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Bell had called her twice on the way ho about what she knew her sister was likely calling about She’d let both calls go to voicemail, and she saw she had one now, so she hit the voicemail button to listen to it

"Gina, please don’t be ain was because I wanted toabout hi to be upset or worried about, okay, sissy? Call ivespeed dial As soon as her sister answered, she said exactly what she wanted to "I love you, and there is nothing to forgive because you didn’t do anything wrong"

She heard Bell let out a sigh of relief "Oh good, you know I hate it e fight"

For the first tihed "I’d hardly call this a fight, and how could you hate it e never do?"

"You knohat Isoftly She ina could hear Ro loudly "Seriously, I wouldn’t have even asked Alex and Valerie to come over and talk to you today if I kneould upset you Sofia is a sweetheart and all and completely devoted to Eric, but the neas kind of a shock to ured it would be for you too Alex was fairly certain that Brandon probably hadn’t told you anything about it I hated for souard That could be unco me today on the phone after you left, there isn’t a whole lot to the story, but still, if it were ht in a croith s very aard, and I just didn’t want to risk that happening to you"

Regina sat back slowly Even hearing Rohter, which usuallyshe suddenly had Valerie had called her back and told her lanced up at the stairway and listened for the shower It was still going

"Belly Bell?" she started very apprehensively, but if she got all the information she needed to know fro to have this conversation with Brandon at all "I’entle with how you lay it onand also sounding as nervous as Regina

"All he toldher voice when she heard the shower upstairs turn off and she got off the sofa, "is that they had a moment--a kiss"

She heard the bathroom door open upstairs, so she started for the front door Once outside, she continued "He said she took it back right after and that was it" She squeezed her eyes shut, afraid to ask her next question, but she had to "What else did he leave out?"

Bell exhaled draood, so she held her breath, chewing the corner of her bottom lip "Okay, so she called me back to tell me what she couldn’t say in front of Alex Sarah told her it was a little , Gina Sofia confessed this to Sarah only Her brothers and especially Eric don’t know this"

Feeling the sain to siripped the phone "How ether?"

"No," Bell said quickly "Well, at least I don’t think so" Bell lowered her voice as Regina braced herself "Valerie said it was an actual slip that Sarah even told her what Sofia had shared with her Apparently, it’d been so long since Sarah had even thought about Brandon after you guys left Sunday, she and Valerie started talking about the incredible coincidence and hoard it was to see Brandon for a uilty Sofia had felt about the whole thing back then Hold on," Bell said and went quiet for a ina heard a door close and suddenly Roone "I came out onto the porch because I don’t want Romero to hear Anyway, Valerie said when she asked Sarah why Sofia felt so guilty over just a kiss it was as if it dawned on Sarah that she hadn’t actually told Valerie everything She , but even then, Valerie said it seemed as if Sarah backpedaled and toned it down All she said was that the kiss Sofie and Brandon shared was a little longer than she’d first admitted It actually took place in his bedroom, and Sofie confessed to Sarah that she enjoyed it more than she should have Val says she thinks maybe there was more to the story, but it was obvious Sarah felt bad about what she’d already let slip"

Bell paused for acesspool of jealousy at the pit of Regina’s stomach Of course Sofia enjoyed Brandon’s kisses--but ain, this was strictly between her and Sofie, was that before Brandon reported back to duty," Bell paused again alo on but then she did, "she ran into him one last time, and he told her he was in love with her"

The door opened behind Regina, and she turned to see Brandon standing there shirtless and wearing a pair of basketball shorts ,the kind he always put on at night before getting in bed and stripping down to nothing This look usually excited her, but at thejealousy