Meanwhile, on Susanna''s side-


    Hull finished his phone call and turned to see Susanna sitting at the table, eating quietly. After her bout of cold and fever, most people would have struggled with food, but apparently not her if anything, her appetite had returned with a vengeance. When she''d been sick, all she wanted was oranges. Now that the fever had broken, she was gleefully popping strawberries and cherries into her mouth, whole and unrestrained.


    Hull caught her eye just as she paused to spit a cherry pit neatly into her napkin, her cheeks adorably puffed out from all the fruit. She looked so content, like she''d be easy to please just give her good food, and she''d thrive.


    A faint smile tugged at Hull''s lips. "Are they sweet?"


    Susanna nodded, cheeks still full. "Mmm, so sweet."


    She plucked arge strawberry from the basket and held it out to him in offering.


    Hull shook his head. "You eat it."


    He was hardly the type to snack on sweet like this, and it showed in the way he said it-gentle but with amused reluctance.


    "Come on, just try a bite. It''s really good," Susanna insisted, eyes turning up to him hopefully.


    Hull gave her a teasing look. "That good, huh?"


    She nodded with conviction. "Yes! Super sweet."


    Usually, anything described as ''sweet'' would send Hull in the opposite direction, but there was something about her expectant gaze that made him relent. He leaned in, took her small wrist in his hand, and without breaking eye contact, bit the strawberry right from her fingers-letting his lips brush against her soft fingertips in the process.


    The warmth of his mouth lingered at her skin; A shiver raced through Susanna, like a jolt of electricity. She immediately jerked her hand back, her face flushing crimson. Suddenly, she couldn''t meet his eye.


    Hull noticed and let out a low chuckle. "What''s wrong?"


    Without a word, Susanna thrust a handful of cherries at him. "Here, eat them yourself! Hmph!" You''re such a tease! Bad man! There was no way biting that strawberry had needed to touch her fingers. He''d clearly done it on purpose.


    Hull watched her sulk with amusement, then fondly mussed her hair. "I just got news from cktower."


    Her mood did aplete about-face. "Did he go? What happened?"


    The mention of gossip lit a spark in Susanna''s eyes. Hull couldn''t help butugh.


    "Tell me something-back when you were in Portis City, didn''t you ever get in trouble for being so nosey?"


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    He gave her a look. "You''ve got a nose for everyone else''s business."


    Susanna blushed, caught off-guard. Well, honestly, she only ever cared about gossip when it concerned her, not just anyone.


    “Oh, just tell me what happened at cktower? Come on!" After all these years of mooning over Derek''s first love, seeing it all fall apart


    suddenly was honestly a thrillin


    Susanna could hardly wait to hear


    more


    especially whether Derek


    would actually take a stand for once,


    when it came to Adelle.


    Hull said, “Dan went back. It''s said that all—everyone has to get a paternity test."


    "Everyone?" Susanna repeated, wide-eyed. What did that mean?


    "Finch, himself—the whole family. Everyone. No one is exempt.”


    Susanna gaped. "All of them? Oh my god, what if not a single one is actually his? He''ll lose his mind!" The thought sent her reeting. So many children, but what if, in the end, none of them belonged to Derek?


    Hull''s smile flickered as he watched her get worked up. "You sound pretty convinced


    none of the kids are Derek''s."


    "Of course they aren''t!" she dered.


    He raised his brows, waiting for her to borate.


    "Think about it—the twins aren''t, and neither am I! That''s three out of the five kids acknowledged under his name. What does that say?"


    Hull caught on. "Infertility?"


    "Exactly!" Susanna said, her tone almost triumphant. "He''s infertile!" She was surer than ever now. Then she paused a slight frown creasing


    her brow. "What I really peet,


    though, is that he''d be so


    cold-hearted toward Adelle


    Not that long ago, Derek would''ve rejected any number of children if it meant


    keeping Adelle. Now, everything had unraveled in an instant.


    Hull''s voice held a touch of irony. "All those years he worshiped her... Well, Adelle was the one he put on a pedestal, after all."