Page 27

“Eighteendust,” he replies, his jaw rigid.

“Huh,” she muses, tapping her chin. “Never heard of it. You guys new?”

Thorin shakes his head, and huffs out a breath.

“Okay, Mya,” I shoot her a quick look over my shoulder, “That’s enough.”

She gives me a smirk, and leans back in her seat, cooing at Eli as if she didn’t just piss Thorin off. I should have known better, but you know what? Right now I’m fighting a smile because a seriously pissed Thorin is a sight to behold. And the douche had it coming, if you ask me. Thorin meet Mya, Karma’s right hand.

“Home sweet home,” I sigh. I have Eli in his car seat in one hand, and Mya’s roller suitcase in the other. After we dropped Thorin off down the road, I drove us home.

“It’s good to be back.” Mya carries the rest of her luggage through my front door, and starts flicking on lights. “Is it weird to feel like I never should have left?” Mya drops her bags in the guest bedroom, and then joins me in the living room while I take Eli from his car seat. “No,” I tell her. “I always knew you loved it here, and how much you hated having to leave.” Eli puckers his lips, and I kiss his cheeks. “You hungry, little man?” With him in one arm, I take a prepped bottle from the fridge, and put it in the bottle warmer. When it’s ready, I flop down on the sofa, tired to the bone, and press the bottle to his mouth. He sucks with gusto, and it makes me smile. His schedule is a little out of sync today. It’s almost ten p.m and he should technically be sleeping now.

“You’re a natural,” Mya says next to me, her curious gaze in Eli.

“Ha, I’m winging it so hard right now. Maggie was a Godsend this last week, and Thorin is pretty good with him too. If you can believe that.” And I’m not lying. Thorin has connected with Eli, I see it in the way they stare at each other, and in the way Eli’s eyes light up at the sound of Thorin's voice. “The only person he seems to have an aversion to is me.”

“I beg to differ,” Mya replies casually. I frown, but before I can ask her to elaborate, Eli finishes his formula. I burp him, and lull him to sleep. “Let me put him down, and then we can talk,” I tell Mya. “Wine’s in the fridge if you want some.” I change Eli’s diaper, get him comfortable in his crib, give him another kiss—it’s one of my favorite things to do, okay!—and grab the baby monitor before walking back into the living room. I strip out of my parka, and slip my boots from my feet. Mya has poured two glasses of white wine—she knows I hate red—and passes it to me as I drop onto the sofa like a dead weight. I really am tired, but I’ve been so excited to have Mya with me that going straight to bed without the mandatory catch-up would be anti-climactic.

“So,” I start. “You going to tell me what has you moving here permanently? Not that I’m complaining.”

Mya sips her wine, rolls it around her tongue, and swallows. “Who said anything about staying here permanently?” I quirk a brow. “Oh, fine,” she huffs. “I knew this was coming, so might as well get it over with.” This time she takes a bigger sip of wine. “Kyle was cheating on me with one of his rich financier co-workers.” She turns her gaze to me. “I never thought I’d become the fucking cliche, but here I am. It’s the opening line to every romance novel ever written, girl walks in on her boyfriend balls deep in another woman.”

“I’m sorry, Mya,” I squeeze her hand. “You deserve better.”

“Meh.” She waves her hand in the air. “The guy couldn’t even be creative about it, you know? Then again, the fact that he always wanted sex in the missionary position, on the same night of the week, should have been an indication. Jokes on me, I guess.”

“What did he say when you caught him?”

“Oh you know, more of the cliched shit, baby it’s not what it looks like, she came on to me, you’ve been so distant and I’ve been lonely.”

“He did not try and blame you. What did he do, trip over his own two feet and land dick-first into another woman’s vag?”

Mya snorts. “I don’t even know. But things have been weird for a while now, I think he was sleeping with her before I caught them. The best part is, I saw them going at it in his car, parked outside our apartment.”

I scrunch my nose.“Oh my God, ew. Talk about The Real Housewives of New York tacky.”

“Funny thing is, I was already planning on breaking up with him. He started working longer hours, and we barely had sex the last two months. I knew I had to end it, but the bastard beat me to it.” Mya finishes her wine, and places the glass on my coffee table. I do the same, even though my glass is only half empty. “Are you really okay, though?” I ask. She considers it, and then shrugs. “I think I stayed with him because I didn’t really want to be alone, you know? Besides, I’d had enough of his bitching about me being here one week a month. So, I stayed with my crazy parents while you dealt with everything here, and now, you’re stuck with me.”

“Permanently?”

Mya shrugs. “Only if you don’t mind. I can always—”

“Of course, my home is your home.”

Mya shifts to face me, tucking one leg beneath her butt. “Now, it’s your turn.”

I frown. “My turn?”

“Yes, I want to know all the details about you and the God of Thunder.” She smirks, and I throw my head back with a groan. “You already know everything, you and I talk about it almost every night.” And we do. She’s been my go-to ever since Thorin arrived in Horseshoe Bay, and I haven’t kept a single detail from her. I’ve even been calling her during Eli’s late night feeds just to vent.

“That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it, Reese.”

“What else is there to talk about, Mya? You know all there is to know right down to the mini freak-out he had, and how he’s been icing me out since then.”

“Do you have feelings for him?” She asks bluntly, and I rear back as if she’s bitch slapped me. By the look on her face I can tell that’s the reaction she was hoping for.

“If by ‘feelings’ you mean irritation, and annoyance, then yes. I have all of the feels for that man.”