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.

+25 BONUS

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

"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

said with a bitter smile. "A coincidence. Such a perfect coincidence it keeps making me

11

sank into the dining chair, stabbed a piece of roasted zucchini with my fork, and took a bite. The second it hit my tongue,

wrong? Is it bad? Too salty?

answer right away. The issue wasn't the flavor. The zucchini didn't taste

So, he wasn't Hayden.

to the edge of hope and doubt, over and over, until my emotions

the fork

didn't seem phased. "I'll make it again," he said, already halfway to

I called after

insisted, like he had to prove himself-like being dismissed wasn't an

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Chapter 689

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

stopped him, and for some reason, my

I'll get another chance to cook

I just stared at him, wondering if he really wanted to stay in my life. Then I gave a small nod. "I'll have the cream

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

The soup was rich, and almost