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AS IWALK INTOWrapped inLace, everyone looks at me like I’m in the wrong place. It’s like I’ve walked into the ladies’ restroom. Jokes on them. Every time I’m in here, I add another thing to the list of shit I want to see Laiken in.
Mali is at the counter, helping a woman check out, and I wait for her to finish.
“I’m telling you, Louise,” she says sweetly, “this will drive him wild.”
“I hope so! It will make the family reunions a lot more fun.”
I choke on air, pounding my fist against my chest as I cough. She takes her bag and walks out with a devilish grin on her face. Meanwhile, I turn to Mali.
“Please tell me she’s not fucking her cousin or something,” I plead.
She smirks. “Why? Queen Elizabeth married her second cousin and had an incredible life with him.”
I stare back at her, barely blinking. “I’m starting to think there’s something more behind you calling Laiken your sister despite what you and Cam have going on.”
“Okay, first of all, Mr. Hypocrite, you literally call Cam your brother and you’re married to his sister,” she argues. “But just to ease your mind, no. She’s not fucking her cousin. Her ex-husband left her for her sister. The way she sees it, showing up in lingerie and making him drool is her payback.”
Well, that’s a bit of a relief. I thought for sure her ringtone was set to “Sweet Home Alabama.”
Mali walks around the counter and then hops up to sit on top of it. “But you didn’t come here to learn about the sex life of my customers. So, why are you really here?”
I lean against the wall and cross my arms over my chest. “You can’t withhold sex from Cam so that he will ask me for information on my relationship.”
She huffs, rolling her eyes. “Jesus Christ. I knew he would tell you. What a baby!”
“Mali,” I press. “Seriously. The only reason our friendship still works is because wedon’ttalk about that shit. If you want to know something, ask me yourself.”
“Okay,” she says, and the look on her face tells me that I might regret saying that. “What happened the other night?”
“I’m sure she already told you.”
“Well duh, but I want to hear it from you.”
Motherfucker.“Okay. She told me she loves me, and I didn’t say it back. She didn’t exactly take it well.”
She snorts. “I mean, can you blame her? That girl’s biggest fear has been that you don’t love her anymore. Why didn’t you say it back?”
“I couldn’t.”Yeah, this conversation is already making me uncomfortable.
Concern fills Mali’s eyes as she looks at me. “H, do you not love her anymore?”
I run my fingers through my hair as I sigh. “Of course I do.”
“Then why couldn’t you say it?”
“Because it feels a lot like letting her back in,” I admit. “I’m just not sure I can do that. I mean, what if she leaves again?”
She shakes her head. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
“The fuck I don’t. She already left once. Hell, she has a whole life somewhere else. How can she walk away from the job of a lifetime?”
“She’s staying.”
“But what if she doesn’t?” I press.
Mali rolls her eyes. “She’s staying!”
“You don’t know that!”
