?Chapter 817:


    Megan blinked, caught off guard. “Spend a little time with me, and you’ll warm up—I’m just as good as Hadley, aren’t I?”


    Eric gave her a quick once-over, amusement tugging at his lips. “Well, for starters, you don’t hold a candle to her looks.”


    Megan bristled. “Beauty’s a mixed bag—who is to say who is best?”


    “Fair point,” Eric conceded, unshaken. “But I’m hooked on her vor.”


    Megan stood there, gobsmacked, words deserting her.


    Hadley reappeared, fresh from changing, and Eric’s face lit up as he sauntered over, slipping an arm around her shoulders. “Lean on me—save your strength.”


    Megan watched them cozy up, her lip caught between her teeth, green with envy.


    “Mark my words,” she muttered, “I’ll win you over yet!”


    Hadley cast a nce back at Megan, then up at Eric. “She looks fit to be tied. Not going to smooth things over?”


    “My darling,” Eric whispered, a wry smile tugging at his lips, “cut me some ck. I’ve barely swapped a handful of words with her! She snapped a photo of us out of context…”


    “Nowhere. I didn’t even clock it happening.”


    “Humph.” Hadley huffed, her pout yful. “You two looked thick as thieves!”


    “Pure fiction!” Eric protested, eager to clear the air. He pressed a hand to Hadley’s belly, earnest as a saint. “I swear I’ll stay true to you and our little one—or let me never know a moment’s peace.”


    Sweet words always had a knack for tugging at the heartstrings.


    Hadley felt a flutter in her chest and gave Eric’s cheek a gentle pat. “You’re spinning some sugary lines today.”


    Every tale finds a home at g?lnσν???s


    Eric yed coy, tilting his head. “Am I?” He leaned in, his lips inching toward Hadley’s. “Go on, taste and tell me if I’ve got a honeyed tongue.”


    “Cut it out!” Hadley swatted at him, ncing around. “We’ve got an audience!”


    “Let them gawk!” Eric grinned, unfazed.


    When they rolled up to the Flynn Mansion, N was already perched at the doorstep, waiting eagerly.


    The second she spotted Hadley, she bustled over, arms outstretched. “Hadley,e here, my dear! Let me get a proper look at you!”


    “Hello, N.” Hadley greeted warmly.


    “You’ve dropped a few pounds,” N tutted, her eyes narrowing as she shot Eric a withering look. “What kind of care are you giving her? Hadley’s face is all pinched—are you starving her or something?”


    Eric stood there, tongue-tied, caught t-footed.


    Ernest, catching the scene, chuckled at his brother. “Face it, we’ve been bumped down the pecking order.”


    “And shouldn’t it be that way?” N snapped, ring at her grandsons. “You two aren’t the ones delivering me great-grandchildren, are you?” She looped an arm around Hadley, guiding her inside with care. “Easy does it, Hadley—watch your step.”


    N moved like a hawk, hovering protectively, as if a single misstep might spell disaster.


    The Flynn n had always been a tight-knit bunch, so the prospect of new branches on the family tree was a big deal.


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