Chapter 2

Tessa always had a key to our home.

They called it "convenience."

They called it "just in case."

Whenever I brought it up, Nathan would sigh.

"Don't overthink it, Claire."

"She's just a bro. Tessa doesn't care about the small details. Don't make a big deal out of nothing."

For six years, I swallowed my discomfort. I played the cool, understanding wife. I convinced myself that maybe she really was just oblivious to normal boundaries.

Until I went to grab a cupcake at Lucas and Maya’s engagement party.

I stepped into the quiet hallway leading to the kitchen, away from the loud music of the living room.

Before I rounded the corner, I heard Tessa’s voice.

She wasn't yelling. She wasn't acting like one of the guys, and she wasn't casually leaning on Lucas the way she leaned on my husband.

She was standing at a polite, respectful distance, her hands neatly in front of her.

"Here you go," Tessa said, dropping a silver key into Maya's palm. "I figured I should officially surrender this."

Lucas chuckled, wrapping an arm around his fiancée. "Thanks, Tess. It really saved me when I needed someone to feed Buster during those business trips."

"Hey, Buster is my favorite god-dog," Tessa laughed lightly.

She took a deliberate half-step back, giving the couple their space.

"But seriously, you guys are engaged now," Tessa said, her tone considerate and natural. "Maya deserves to walk around her own house in her pajamas without worrying about one of your bros randomly unlocking the front door."

Maya beamed, stepping forward to give Tessa a quick hug. "You're the sweetest. Thank you, Tessa."

I stood frozen in the shadows, the ceramic dessert plate cold in my hand.

She knew.

She wasn't oblivious at all. She knew exactly how to respect another woman's territory, and she knew exactly how violating an unexpected key could feel.

Lucas and Maya thanked her again and headed back toward the living room, passing right by me without noticing.

Tessa stayed behind in the quiet hallway, pulling her phone from her pocket.

I stepped out from behind the wall.

She looked up.

Right there, dangling casually from her fingers, was her heavy keychain. Nestled next to her car fob was the shiny new key Nathan had cut for her four days ago.

"So Maya deserves to walk around her own house without worrying about a bro unlocking the door," I repeated.

Tessa didn't flinch.

The polite, considerate friend she had just played for Maya simply vanished, replaced instantly by the unapologetic tomboy.

She hooked one finger through the key ring and gave it a lazy spin. The silver key clinked sharply against the others.

"Because Nate gave it to me," she said with a shrug, unbothered. "That’s what bros do. We have each other’s backs."

"Lucas was your friend too," I pointed out.

"Lucas asked for his key back." She grinned. "Nate never has."

She tossed the key ring once into the air and caught it effortlessly in her palm.

"Go ahead, Claire," she challenged, her tone casual but razor-sharp. "Ask him again. But don’t blame me when he tells you you’re making it weird."

Footsteps approached from the living room.

"There you are." Nathan walked into the hallway, holding two drinks. He looked between us, catching the stiff silence. "Everything okay? What are you guys talking about?"

"Relax, bro," Tessa laughed, reaching out to punch Nathan lightly in the shoulder. "I was telling Claire she deserves a medal for putting up with us."

She shoved her hands into her pockets, grinning at him.

"Most wives would turn every dumb little thing between bros into a marriage crisis. Claire’s cooler than that."

With one compliment, she had made any objection sound unreasonable.

She was publicly dictating the rules of my marriage.

She was telling Nathan that if I objected to anything, I was no longer the "cool wife"—I was just another hysterical woman making a crisis out of nothing.

Nathan’s shoulders instantly relaxed. The tension left his face.

He looked at me, a proud smile on his lips.

He stepped forward, handing me my drink, and wrapped his free arm around my waist, pulling me into his side.

"She is the best," Nathan agreed, kissing the top of my head. He looked at Tessa. "She knows you're family, Tess."

I stood still in his embrace.

He didn't notice the silver key Tessa had just shoved into her pocket.

He didn't realize that I was choking on the very medal Tessa had just pinned to my chest.