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J.D. stood and walked straight toward Gavin, arms open wide. “Let’s go, my man. Bring it, big guy. Bros hug, and you’re one of the bros now.”

Gavin’s eyes widened as J.D. wrapped his arms around him and pounded him on the back. He seemed taken aback by the warm welcome. His eyes slid over to me and locked on my face.

I needed to make a move before things got even more awkward. I had to keep up the act. With every fiber of my being, I hoped and prayed that Gavin wasn’t here to somehow derail my chances at protecting my family.

Standing and straightening my clothes, I plastered a massive fake smile onto my face and strutted over to Gavin, sticking my hand out to shake his.

“Gavin? I’m Kira. Nice to meet you,” I said. I sounded calm and confident, but an icy trickle of fear slithered up my spine.

He disentangled himself from J.D. and turned to face me. He looked a lot like Jayson, but I barely knew Gavin. He hadn’t been around much while Jayson and I had been dating. He was always away a