in love with my best friend,” Leah said. “I knew Jack for a couple years before we got together, but we weren’t close. And even that was a little weird.”
Weird didn’t begin to describe it. The girls leaned in, like they wanted me to swap secrets.
Was it a lie if I was mostly honest?
“It was very strange at first,” I said. “Still is. I never thought we’d be this close.”
“Exactly.” Leah curled a finger in her hair with a mischievous grin. “The first time I was with Jack was…surprisingly magical. And Sammy came soon after, so it was efficient too.”
Piper laughed. “The only reason I went for it with Cole was because I wanted to be bad for once. I took a risk, and it was worth it.”
Leah smirked. “And here I thought the Beast had a reputation for eating people.”
“Oh, he did that too.”
The girls giggled, drawing the attention of some of the team. Most had dodged me when I sat down, despite being clients of either Leah’s PR firm or Piper’s agency. Elle chased the rest away with a lunch time candid.
“You guys are lucky.” Elle covered her baby’s ears. “I can’t even remember my first time with Lachlan. That whole weekend is blur—but a good blur. But it turns out I like Lachlan even without gratuitous amounts of alcohol.”
They looked at me.
Damn it, was it my turn? I froze. I hadn’t gossiped since med school, and even that was about a sexy patient suffering from an intracranial aneurysm.
Fortunately, Leah painted the picture for me. “Let me guess—it just happened one day?”
Close enough. “Yep.”
“Taking that leap must have been hard. I mean, you knew him since you were kids.”
“The leap wasn’t the only thing that was hard.” I earned a laugh. So far so good. “It was just passionate.”
“It’d have to be.” Leah sighed. “Romantic too. No words. No over-thinking it. No hesitations. Just going for it.”
If only.
“It’s…scary,” I said. So was honesty. “We had a really great relationship, but he had no idea I’d loved him for years. I never said anything either. Jude was practically a part of my family, and I depended on him for so much. We’d built a friendship based on trust and respect, and I’m afraid—I was afraid—that we’d destroy this amazing bond if we went for it.”
“But you were brave enough to do it,” Elle said.
The pretend Rory was.
The real Rory? She was a coward, spinning lies upon lies. Every day the relationship tangled in yet another series of fibs and half-truths.
But the greatest lie of all?
My feelings for Jude.
I had to do something. No more embarrassment. No more awkwardness.
It was time to fix what I had broken—if not his nose then the damage I’d caused to our friendship.
I worked late, but I made it home before dinner. Phillip met me at the door with one of the last lampshades in the house. Jude must have headed straight for the shower when he got back. I traded our decor for a cup of kibbles in Phillip’s bowl and waited for Jude in his bedroom.
The master bedroom was a bastion of masculinity. The stark white walls were framed by large windows, tinted for his privacy. The minimalist décor suited him. Jude wasn’t a materialistic man, and only his king-sized bed seemed vulgar in its extravagance.
I sat on the edge of the bed. This was not a productive place for me, not with second trimester whormones swirling inside me.
This was it. I’d tell him everything. I’d apologize for hiding from this confrontation, and I’d tell him the truth.
I loved him, and every moment I spent near him tortured me with memories of his touches and kisses and that night when he’d nearly destroyed me with pleasure…and I’d thanked him with a broken nose.
But he hadn’t cared. He’d forgiven me. Immediately.
And the words he’d whisper still resonated so deep inside me.
You’re worth it.
Why was everything so complicated? Every little flirt promised something more. Every touch sizzled. Every smile hid the truth.
When Jude had nearly taken me upon the couch, I knew he wanted me as much as I had wanted him.
So why not do it?
The thought was…terrifying.
And liberating.
And wrong.
But why not take that chance? Make the mistake. Take what we both wanted.
It wasn’t like our relationship would get any worse.
What if we made it into something…better?
I stood, pushing open his bathroom door. A sliver of light appeared. Once I stepped inside, there was no coming back.
It was the bravest thing I had done in