Page 52 of More Than Friends

Finally, her shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath. “Can I just say one thing about this, and then I’ll mind my own business?”

I can’t help but smile. “Sonowyou want to mind your business? There’s the Lucy I know.”

Lucy gives a quick eye roll. “Listen, I remember you asking a million questions when you found out about Cal and me. I’m just doing my job as a best friend by ask?—”

“Yeah, but you and Cal were a thing. Jude and I aren’t.”

Lucy gives a slow nod, but the way she looks at me through slightly narrowed eyelids tells me she might not fully believe me. “Well, I’m going to say what I want to say anyway.”

All I do is nod, and my stomach twists in anticipation. I can tell just by the anxious way she looks at me that I might not like whatever’s about to leave her mouth. “I love Jude. He’s one of my favorite people on the planet. He’s always been an incredible friend to Cal, and he has a big heart…”

“I can tell there’s abutcoming,” I mutter, anxiously tucking a piece of hair behind my ear as I wait for her to continue.

“I just worry about you. We all know Jude. He’s fun and carefree and the biggest flirt there is. He has this way of sucking you in, but he’s not the settling-down type.”

All I can do is swallow, because a few weeks ago, I would’ve said the same thing about him. He’s never pretended to be anyone but who he is. But something’s changed. I think he’s only shown everyone who he wants them to see. Underneath the flirting and the charm and the ridiculous jokes is a man who can be vulnerable and does want to be taken seriously; he just doesn’t show it.

“We’re friends,” I manage to get out before she can say anything else. “I don’t care if he’s the settling-down type or not. That doesn’t matter to me.”

Lucy cocks her head to the side as her eyes scan my face. “Just be careful, okay? You’re living with him, helping him raise his baby, and you guys have always had this flirting thing going on… I just don’t want you to get so lost in playing house that you lose your heart to him.”

I blink a few times as I stare at her, dumbfounded. I could tell by her demeanor she was going to say something I might not like, but I wasn’t expecting this. My head spins at her words. She hasn’t even been here twenty minutes, and somehow, she can see right through my lies. I plaster on a smile and lean forward to tickle the bottom of Ava’s feet. “You have nothing to worry about, Lucy. Jude and I are just friends who are living together for the summer. There’s nothing more to it.”

“You promise?”

I hate lying to my best friend. I feel guilty even before the words leave my mouth, but no matter if my feelings toward Jude have changed, I’m not going to act on them. I know he’s got a lot on his plate, and I’m not going to add to it by asking himto try and start a relationship with me. I know better. Plus, I have no idea what would happen between us if we did ever try being more than friends. I know I don’t want to jeopardize the friendship we already have, so no matter what feelings I might be developing, nothing can come from them. I give Lucy what I hope is a convincing smile.

“I promise. Now, tell me about what’s new with you.”

THIRTY-ONE

JUDE

“Well, that went well,”Charlotte notes as we close the door behind Lucy and Cal. They spent two hours with us before leaving so we could put Ava down for bed for the evening.

I lean against the wall next to the front door and let out a relieved sigh. “Yeah, that went great. Better than I could’ve expected, honestly.”

Charlotte smiles. “And what were you expecting?”

“For Cal to grill me with questions or for him to be pissed that I waited as long as I did to tell him.”

“Did you guys have a good talk?”

For the better part of an hour, Lucy and Char sat on the couch catching up and playing with Ava while Cal and I stood in the kitchen. I hadn’t realized that much time had passed until Lucy finally came into the kitchen, saying she was hungry and that we should eat the food she brought. It felt normal to have them here, even now with Ava in the picture. Lucy and Cal were both great with Ava. I honestly couldn’t have asked for it to go any better, which is a huge relief.

“Our talk went really well. I’m excited they’ll be here all summer.”

Charlotte adjusts the position in which she holds Ava before walking to the kitchen. “I am too. It’ll be a fun summer with everyone. You’ll get to meet lots of new people, won’t you, Ava girl?” She leans in and playfully kisses Ava on the cheek.

“Now that Cal and Lucy have met her, I think I’m more comfortable with taking her to Pembroke and letting everyone else meet her as well.”

Charlotte pauses, grabbing a bottle from the drying rack. “Yeah?”

I nod. “Now that my parents and two of my closest friends know about her, I don’t feel as nervous about letting everyone else know too.”

I’m not sure what exactly I was expecting from Cal and Lucy, but the way they just accepted the news without asking many questions wasn’t it. I don’t know if I’m just naturally more curious than anyone else, or if they could just tell I wasn’t ready to divulge more, but I know if the roles were reversed and Cal suddenly had a baby, I’d have a million questions.

There was something about watching Lucy, Cal, and Charlotte play with Ava that made me feel like everything was going to be okay and that I might actually be able to handle all of this. Today was only the first day that Lucy and Cal met my daughter, but there was something about the effortless way we all interacted that proved that maybe I’m the one overthinking this, and I need to just live my life.