaw tightened, "That's just a

coincidence. Such a

11

roasted zucchini with my fork,

immediately. "What's wrong? Is

issue wasn't the flavor. The zucchini didn't taste

So, he wasn't Hayden.

me to the edge of hope and doubt, over and over, until my emotions were rubbed raw. "Hm?" Xander prompted

down the fork and lied. "It's not

"I'll make it again,"

I called

he insisted, like he had to prove himself-like being

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Chapter 689

you can," I said. "But save it for

some reason, my words made his

another chance to cook

at him, wondering if he really wanted to stay in my life. Then I gave a

else, the way he stirred it-three times, with his left hand-was exactly like Hayden. Maybe it

soup was rich, and almost perfect. Close enough