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“Your father is very active in your life.”
“He is. What was your father like?”
She shifted in the water. “He was pretty great too. Broke my mom’s heart when he passed, and Miguel lost his way too. I don’t know for sure if it was just my father’s death or a mix with teenage years and all. But it’s been a long process for him to find his way.”
“He’s lucky to have you,” he said, his expression sobering. “And so is your mom.”
“I’m lucky to have them too. But then again, so are you. Your parents are very involved.”
“My father certainly is. My mother has always been more reserved,” he said, and she detected the sightliest note of regret in his voice. Did he harbor some resentment toward his mother?
He leaned against the edge, running his fingers through his hair.
“Just wait until she has grandchildren. She’ll be all over the place,” she said, in an attempt to keep things light.
“Doubt that’ll happen anytime soon though. My brother’s marriage is on life support.”
She touched his shoulder, coaxing him look at her. “Listen, having sex with Michelle was wrong of you and I hope you learned your lesson. But she also had sex with you, and that means something. Maybe their marriage already had troubles before you came along. You were just an outlet for her,” she said.
She liked Michelle and hope she didn’t come across as judgy, but he had to know two people had been wrong.
He canted his head, regarding her, interest sparking in his eyes. “Do you think I’ll ever be able to rebuild that relationship? I haven’t tried hard because I don’t believe I will.”
She bit her lower lip. He’d broken the guy code and the brother code all at once, and she doubted his brother would give him a pass. But the slight anticipation in his voice kept her from being too realistic. “Do you want it?”
“Yes.”
“Then you can try.”
“You’ve convinced me. I’ll drive to LA this weekend and talk to him in person, before the wedding. You’re coming with me.”
She bit back a smile. He hadn’t asked her to come, he’d demanded it. Was her presence in LA meant to be the continuing of their marriage ruse, or did he need her there with him, as emotional support, when dealing with a hard moment? She parted her lips and was about to ask, when she willed her insecurity away. She’d preached to him about taking risks before, and now she’d follow her own advice. She’d go to LA with him and not question the reason—and hope for the best.
“So, no strippers for your bachelorette party?” Brit asked, then sipped on her glass of red wine.
Lara glanced at Brit, Nikki and Violet sitting on her sofa, four days after she and Troy had made love in the pool. Then in his bedroom. Twice. Ever since that night, he’d made love to her, cherished her in a way she’d never experienced. “Not particularly, but if you want them, go for it.”
“I have to say I’m surprised,” Nikki chimed in. “I thought if anything, you’d request strippers, not veto them.”
Violet chuckled in agreement.
Lara grabbed her glass of wine and took it to her lips. She could see how her friends thought that way—she’d cultivated this image of sex vixen before and never set things straight, especially after the end of her engagement to Rory. Shame kept her from sharing such intimate issues even though she was always the first to encourage people to open up. She’d been a hypocrite through and through.
The chatter around her stopped, and her friends regarded her, probably picking up on her contemplative silence. A clog formed in her throat. She drank a good amount of wine. “To be honest, I don’t think I need strippers.”
Brit waved her off. “Oh, honey, none of us do. They’re just fun.”
Lara took a deep breath. She hadn’t thought about when or how to say the truth to her friends, but the moment just felt right—even if her palms felt clammy. “No… I mean, Troy is the first guy with whom I really, really enjoy sex with. And I feel like I was an imposter all along, because I didn’t come to any of you with questions.” Or the truth.
“Oh honey…” Violet touched her hand. “I didn’t know.”
Emotion welled up inside her. She didn’t have to admit to it to her friends, but she desperately needed to. “I liked sex, but mostly did it for the sake of it and not because I found it very pleasurable. So I attracted guys who were most interested in doing it and not necessarily making me come. Then my ex-fiancé, he told me I was bad at it.”
“Really?” Nikki clapped her mouth with her hand. They’d met Rory, of course, since he’d been related to Noelle, their dear friend who had founded the Bad Girls Club and died in a car accident.
“Yeah. I’m having such a good time now that I feel safe to be more open and honest,” she said, remembering the conversations she’d shared with Troy.
Nikki put her arm around her, pulling her into a hug. “You know you can count on us and tell us anything.”
