“Yeah, let’s.”
As Ricki pulled from Abby’s driveway, she said, “I told you when I fell in love with you, so when did you fall in love with me?”
Abby bit back a mischievous grin. She was glad Ricki was watching the road, so she didn’t see the twinkle in Abby’s eye. “It was the sex. Definitely the sex.”
Ricki glanced at Abby. “Seriously?”
Abby put her hand on Ricki’s leg. “I’m teasing. Kinda. I knew I loved you, but I’d convinced myself that it was love for a friend. Then you rocked my fucking world.”
Ricki laughed. “When the librarian swears, it’s like an exclamation point.”
“I’m serious. Wow! And yes, that was wow with an exclamation point.” Abby grinned. “After that night, I couldn’t deceive myself any longer. Well, I tried, but I knew I washopelessly in love with you. You made me feel things I’d never felt before. It wasn’t just the sex. It was the connection during sex that made it so much more.” Abby looked out the passenger window, not wanting Ricki to see her face. “When I left your house the night you told me you wanted space, I cried all the way home.”
Ricki slowed the car, and Abby sensed Ricki’s eyes on her. “I’m sorry.”
Abby turned to Ricki, and their eyes met. “You don’t need to be sorry. We were all doing the best we could. What about you? How did you feel afterwards?”
“It fucked me up.” Ricki took a deep breath. “It solidified everything I knew I felt about you and then some. But when the morning light filtered through the windows, I panicked, knowing it couldn’t be. My heart has never ached like that. I went from having the world in my hands to being in the depths of hell in a matter of hours. It tore me apart.”
Ricki was watching the road as she drove, but Abby could see the deep lines in her forehead. A heavy conversation was the last thing they needed before Abby and Blythe were reunited.
Abby put her hand on Ricki’s leg. “It was the best sex I’d ever had. I didn’t think it could get any better.”
Ricki nodded.
Abby grinned, knowing how she’d lighten the mood. “The next time was even better.” Abby patted Ricki’s leg. “Who knew not having Blythe snoring beside us would make the experience even better?”
Ricki’s head snapped around. The look of horror etched on her face turned to laughter when she saw Abby’s smirk.
“And that’s why I love you,” Ricki said. “You never cease to surprise me.”
For Abby, that might have been the biggest compliment she’d received. Maybe she wasn’t just a boring librarian after all.
CHAPTER 43
Blythe lay sprawled onthe couch, holding her phone in front of her as she FaceTimed Dapper.
“Hey, I better get my butt up before they get here,” Blythe said. They’d been talking for an hour, and Blythe still needed to pick up the mess she’d left in the kitchen.
“You’re sure you’re okay with this?” Dapper asked.
“Dude, I’m fine.”
Dapper’s grin filled the screen. “Fine, fine or just fine?”
“What the hell? What’s the difference?”
“Fine means you’re not okay, but you’re just saying it, butfine, fine is better.”
“How’s this?” Blythe sat up and swung her feet onto the ground. “I’m fantastic. I’m looking forward to hanging out with my friends. I’ve missed them this past three weeks.”
“You’re a bigger person than I am.” Dapper shook her head. “No way I could do it.”
“You don’t understand.” Blythe rested her elbow on her knee and gazed into the phone. “Ricki’s my ride or die. Has been forever.”
“But she stole your woman.”
Blythe shook her head. “How many times do I have to tell you, she didn’t steal my woman? I stepped aside, so the right couple could be together.”
