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All of this, of course, was covered in a long black coat to ward off the cold Montana evening. Or morning. Or whatever the hell time it was. But it was November, and that meant it was damn cold. A far cry from Texas, where I’d originally escaped this place to spend my college years, and then some.
Eventually I came up on the address Tyler had given me, which was brand new. It was a house, not an apartment. A little run-down and in need of repair, but a house nonetheless. Good for him.
I parked and killed the engine. From inside the home, I could hear the faint sound of music playing. The yellow-orange glow coming from the windows was dim, yet it had a welcome warmth to it.
Now or never.
I stormed the front walk like I owned the place, then knocked on the door. If I was doing this, I wasdoingthis. No hesitation, no guilt, just pure enjoymen—
“Oh my God, JENNA!”
The man who’d pulled the door open wasn’t Tyler. And it wasn’t Luca, either.
It wasJay.
What in the worl—
My ex-boyfriend’s best friend looked wholly amazing, and he felt good too. I learned this as he swept me into a hug that nearly cracked my spine, before dragging me inside and closing the door.
“Holy shit, look at you!” Jay declared. “It happened again!”
My face scrunched in confusion. “W—What did?”
“You got better-lookin’!”
Jay still had the same big flop of surfer-boy blond hair that he did in his snowboarder days, only now he’d grown into his body. His long, formerly-spindly arms were striated with muscle. His handsome face was still boyishly attractive, but it had a new masculine edge to it.
Before I knew it Jay was taking my coat, and for a split-second I worried I had nothing on but lingerie beneath it. By the time I was breathing a sigh of relief, someone else was thrusting the stem of a glass of wine into my hand.
“Good to see you, baby.”
Tyler’s presence wasn’t just reassuring, it was a welcome blast of pure nostalgia. He looked basically the same as the day we’d parted ways, only a bigger and more badass version of his former self.
And the unexpected way he’d called me ‘baby’ made me melt. Almost like no time had passed between us at all.
“Tyler,” I murmured, hugging him tightly. Then, as Jay re-entered the room from behind us, I silently mouthed the words:What the fuck?
He shook his head helplessly but apologetically.
“Jenna!” Jay said again. His ear-to-ear smile was honest and genuine. “I still can’t believe it. Where thehellhave you been?”
“Around,” I said awkwardly. “I mean, Texas for a while. But I’ve been back almost a year now.”
“A year?” he repeated incredulously. “And you’re just getting around to us now?”
I sipped my wine in response. Tyler must’ve picked it out, because it was exactly the same merlot we’d always drank together.
Jay smirked. “That hurts, Jenna.”
“Yeah, well I didn’t see either of you knocking down my door,” I countered. “So let’s call it even.”
They ushered me through a half-finished foyer and into a large but cozy-looking living room. Worn hardwood floors were covered by plush area rugs. Comfortable-looking couches flanked a roaring fireplace on the opposite wall that bathed everything in a warm, soothing heat.
A man who could only be Luca got up from one of those couches. And holy shit, the photos Tyler had sent — although fantastic — hadn’t done him justice at all.
“Hello Jenna.”
Luca was tall and dark and absolutelygorgeous, with sharp Italian features and skin the color of creamed coffee. And his hands… his hands were tremendous! His calloused palm engulfed mine as he reached out to shake my hand, which despite his great size he did with all the care and attention of a gentle giant.
