Page 70 of When The Mountains Held Us

“I love road trips.” He shrugs, the pillow jostling with the movement. “Why are you so grumpy this morning?”

“I’m not grumpy.”

“Yeah, you are,” he argues. “Come on, tell me all about it. We’ve got nothing but time.” He makes a show of turning in his seat and folding his hands in his lap, patiently waiting for me to spill.

We pass the town limits, speeding out of North Creek like we’ve got the devil on our tail, and I merge onto the highway shortly after.

It’s overcast today, the gray clouds mostly covering the sky, with pops of blue peeking out here and there. The sun even manages to show its light every once in a while. It’s nowhere near the hot summer days we’ve been having, but fall in the mountains is my favorite. Today feels like the first day of autumn, and I’m jealous of the girls and Bandit for getting to hike. I wish I could join them.

Justin clears his throat, looking at me expectantly. He waves his hand in front of me, a plea for me to start talking. “You’re stuck with me for the next three and a half hours. Don’t make it weird.”

“Says the man wearing a pillow as an accessory,” I grumble before sighing, not sure where to start or how much to tell him about last night. I guess the beginning is the best place. “Oakley saw what happened with Layla at the bar last night. Well, not the part where I pushed her off of me, just the part where she was sitting in my lap.”

Justin lets out a low whistle, removing the neck pillow and running his fingers through his hair. “Shit. Alright, so what did she say?”

“She was pissed.” I get it, though. If I saw another man hanging all over her the way Layla was with me, there’s no telling what I would do.

“I mean, maybe it’s a good thing that she got mad.”

“How do you figure?”

“Isn’t it obvious? She was jealous.”

I nod in agreement.

“I know, but I don’t want anything I do to make her feel insecure or like she can’t trust me. I mean, we talked about it when we got home, and I think we’re on the same page now, but I still don’t like that I made her feel that way.” What I don’t say is that I don’t ever want to make her feel the way her ex made her feel, or the way my dad made my mom feel.

“Okay, first of all, you didn’t do anything. You didn’t invite Layla over, and you certainly didn’t initiate anything or send her any signals that would make it seem like you wanted her hanging all over you. So stop taking the blame for someone else’s actions. Second, and I know you probably don’t want me to bring this up, but you’re my best friend, and I’m going to say it whether you like it or not. You are not your father.”

This right here is why I love Justin. We can joke around and pick on each other until we’re both breathless with laughter, but when push comes to shove, he’s not a fair-weather friend. The man sitting next to me has pretty much seen it all. He’s seen me at my absolute lowest, and not once has he ever made me feel like less of a man for needing a little help along the way. His words are something he’s said countless times over the years, but he’s never complained, not once, at having to repeat himself. I don’t know anyone else who’s willing to constantly provide the same validation over and over again.

“I know.”

“Sooo… how did it go when you got home? Was she still mad?”

“I wanted to give her space to process, and I knew she was probably exhausted from working all night, so I didn’t bother her.”

“Probably a good call to let her cool down,” Justin agrees.

Gee, so glad he approves of my decision. Wonder if he’ll approve of the next one I tell him about.

“But then she fell in the shower, and I picked her up and carried her into my bathroom.”

“Geez. Is she alright?”

“Yeah, she’s alright. A couple bruises, but nothing broken.”

“So did you guys talk then?”

“Yeah. She apologized for getting upset with me, and I told her she had nothing to worry about with Layla or anyone else.” She’d looked so defeated sitting there on my counter that it had taken everything in me not to kiss her right then and there.

“That’s good!” Justin lets out a sigh of relief, like my fighting with Oakley was bringing him emotional turmoil. “No more trouble in paradise.”

“Paradise is right,” I mumble, tightening my hands on the wheel and staring out the windshield in front of me. I’m bombarded with flashes of kissing her this morning, the sound of her moans echoing in my ears until I can feel all the blood in my body rushing south. I plead with my cock to cooperate for once in my life and not get hard at the thought of Oakley grinding on top of me.

Especially not with my best friend sitting next to me. Now is not the time to relive it. I’ll have plenty of time for that tonight in the shower. I shake the thought from my head and glance to my right, the cab suddenly quiet. Justin is staring at me with his mouth hanging open, his wide eyes a reflection of shock.

“Oh my God, you fucked her.” He laughs disbelievingly, like this fact—this entirely false fact—is the best thing he’s ever heard.