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“I’m sorry, what?” Jaz screeched. “Six billion dollars? Like you – Like you have that kind of money? Like this whole time we’ve been hanging out with a billionaire? Like my best friend married an actual real-life billionaire?” She had to reach out and grip the car door. “Holy shit.”
Mandy shook her head. “That’s fucking crazy. June has the worst luck with guys.” She slowly walked around and opened the back door. She reached in, bent over and after several minutes of conversation, pulled June out beside her.
June refused to look at him. Her eyes weren’t red or swollen and he was relieved she hadn’t been crying. He never wanted to hurt her. Mandy wrapped her arm protectively around June’s waist and he knew that he had to make whatever he was going to say good or he might lose her forever.
“I- June. I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. What I did was stupid. I should have told you. I just- it was nice to just be me. To not have that wall between me and the person I care about. I didn’t think we could actually get to know each other if I told you right off the bat. I haven’t been- honestly… I was scared.” He thumped his hand over his heart, which ached so fiercely it was hard to breathe. “I was scared because I’ve been hurt in the past. I’m honestly pretty jaded. I don’t trust people easily. I get defensive. I didn’t tell you the truth because I wanted you to decide whether you wanted to do this, whether you could see yourself with me, honestly. I didn’t want the money to be a factor.”
“Jeez,” Jaz breathed, when June said nothing. “She’s scared too.” She pointed at June. “I can tell that she likes you, but I seriously think she only dates the wrong kind of men so that she doesn’t have to get overly involved. We say she’s unlucky. She says she’s unlucky, but the truth is, she likes it that way. She wasn’t thinking when she picked you. She was drunk and it was the best drunk decision she ever made because I’m willing to bet, for once, she took a chance on her heart.”
“Jaz!” June gasped. “Stop that.” She stepped out from beside Mandy but moved her hands to her hips.
“What?” Jaz shrugged. “We told you this already. I’m just telling him, because you’re standing there acting like you’re not going to forgive him. I get it. I get why he wouldn’t want to tell you. I have things I wouldn’t tell someone right off the hop either.”
June looked to Mandy for help, but Mandy’s shoulders slumped in defeat. She dug her toe into the street and kicked around a few rocks that may or may not have actually been there. She spoke to the ground. “I’m sorry, June, I’m on his side here. I think it’s a forgivable sin. Plus, he has butt dimples. His ass deserves its own hashtag. He’s dreamy. He’s amazing. Plus, I’ve seen the way you look when you’re with him. You don’t even know it, but you look happy. You look like you’re meant to be with each other, or at least you look good together.”
“You do look good together,” Jaz chimed in. “You’d have the cutest kids.”
“Jaz!” June hissed. She turned to Mandy. “You’re no better. Egging her on like that.”
Mandy shrugged innocently. “I’m just saying you’d be crazy to give it up over a misunderstanding. You’re married. It’s real. You’d really be divorced if you just walk away now. I can tell that you don’t want to do that. You might have too much pride to admit you’d actually miss him, but we both saw how miserable you were on the way home. You missed him already.”
“And you’re glad he’s here. Your eyes are sparkling like they always do when you get excited.”
“Don’t forget,” Many grinned, “that we’re basically rooting for you now just so that we can ride your coattails into a better life where you give us really amazing birthday and Christmas gifts because your husband is a billionaire and you’re living the good life.”
“I’ve always wanted a pair of those really expensive shoes.”
“Or a nice handbag.”
“Or a new car.”
“Or a new house.”
“Stop,” June ground out. She heaved a long sigh. She finally looked right at him and seeing the pain and the tiny spark of hope in her eyes gutted him. He’d do anything to keep that spark alive. “So, what if I was willing to say that I could forgive you for lying to me? What if I said that I’d been hurt too and it does make me cautious. It doesn’t make me want to take risks. What would you do then? How could we make this work. You don’t live in the same city. You live halfway across the country and distance isn’t something I’m really willing to do. It’s hard. It’s so hard and it never actually works out.”
