“Tell him what?” I interrupt, frowning. I finally look over at her and meet her eyes.
“Well, for starters, I told him to leave you be. I warned him that he could come back to town early if that’s what he wanted, but to give you your space. You’re both going to be in Stella’swedding. You’ll be forced to be around one another then.” Bee shakes her head, turning back to Kai. “You don’t get to be wounded that she’s moving on after what you did,” Bee says gently, firm but kind, reaching over to pat her son's hand.
He nods, and I can’t figure out why he’s reacting the way he is.
“Come on, Plum. I’ve got something I want to give you,” Bee murmurs as she turns to me.
I get up silently, dazed by her words, and follow her out of the formal dining room. She leads me to her stairs, and not only does she have a single-level elevator, but she also has a staircase seat lift. I like that she has options, that she isn’t going to be stuck on one floor if something breaks.
Once we’re on the second floor, I follow her out of the elevator and down the hall. I’m thankful she gives me time to process as we walk.
“I knew the day I met you that these would be yours,” Bee says gently as she opens the last door on the left and steps inside.
I don’t feel the least bit awkward as I walk into her bedroom behind her. When I was a kid, she would let us into her room to play dress-up all the time, and I guess I got used to it. Being in her space makes me wonder if she still has the picture of Kai dressed as a fairy princess bride. He tried to convince me to dress as his soon-to-be husband, but I refused. I wanted to be Santa Claus. An odd choice, but it was pretty on brand for me back then.
“I want you to have something very special to me, Plum,” she says, lifting a box out of a locked safe. I watch her as she walks back over and then hands it to me. It’s dark blue, velvet, and shaped like a large flat square. I stare at it where it rests in my open palms.
“Why?” I ask, my voice barely more than a whisper as I meet her eyes.
“Because I love you. No matter what happens between you and my son, nothing has ever changed that, and I miss you. I already miss my best friend.” Bee swallows thickly, placing her hand on top of the jewelry box. “And I don’t want to miss anyone else while they’re still here.” Her words are a gentle whisper, surprising me with her vulnerability. She’s done that to me twice now, and I sniff, remembering her confession on Halloween.
“This is a good night. It’s good to have you girls here.” Bee glances over at Sable, pointing to her Gram’s witches hat that she always wore for passing out candy to trick-or-treaters. “I sure fucking miss my best friend, though.”
Sable’s scent fills with her sorrow, and I take a deep breath, letting the pain fill my chest. As much as I miss her, it’s nothing compared to Sable and Bee’s heartache. One lost a grandmother, and the other lost her lifelong best friend.
Sable nods, her eyes filling with tears.
“I really miss her too. I think this is the first time you’ve said that,” Sable says, sniffling as I reach over to squeeze her hand, offering her as much comfort as I can in a moment like this. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I guess it’s just nice to know someone else misses her as badly as I do.”
“She’s my best friend. We won’t be apart long, dear. I’ll be reunited with her again soon enough,” Bee says with a gentle smile that slowly turns playful. “But moments like this make me miss that old bitch.”
Her teasing insult breaks through the cloud of sadness that had descended, but I see the way the pain clings to her as we clink our glasses of margaritas together.
Sable has been my best friend since I was seven, and at twenty-three, we’ve only shared sixteen years, not seventy. And six of those years were spent as long-distance besties, while Sable was off chasing her dreams.
What would happen to me if I spent seventy years with Sable in my life basically daily, only for her to one day be gone forever? Fuck. I swallow hard as I nod, and Bee drops her hand, waiting for me to open the box.
I don’t mean to cry. I want to be strong for Bee, but there aren’t many people in this world who I love dearly. That would choose me the way that I choose them. Five years is too long to spend hiding from pain.
I lift the lid of the jewelry box and gasp.
“Oh, wow, Bee…” I stare at the stunning jewelry set. There’s a beautiful emerald on a delicate gold necklace and a matching bracelet lined with smaller square emeralds. The earrings are two more emeralds on gold studs. “They’re beautiful.”
“They were my mother’s. They’ll look stunning with your silver eyes.” Her smile has brightened, and I close the box, holding it to my chest.
“Before we go back down there, I just need to say something,” Bee says, taking one of my hands in hers. “If you don’t want anything to do with Kai, no one can blame you for that. But if you decide that you’re willing to hear him out, then no one who matters will judge you.”
“I don’t know if I can…” I whisper, but Bee shakes her head.
“I’m not done. He knows the mistake he made and regrets it more deeply than anything else. If you do give him a chance and he can prove himself to you, and that's a big if, then there is no one who will be as loyal or as devoted.” She smiles sadly, pausing as she tilts her head side to side. “Except maybe those two alphas downstairs. They look at you with nothing but pure admiration in their eyes.” She winks, then nods toward the door and ushers me into the hall.
I’m lost in my thoughts, replaying her words over and over in my mind as we say our goodbyes. I promise to return for dinner soon. Alone. Then allow the alphas to lead me to the truck. Kaidoesn’t say much more than a quiet goodnight as I climb in, leaving him behind.
“I’m sorry,” Nick murmurs when we’re both buckled in, and I turn to him, frowning.
“For?”
“Snapping at Kai. It was impulsive, and I should have had more self-control, even if he was baiting us,” Benson answers, and Nick nods in agreement.
