CHAPTER 31
Rhiannon
“Remember me?” Bláthnaid, my best friend since primary school asks from the darkness, making my heart stop in my chest. “Best friend? Ride-or-die? Person you said you’d marry if we both turned thirty-five and didn’t have any other acceptable candidates?”
With one hand, I flick the kitchen light on, and with the other, I cover my heart. “You scared the shit out of me.”
She flashes me a grin. “If I left my car outside or turned the light on, you’d not have come in.”
She’s not wrong. I would have kept going past my house and gone somewhere else.
“You’re avoiding me.” She points a lime in my direction before setting it back onto the kitchen table next to the blender.
Seems I’m in for a messy night. I open my mouth, but she shakes her head. “You don’t have any Pilates classes tomorrow morning. We need a catch up. I leave the country for a few weeks, come back, and you’re shacked up with your mortal enemy.”
I nod as she pulls a bottle of tequila out of a bag. “You have questions.”
“Ha. Understatement of the century. But I do have one burning question that won’t quit.”
I drop my gym bag and kick it to the side, indicating for her to continue. It’s been a busy day, I had practice this morning, some one-to-one rehab Pilates classes this afternoon, and a group class this evening. My muscles are beyond warm, they’re knackered. Just like the rest of me.
“What the actual fuck, Rhiannon?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, too sore and tired from exercising all damn day to do anything other than fall into the bath and then my bed. “You first. Who was the guy you banged on your trip?”
Her face lights up as she jabs her finger in my direction. “Don’t mistake this for distraction.” Her grin widens. “His name is Niall, he’s a hockey player, and his dick is the most beautiful dick I’ve ever seen. Your turn.”
“Go on.”
“Nope.” She pops the P and shakes her head. “Again, I say: What the actualfuck, Rhiannon. I know I was busy with family stuff, and we agreed on some radio silence but this…thisat least deserved a text… at most a nine-nine-nine emergency call.”
I heave out a weighted sigh. “Can we do this upstairs?”
Her eyes flex wide before her brows dance. “I mean, you’re a few years early for our vows, but if you wanna rub one out.” She shrugs. “I’ll never say no to a beautiful woman.”
I hold up my hand. “I took a head-on tackle this morning, and my ribs are tender. I’m gearing up for a big weekend, and I don’t have much emotional bandwidth.”
She gives me a knowing smile. “I know, fundraiser, birthday party, Sunday dinner… I’m not new here, Rhi.”
There’s a knock on the door before someone letsthemselves in. Oh God. She’s brought reinforcements. “Just me,” Matthew’s voice booms down the hall. If my sisters show up, I’m grabbing the bottle and locking myself in the bathroom until the intervention storm passes.
“At least one of you keeps me up to date.” She arches a brow, and part of me does feel guilty, but I’m too tired, too hungry, too fucking achy to care. I think I didn’t tell her because she can smell bullshit from a mile off. She’d have known I was developing feelings, and if she disapproved, she’d have told me. The last thing I needed was more dissention.
The rational part of my brain screams that she might also have been Team Rhiannon, but that’s neither here nor there now, is it?
“If we’re doing this, we’re doing it while I steep in a boiling tub of bubbly water.” It won’t be the first time my gay bestie and my bi bestie will have seen me naked.
Bláthnaid raises her hand. “I’m on margaritas.” She points at the bag in Matthew’s hand. “Matty is on snacks.” She shoos me away. “Go run a bath, and we’ll be up in a minute. But don’t for one minute think you’re getting away with not answering our questions, Miss Thing.”
“Mmmhmm. You can run, but you can’t hide,” adds Matthew.
By the time they get upstairs, I’m neck deep in hot, bubbly water, with tears streaming down my face.
“Oh no,” Blá whispers. “It’s worse than I thought.” She hands me a massive, plastic tumbler filled with margarita.
Matthew comes in with my bath tray with the most beautiful charcuterie spread laid out on a wooden board on top of it. “Fuck. Tears already? What the hell did you say?” He scolds Blá who holds her hands up. “Not guilty. I found her like this.”
Matthew closes the lid on the toilet and sits on it, while Bláthnaid sits on the floor next to my laundryhamper.
