“Okay, ouch. Are you trying to ask if I’ve already slept with all the other available men in our county?”
She snorted. “You said it, not me.”
“I changed my mind. I hate you.”
Grace laughed and flipped me off.
“But Grayden’s trying to get back on his feet,” she went on. “Trying to get settled again here. Why him? Whyyou? Piper, I don’t want to sound like I’m judging either of you, okay? But if the two of you wanted a no-strings arrangement, couldn’t you look elsewhere? Not my brother? Not my best friend?”
“You sound pretty hypocritical. Dane is Ashford’s best friend.”
“Okay. Fair. But we didn’t keep it a secret from Ashford. And even from the beginning, it wasn’t just casual between Dane and me. I might’ve pretended it was, for like five minutes, but it always meant something deeper. Right away, we had feelings for each other.”
“Who says I don’t have feelings for Grayden?” I blurted, without even thinking.
Grace’s eyes widened. She stared at me. “What are you saying?”
Panic flooded me, making me want to run from the vehicle. Somehow I managed to stay put. “I don’t know.”
“Are you serious about Grayden?”
“I don’tknow.”
“Where do you see this going? Like, a relationship? Love?”
My head fell back, and I groaned. I had a negative knee-jerk reaction to that word. At least its romantic sense.
But.
But.
“Piper, you’re the woman who swore up and down, on pain of death, that you would never fall in love again. Or have a relationship. All you would ever do is no-strings.”
“I meant it,” I said desperately.
“I know we had that no-dating pact, and I broke it when I fell for Dane. Of course I want the same for you. But I just didn’t expect it. Didn’t really think it was possible, given how adamant you were.”
“I didn’t either. Until…him.”
That admission cost me. It rearranged things inside of me that I’d thought were fixed in place. Atrophied, even. Grayden made me imagine a different possibility for me.
But imagining wasn’t enough to make it a reality. Real life was cruel and hard. Men you trusted could end up hurting you.Breakingyou.
But.
“Okay,” she said softly. “I get it now.”
“You do? Because I don’t. I’m so confused.”
Grace reached for my hand again and held it. “I was confused about my feelings for Dane, too. Remember what you told me? You said I should trust myself. Trust my instincts.”
“Well, what did I know!”
She smiled. “Fear will lie to you, babe. But your heart tells the truth. Listen to it.”
THIRTY-SEVEN
Grayden
