“Say ‘Dirty romance is my favorite,’” Lulu said over her laughter. “Sorry, Ellie, I couldn’t help myself.”
“Don’t apologize on my behalf. I’ve been known to dip my toes in a few steamy reads myself,” she said, snapping a few more photos.
“Okay, I’m going to go get out of this dress, and then we can all go grab lunch.” Henley and Ellie went back into the dressing room area.
“Tell us about how things went with your brother,” Emilia said as we sat back down on the pink velvet sofa.
I reached for my glass of champagne and took a sip. “It went well. I mean, I’m not going to hold my breath. But he seemed genuine about wanting to fix things. It’s just hard for me to forgive the fact that his actions led to me and Axel not speaking for two years.”
“I’d like to junk punch that guy,” Lulu said. “Oh wait, did I say that out loud?”
“You sure did,” Eloise said with a big smile on her face. “Listen, it’s normal to be angry. I’ve dealt with betrayal before, and it’s not easy to let it go. But he is your brother, so some relationships are worth salvaging.”
“Agreed. But protect your heart,” Emilia said. “Have boundaries in place and just be cautious with him. Actions speak louder than words.”
“And a good kick in the balls speaks the loudest of all.” Lulu shrugged, then drank the last of her champagne before setting her glass down. “What does Axel say?”
“He supports whatever I want to do. It’s tricky,” I said. “My parents are getting divorced, Mom has temporarily moved toNorth Carolina, my dad is having a baby with another woman. It’s a lot. So Collin and I only have each other right now, you know?”
“I totally get that.” Eloise reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Just keep some boundaries there.”
“Listen, I know firsthand that family can be tough. And oftentimes, friends feel more like family.” Emilia waited for me to meet her gaze, and I saw all the empathy there. “But I also know that you can’t change people, so if your brother has a habit of lying to you and doing things that hurt you—you need to be aware of that.”
“Agreed,” Lulu said. “I have dealt with pathological liars, and most of the time, from my experience, they will insist they’re going to change—but they’re lying about that, too.”
I knew that I wasn’t going to change my brother. But I also knew that he hadn’t always been like this, at least I didn’t think he had.
“I’m going to be cautious. But I also want to give him a chance to make things right. He called off his engagement, and he appears to really be working on himself.” I sighed. “So we’ll take it one day at a time.”
“You can decide whatever kind of relationship you want to have with him,” Eloise said. “Maybe you just have boundaries there, and you find your new normal.”
“Yeah, that’s a good plan,” Emilia agreed.
“And if worst comes to worst, kick him in the balls.” Lulu popped a few Jordan almonds in her mouth.
“I see Lulu is sharing her wisdom about physical violence,” Henley chuckled as she and Ellie came out to meet us.
“Hey, fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, you best cover your junk because I’m coming for you.” Lulu wrapped an arm around my shoulder when we all stood. “I just want you to be careful. And just know that we have your back. Always.”
“Always,” they all said in unison.
“Thank you,” I said. “Now let’s stop talking about my brother and go have lunch so we can talk about the wedding. That’s much more exciting.”
Because Emilia was right. Sometimes friends felt more like family than your actual family did.
And these girls—they definitely felt like family.
“I’m going to miss this bathtub,” I said as my head rested on his chest.
“You don’t have a tub at the training center?” Axel asked.
“Well, not in my room. There is a spa with a hot tub, and I do use that. Plus, you aren’t in the tub, so it wouldn’t be as fun.”
He laughed as his fingers interlaced with mine beneath the water. “I noticed a lot of scrapes and bruises on your legs tonight.”
“Yeah, I’m definitely increasing the training, and battle wounds come with the territory.”
“Your body has taken a beating for years. I’m sure it gets exhausting.” He hugged me tighter. “I’m glad I get to see you compete in your first competition back.”
