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Gulping down the pressure that kept rising up my chest and into my throat, I nodded.
I loved this woman. I didn’t think I could ever love anyone the way I loved Reese. She made everything better. She made me better.
“Okay,” I murmured, still a little bowled over that this conversation had gone so much smoother than I’d feared it would. Until I remembered that I had actually slept with someone for her.
Sucking in a cringe, I said, “I need to tell you about your English professor.”
A sickened expression filled her face. Her complexion actually turned a grayish green. “Oh, God,” she uttered. “What?”
Closing my eyes, I told her everything that had transpired between me and Monica.
“Wait, wait, wait,” she cut in at about the time I got to the part where I’d stupidly given into Monica’s terms. “So… This all started because you cried out my name in the middle of—”
“Yes,” I muttered, pressing a palm to my forehead before gripping a handful of my bangs. “I know. I was an idiot who—”
“So you were pretty much mine all the way back before we’d barely even spoken to each other?”
“Reese,” I said dryly, “I told you, you had me the moment I heard your laugh across the college courtyard that very first day.”
“I know, I know.” She waved a distracted hand. “But this, like, proves it without a shadow of a doubt. Holy wow.” She let out a little squeal of joy. “You have no idea how happy I am to learn you didn’t touch the landlady that night. And you were already that fixated on me so early in our acquaintance! This is so awesome.” She jumped at me and hugged me hard.
I hugged her back, even as I sighed. “You are honestly the most unique person I’ve ever met. I just confessed to you that I did sleep with another woman, and you’re…excited?”
“Oh, I’m not excited about that. Pfft. Of course not. But I’m choosing to forget that part because it was before we ever got close and decided we were really together, and I’m focusing on the fact that you did abstain when it mattered the most to me. I’m so freaking happy you didn’t touch Mrs. Garrison that night.”
“So am I.” I hugged her back and closed my eyes against the relief. “And I really didn’t touch her, if you were wondering how far things went. Except to grab her wrist to stop her. We got to her bedroom, and she had me take my shirt off, then she put that hickey on my chest. But when she tried to open my pants, I freaked. I just…I couldn’t do it. So I grabbed her wrist, spit in her face, and walked out.”
Reese’s jaw dropped. “You spit in her face? For real?”
I nodded. My girl grinned and offered me a congratulatory fist bump. “You rock.” Then she sprinkled kisses all over my cheeks. “I’m so happy to hear all this. You can’t believe how much I love hearing this. I would get sick to my stomach every time I even thought about you and her together, but knowing it didn’t happen… Oh, God. This is great. This is just…it’s…”
Her brow furrowed before she stepped back and winced at me. “Except, do you think it’d be okay if we went ahead and let Eva think you really did sleep with her?”
“Um…” I squinted before saying, “I wasn’t aware Eva knew anything about it.”
“Oh, right. That.” Reese blew out a harassed breath and ran her hands through her hair.
“So, she told me about some conversation you and she had the night before she was shot, you know, while I was out confronting Mrs. Garrison. She knew something had gone down there, and I felt I needed to tell her everything because, you know, she’s already going through so much. But then she tried to get all upset and judge-y on my behalf, mad at you for sleeping with someone else. So I went off on her a little and made this huge production about how honorable and protective I thought it made you, because you did it for me, when in reality, it just made me clammy and ill to think about. But I didn’t want E thinking anything bad about you, so I defended you big-time, and now she thinks this is what I really did want, which is a total lie, because I’d rather face Jeremy down a hundred times over than have you near that woman. But now that, whew, I know you didn’t sleep with her, I can’t eat my own words and tell Eva never mind, it’s all good now after I made such a big stink of supporting what you’d done, and—”
“Reese.” I covered her hand to stop her from rattling on further. “It’s okay. We don’t have to tell Eva the truth if you don’t want to.”
“Really? Okay, whew. Thank you. Not that I advocate lying, or anything like that. I am so much happier that you told me the
truth, but—”
I kissed her to shut her up.
“I have no problems lying to Eva,” I confessed against her mouth. “The only person I can’t seem to handle lying to anymore is you.”
“Oh. Good. I love that answer.”
She kissed me back.
I started to return the kiss, only to pull away and lift a finger. “Which reminds me, I should probably tell you everything about Ethan Riker, too, and his getting me suspended from work at the Country Club.”
Reese blinked once before her face flooded red with rage. “He did what?”
* * *
