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“Lo, did you get back on your birth control pills?” she asks carefully.
I force a smile. “You caught me.”
She clears her throat and turns her body so Nicole can’t hear us. “Is it because you and Blake are sleeping together?” she whispers, then she cringes. “Wait—don’t answer that. I only wanted to remind you that we never got to finish your fertility awareness training.”
I bite my lip and shrug shyly. “I, um, we …” I’m afraid that no matter how I respond, she’s going to see right through my lies. I sigh. “Blake and I?—”
“Whoa, did you say Blake? As in, Blake Bourgeois,theBlake Bourgeois?” Nicole asks. So much for a private conversation.
“Maybe,” I respond hesitantly.
She laughs bitterly. “Who hasn’t slept with Blake Bourgeois is probably a better question.”
“Pretty sure she hasn’t,” I retort, hitching my thumb at Tenley.
Tenley looks upset as well, and her hands go back to her hips. “Right, since heismy brother-in-law,” she reminds Nicole.
“Well, honey, hope you’re not counting on wearing this dress too far out in the future. Everyone knows he has a three-date limit,” she proclaims bitterly.
This will be our third date. Well, our third time going out, anyway. But I don’t volunteer that information. Instead, I cross my arms and glare at Nicole, remembering how she mentioned dating Blake the last time we were here.
“We’ve been seeing each other for a while,” I finally say. “But we mostly just hang out at home.”
“I’m not surprised to hear he makes excuses to stay at your place,” she mumbles under her breath. “I’ve heard he doesn’t invite women into his home very often, either.”
“That’s weird, because he usually insists I come over to his house,” I declare with a shrug. I note the way Tenley’s eyebrows go up.
Nicole straightens, blinking in surprise. “Well, take it from someone who’s gone out with him before: The man’s gorgeous, but he’s after only one thing.”
“Was he a jerk to you or something?”
“Not … totally.”
“Oh. So he tried to get you to take him back to your place?”
She lifts her chin. “No, but I’m sure it’s because I gave off the vibe that it wasn’t going to happen.”
“Right. Good for you, then.” I press my lips together, trying to stifle a smile. “It’s too bad you judged him based on what you’ve heard from everyone else, though. I’d say he’s the most respectful and thoughtful guy I’ve ever been with. In fact, he’s the one that wanted us to date exclusively.”
“Hmm,” Nicole squeaks. “I guess you can’t believe everything you hear.”
Tenley snorts beside me. “And now that we’ve gotten that straight, why don’t we get you out of that dress?” She leads me back to the dressing room, glancing around to make sure we’re alone.
“I’m so sorry I blurted that out just now. What happens between you and Blake is none of my business. I only meant to remind you that it takes a while for hormonal birth control to successfully prevent ovulation and that condoms aren’t as effective if you’re within your window of fertility … just in case,” she explains, looking remorseful.
“Yeah, of course. It was—I mean, we were …” But my eyes begin to water.
“Oh. Oh, no, Lo. I really am sorry,” she says, wrapping her arms around me and pulling me up against her chest. It’s honestly kind of nice. I can see why JD enjoys this.
“Please don’t think I’d ever judge you about this stuff,” she says, her voice cracking. “You know my stance on sex and contraception, but it’s certainly not my place … I shouldn’t have brought it up that way. I’m just worried about you.”
“It’s okay, Ten,” I grunt out, my cheek squished against her bosom. “Really. I know you meant well.” She lets me go, and I take a deep breath, debating whether I should come clean. “The truth is …” I stare up at her, and I can’t seem to find my voice again.
She smiles knowingly. “You don’t owe me any kind of explanation. Just promise me you’re okay with the way things have progressed between you and Blake. Because if you’re not, I’m going to beat the crap out of him, then I’ll get JD to do it again.”
I laugh, sniffling. “Thanks. And for the record, I was telling the truth earlier when I said he’s not the guy everyone thinks he is. He hasn’t pressured me into anything I didn’t want to do, and he never would. Which only makes it that much harder to resist him,” I say with a sigh.
“I get it.” She pulls away and winks at me. “Sometimes I wish their parents were still alive, you know? I’d like to thank them for doing such a great job with raising both of them. Not to mention their genetics were on point, right?”
