Page 111 of Filthy Rich Brother's Best Friends

Chapter 35

Reid

Wes slams the front door so hard it rattles the whole house. My hands are shaking from the adrenaline and I curl them into fists at my sides.

Lola hasn’t made a sound since Wes left. I turn to look at her and her eyes are fixed on some invisible point beyond me. I take one step toward her. She won’t meet my eyes.

“Lo…”

She still doesn’t look at me. “I’m processing.”

“I didn’t want to lie to him when he asked about what was going on.” My voice scrapes the back of my throat.

I take another step toward her.“What we have is not nothing. I need you to know that. Whatever this is—we both know it’s not a phase. It’s not temporary. It’s not a fucking accident. I’m in. I’ve been in since the second I let myself want you.”

Please don’t let this be the end of it.

When her eyes lift to mine, I stop breathing. She looks gutted.

“Please, baby…” My voice drops. “I don’t care if he cuts me off. But don’t you walk away.”

I reach for her before I can second-guess it. My thumbs brush against her cheekbones.

“Lola.”

“I’m not mad. I mean, I am, just not at you.”

The relief hits so fast it’s dizzying.

“You were just trying to avoidthat.I cannot fucking believe him.”

“He put his hands on you,”Miles growls.

I glance over my shoulder, surprised at the anger in his voice. His expression is neutral, but he’s practically vibrating with rage.

“I’m fine,” she reassures him. “I’m okay.”

She turns back into me before any of us can say more. Her hand slides into mine, and then she leans forward, pressing her forehead to my chest. Her head tips forward to settle just beneath my chin, and I feel her take a deep breath.

I wrap my arms around her and hold on. I’m never letting her go again. I hate that this might end my relationship with Wes, but if that’s the price I have to pay, I will. I press a kiss to her hair and just hold her.

“I can’t lose you,” I tell her quietly. “I… I love you, Lo.”

“You’re not going to lose me,” she says. “And I love you too. As crazy as it sounds, I think I always have.”

Before I can absorb what just happened—before the weight of her words has even registered—there’s movement behind us.

Jude throws one arm around my shoulders and the other around Lola, pulling us both into a tangled, uneven hug that knocks the breath out of me. The force of it nearly knocks us off balance, not that he seems to care.

“I knew it,” he says, voice cracking with emotion. “I fucking knew this was happening.”

He squeezes harder.

“You guys. I’m so glad we’re saying it now. Jesus. Keeping it in was pure fucking torture.”

Lola lets out a sound that’s half laugh, half gasp. She leans into Jude and I can feel the tension in her body start to fade away.

Jude pulls back just enough to look at her, and his eyes are glassy when he says it. “I love you. God I love you.”