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Leah rose, took a few steps, and turned back to face me. “What about your feelings for me? Were they real? Did you love me, or were you simply stringing me along this entire time while secretly pining for a lost love?”
I stood. “No, Leah. My feelings for you were very real.”
“Were,”she echoed.
“I—” I fell back to the bed. “I’m sorry.”
Leah shook her head. “So you said.” She took a breath, her face morphing from shocked to steely. I’d seen that expression before—more akin to herwork facethan anything else. She was creating distance for herself from the problem, shifting into action—problem-solving mode. “So, what now? Are you and Brooke going to make a go of it?”
“Leah, that’s not important right now.”
“On the contrary, Alex. I think it’s very important. Especially since Brooke is also involved with a member of my family.” She took another step backward, putting a hand out on the desk to support herself. “Oh my god. What are my parents going to think? You know how important our wedding is to my mom.”
“I know,” I said, stomach roiling again. “I’m so sorry.”
“Stop apologizing,” she snapped. “I need a plan. I need to figure out how to manage this—manage the fallout. It’s not just my parents. It’s our investors, it’s the law firm we just spent two days wooing—I answer to people, and they expect things of me.”
She pulled open the desk drawer and rummaged around, eventually pulling out a pad and paper.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I’m making a list,” she said without looking up.
“A list of...?”
“People and ways that I have to contain this.”
I silently stared at her for a good 10 seconds, digesting her reaction. No tears, jaw firmly set, barely a flicker of anger in her eyes. She was a powerhouse, and despite my actions that proved the contrary, I greatly respected her.
“Tell me what I can do to help. I’ll do anything.”
This time, she did look up at me. “For starters, you can sleep in another one of the guest rooms tonight. I’d like to hold off on saying anything to my parents until we’ve left here. I’m guessing Liam will agree. So tomorrow at breakfast, you can keep your mouth shut and pretend like everything is fine. Once we get back to the city, we can talk about the rest.”
“Okay,” I said. “Is there—”
“Just get out, Alex.”
I nodded. I wanted to do more than slink away, but knew better than to argue or offer something that would only come off sounding like a platitude.
I grabbed a pair of track pants and a T-shirt and, with a parting glance at Leah, who had gone back to her list, quietly left the bedroom. I checked for light under Brooke and Liam’s door as I made my way past theirs to the room Brooke and I had used while everyone was gone and secretly hoped she’d join me.
As I got into bed, I checked my phone for any messages from her but saw none. I waited and waited, knowing I was in for another sleepless night.
* * *
It was just after 6 a.m. when I snuck back into Leah’s room to get ready for breakfast. I had barely slept, Brooke had never made it to my room or texted, and I couldn’t stop my brain from playing out all the scenarios in which she and Liam had fought once she’d told him what had happened. I needed to know she was okay, and part of me wanted to march back down the hall, knock on the door, and demand she come out, but now was no time to become irrational. Irrational thinking led to stupid decisions, like sleeping with my childhood friend and ruining my life.
Leah stepped out of the ensuite looking like a million bucks, power suit on, makeup done, the only hint that she’d showered her still-damp hair. Her face fell the second she laid eyes on me.Yep, I deserve that.
“How did you sleep?” I asked softly.
She rolled her eyes. “About as well as expected, under the circumstances.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. I was a fucking broken record at this point, but I meant it.
She squeezed her wet hair with a towel. “Let’s just get through breakfast. We’ll be home in a few hours.”
I nodded. “Can I shower, or do you still need the bathroom?”
