“I can’t go on…” Winnie sobbed uncontrollably. “What am I going to do, Alicia? How am I supposed to face the kid after this? He looks up to me like an older sister, but I…”
Alicia took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. “First, you need to pull yourself together. I’ll go check on Easton.”
She stood up and headed toward Easton’s room, shaking her head. These two really were a handful.
As if Tyrone and Sean Quinn disappearing wasn’t enough of a headache, now these two had to start acting up as well.
Alicia knocked on Easton’s door. When he finally opened it, she hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Easton, you and Winnie…”
Easton looked as if the world had wronged him. His eyes and nose were red, his expression all wounded innocence. “Alicia, shouldn’t she have to take responsibility for what happened?”
Alicia was momentarily at a loss for words. Responsibility? How exactly was Winnie supposed to “take responsibility” here?
Easton went on, looking even more pitiful. “Alicia, I’m only twenty, I don’t know anything about this stuff, I’ve got zero experience. But I heard people say, if something like this happens, you’re supposed to take responsibility, right? You’re supposed to get married first. I tried to push Winnie away, but she wouldn’t listen—she still took advantage of me. If she doesn’t marry me, isn’t that kind of… wrong?”
Alicia was silent, her eyelid twitching involuntarily. In that moment, she realized just how serious this had become.
Winnie had definitely gotten herself into trouble.
And from the look of things, Easton had every intention of holding her to it.
“Alicia, don’t you think Winnie should take responsibility?” Easton managed to look even more innocent.
Now Alicia could see right through him—Easton was doing this on purpose. He’d probably had a crush on Winnie for a long time.
“Well, that’s something the two of you will need to work out together…” Alicia decided it was best not to get involved. Let them figure it out on their own.
But she was pretty sure Winnie only thought of Easton as a younger brother—there was absolutely nothing romantic there.
Winnie was always drawn to the mature, dependable type—guys like Tyrone or Clayton. There was no way she’d fall for someone as boyish as Easton.
Not to mention, there was a six-year age gap between them. Six years wasn’t exactly a canyon, but it wasn’t nothing either—two whole “generational gaps,” as the saying went.
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