Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 138683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Salem was one of those black-haired, blue-eyed beauties who could slay you with a look. A total badass but a softie. She was married to Trent’s brother, Jud, and damn, they were freaking scorching together. They had a new baby boy who was only two months old, plus Salem’s daughter, Juniper, who was the sweetest little girl I’d ever met.
“Excuse me, then. I can see I don’t want to get on your bad side.” I mumbled beneath my breath.
I pulled out the chair across from her, and we all took our seats.
Aster sat next to Salem, and Eden sat next to me.
Salem slid a giant margarita glass my direction.
I groaned. “You do love me.”
“Barely.” A smile tugged at her lips.
“Keep lying to yourself.”
The second everyone got settled, the four of us leaned over the small table, drawn to each other.
Creating a bubble like we were getting ready to share the dirtiest of secrets.
No doubt, there would be plenty of that going on.
Eden reached out and took my hand. “How are you doing? I’ve been worried about you all week.”
We’d interacted over texts a couple of times, but I’d been so wrapped up with everything going on that we hadn’t gone deeper. I hadn’t even told her about what’d happened with Karl the two unfortunate times I’d run into him.
“I’ve been busy.” I kind of shrugged.
“You’d better have been busy gallivanting all over town and making up for lost time,” Salem tossed out.
“I second that,” Aster said before she took a sip of her club soda because…preggers. It seemed to be a sickness with this bunch, not that I minded getting to be auntie to all their cuties. “I’m praying this means you’re going to stop digging for details on the rest of us because you finally found a real man to put you out of your misery.”
“Now, why would I ever do that? That sounds boring.”
“Oh, dear, poor Tessa, finding yourself a man who does it right is not boring.” Salem grinned.
Pure Cheshire.
My stomach tilted when I thought of the raw power Milo had unleashed on Karl yesterday. I was pretty sure he would do it right.
“You did already, didn’t you, you dirty dog?” Aster slapped the top of the table.
Redness flushed.
Crap.
I fared way better when I was the one plying them for details.
“No.”
“Then why are you so red?” Aster pushed.
Both my hands flew up to cover my face. A round of gasps went up.
“What is that?” Eden whispered in horror. “Please tell me you didn’t let that monster talk you into going back to him?”
Oh, shit.
The ring.
Flustered, I ripped my hands away, flailing around the one sporting the most gorgeous ring ever created, like I wasn’t wearing the evidence of the cluster I’d gotten myself into. All dainty, twining bands and filigree, capped off with a huge, pear-cut, pink diamond.
“No, absolutely not.”
“Then what is that?” Confusion bound Eden’s expression.
“Milo gave it to me.” It flew out way too fast.
These girls were good at the coercion.
More shocked gasps rang out, and Salem grabbed my hand and jerked it across the table so she could inspect it. “Holy fuck, Tessa, this is like a $20,000 ring. And it’s on your freaking ring finger. What is going on?”
“Are you engaged?” Eden pressed.
Almost hurt.
Eden and I shared everything, but everything about this had bad choices written all over it, and I hadn’t had the guts to call her up and confess what Milo and I were up to.
The same week I’d promised her no more secrets.
I was not going to win the best bestie award this year.
Eden and Salem gaped at me, a thousand questions spinning through the air.
“If she’s engaged to anyone, Milo would certainly be my pick,” Aster rushed to fill the tension. “Have you seen him? And he’s super sweet.”
Maybe I’d gotten lost in the fantasy. Or maybe I’d just wanted to help a hurting man so badly that I’d convinced myself this engagement façade was a great plan. Convinced myself we could actually pull it off.
Right then, it wasn’t seeming like such a terrific idea.
Because explaining this out loud?
It sounded like I’d signed myself up for a load of trouble.
“It’s fake, you guys.” It came out thin. Wisps of disappointment.
That tension stretched tighter between us.
Slowly, Eden shifted, taking my hand again. Her brow twisted in emphasis. “What are you talking about, Tessa? What is going on?”
“It’s fake. I’m fake engaged to Milo.” I choked an incredulous laugh because yeah, saying it out loud? I sounded like an idiot.
A smirk lit on Salem’s face. “That sounds like a fine way to piss off Karl.”
“I don’t give a crap about Karl.” There was some honesty.
Aster blinked, working her way up to worry. “Then why?”
I pulled my hand away from Eden’s, and I took a long swig of my margarita, buying time before I was whispering toward the glass. “His in-laws got custody of his kids when his wife died. He’s trying to get them back.”