Needing Happily Ever After - Elena Aitken Page 0,58

burgers, then yes. Very exciting.”

“That does sound exciting.” It didn’t. At least not for Faith, but Brody looked pleased.

“So things are getting pretty serious with you two then?”

Her friend shrugged but his smile dipped a little.

“It’s not?”

“No,” he said quickly. “We’re just friends.”

Friends. There was that word again. Maybe the two of them couldn’t see what everyone else clearly could. She nodded as if she understood, which she most certainly did not. She didn’t know the first thing about a relationship, having avoided them for her entire life. So far.

She shook her head to clear that random thought. The very last thing she planned to do at this stage in her life was change her entire belief system regarding love because of Logan Langdon. Not in a million years. The idea was so crazy, it was almost laughable. They hadn’t even had sex.

Not that sex was any basis for a relationship.

“What about you?”

The question took her off guard. “What about me?”

“You and Logan—what’s going on there?” Brody’s question was innocent enough. At least, it should have been. There’s no way he could know what it might stir up. “I hear you’re not much for the love thing.”

Okay, maybe he did know what it would stir up.

Faith shook her head. “I see people have been talking.” She raised an eyebrow, but he only shrugged.

“Just Sarah. She mentioned that it was a bit of a worry for your sister, Hope, and that you’ve never really bought into all of this.” He used one arm to encompass the two of them and no doubt, all the wedding stuff in general. “She also said that to her knowledge, you’ve never had a boyfriend.”

“That’s not…okay, I guess that’s true.”

Brody smiled kindly. “What’s that all about? You’re a beautiful, successful woman. I would think that you’d have men knocking down the door.” He nodded and leaned back in his chair. “Hell, you probably do, don’t you? But it’s not for a lack of choice, is it?”

“What is this, a therapy session?” She laughed in an effort to hide her discomfort, but it did nothing to alleviate the uncomfortable sensation building within her. “It’s just not ever something I’ve been interested in.”

Until now. Maybe.

The little voice in the back of her head chimed in the way it was doing more than she’d like lately. Was it because of Logan? Never before had she entertained the idea of a real relationship. Except maybe with Noah. She had liked Noah. A lot. Could it have been more with him?

She shook her head and forced a light smile to her face. Because it didn’t matter whether it could have been more or not. The fact of the matter was that it wasn’t more and it never would be.

But as much as she’d like to believe that was true, deep down, she wasn’t sure she believed that particular story she’d been telling herself any longer.

“Besides,” she said to change the subject. “I thought we were talking about you and Sarah?”

“Sorry to pry.” Brody laughed. “I just…well, I guess it’s one of those things, you know?”

“I don’t.”

“It’s just so funny that you and your identical twin, raised completely the same way, are so different in this one fundamental way.”

“I don’t know if it’s funny.” She crossed her arms as she tried, and failed, for levity. “Or fundamental.”

“You don’t think love is fundamental?”

She shook her head.

The very last thing she wanted to be doing was having this conversation and she itched with discomfort. She hadn’t even told the people closest to her about that day when she was fifteen and had overheard the conversation that had changed everything for her. Not even her parents knew that she’d heard them talking that sunny afternoon. That she’d heard the argument, heard the hurtful words they’d tossed back and forth so casually instead of handling them with care like the daggers, with the power to destroy lives, that they were.

Even now, so many years later, she could still close her eyes and be right back there, in the stairwell of their home, with her parents on the porch. Her mother crying while her father just yelled at her, accusing her of—

“Faith?” She opened her eyes and Brody was watching her, concern lining his face. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to…well, I’m sorry if I said anything to upset you.”

“You didn’t.” She forced a smile again and tried to chuckle, but the memory was too vivid, too clear, and she knew it fell flat.

“Okay.” He didn’t