“I might not be the friend you need anymore.”
I smile.
“Sabrina says you like me.”
That shouldn’t make me smile bigger, but it does. “She’s very astute.”
“I like my life the way it is, Jonas.”
And there goes my smile. “I know.”
“Bashlikes his life the way it is.”
“Maybe most of the time. But I noticed he didn’t get his—”
She lunges for me and smothers my mouth with her hand before I can finish withice cream. “I swear on my brother’s criminal record, if you say those words out loud, I’ll give himveryspecific instructions about what I expect to happen on your camping trip.”
She smells like peaches and baby shampoo, and her hand is soft and smooth and warm. My pulse ratchets up. My cock stirs.
I don’t know if she realizes she’s wrapped one arm around my shoulder, but I don’t want to move.
Also, I lied.
I don’t want to be her friend.
I want to be much,muchmore than that.
I wanted it in Fiji, but I knew I hadn’t finished working through everything that happened with Peyton, and Emma had just barely started processing what jilting her fiancé meant for her life.
But now?
Now, I’ve made peace with my ex-wife and Emma’s a single mom. Strong. Fierce in a quiet way. Embracing the life she has.
Happy.
Except for me showing up.
I can be something she’s happy about. Wewerefriends. If I’d made an effort to reach out, we could’ve been more.
Which is one more reason I kept my distance.
I didn’t want to be her rebound, and I didn’t want her to think she was mine.
I inhale the scent of her hand once more. “Okay,” I whisper.
She freezes. Gonna go out on a limb here and guess my breath tickling her palm just reminded her she’s touching me.
And sure enough, now she’s jerking back to her side of the swing. I hold it steady with one foot while she gets settled against the arm rest.
“He hears things in his sleep,” she whispers.
“I guessed as much. Apologies. It won’t happen again.”
“Thank you.”
Before Bash welcomed me to fatherhood in his special way, I watched her laughing with her friends. Listened to them reminisce. Squeal over ideas for her besties’ babies and theirbaby shower, which they’re apparently both opposed to. Picked up on the fact that both women were there in the delivery room with her when Bash was born.
Experienced simultaneous extreme relief and extreme jealousy in a way I never could’ve fathomed two weeks ago.
