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“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” Lily gives me a reassuring smile. “Besides, I think the situation worked out for the best. You get to be married to a sexy, nerdy hottie with gorgeous blue eyes.”
My body flushes with warmth at her words. Matthewissexy. I wonder what he’s doing. Sitting on one of his couches, maybe reading a book, his cat curled up in his lap?
“Lily’s right.” Avery grins, tucking her blonde bob behind her ears. “I know you’ve always had your eye on Matthew, but when he’s around you, it’s like he’s hypnotized.”
“He is not,” I insist. Heat floods my face.
Avery looks at me as if she doesn’t believe me. She’s spent the most time around us. Maybe she’s been more perceptive than I have. Matthew and I obviously talk at the office—less so since I’ve been engaged to Lance, but we’re friendly.
“The relationship is fake,” I remind her as much as myself.
“Yeah, yeah.” Lily waves off my deflection, her long nails batting at the air. “I pretended once, and you know how that ended.”
I do. Both of my friends have found their soulmates in two brothers. Lily fell in love with Nico Navarro, a man who practically rolls out the red carpet for her every time they step into a room.
Avery is no different. She fell in love with my boss, Luca Navarro, who treats my friend with an enviable tenderness.
I ache for a pure love like either of theirs. Lily with her fiery passion and Avery with safety and security.
But could I have what they have?
What kind of love is even meant for me?
I doubt any man who falls for me would be happy with my true self. He’d only like the shapeshifted version I’d present to him.
“Everything works out how it’s supposed to,” Avery sings. She picks up a rose-colored La Perla embroidered bodysuit and waves it between us. “Now, if you bring this with you, I’m sure you’ll have a much more enjoyable trip.”
“Or this,” Lily chimes in, holding up a floral-print slip that’s more lace than actual fabric.
I grab both of the undergarments from them and walk back to my dresser. “I can’t bring these with me. Who would I wear them for?”
“Matthew,” my friends say in unison.
“Absolutely not.” I return to the bed with a set of appropriate pajamas. Though the idea of Matthew’s hands running over the fabric of my lingerie sends a tingle of electricity up my spine. “There’s no need for us to make things more complicated.”
“Needandwantare very different.” Lily stuffs a few more lacy sets into my suitcase, replacing the pajamas I packed. I’ll fix that later. “What do you actually want?”
“My trust,” I reply because it’s the only thing I’m sure of.
“Fair enough,” Lily concedes.
Between breaking off my engagement and managing the ramifications from the drama at my wedding shower, time flew by. I leave New York City in sixteen hours. I’m not remotely prepared, despite the two packed suitcases already waiting for me in the foyer downstairs.
“I’m certain your parents will love Matthew,” Avery declares confidently. “He’s simply a great guy. There’s no better way to put it.”
It’s true. Matthew was Avery’s boss before their start-up merged with the Oceanic Research Organization. She knows him better than I do. When I told her I needed to take time off to fulfill the terms of my trust’s marriage course, she approved. If anything, Ave was a tad disappointed that my sudden relationship with Matthew wasn’t real.
“You know what they say.” Lily’s green eyes flare with mischief. “It’s always the quiet ones.”
“Huh? What about the quiet ones?”
“Cut it out, Lil.” Avery shoots her a knowing stare, one I desperately want to be a part of.
Sometimes, when I’m around them, I feel so out of my league. Unlike the girls I grew up with, Ave and Lily are cool. They are funny and loyal. They’re self-made and always say what’s on their minds.
Complete opposites of the person I am.
Although we’re close, I’m secretly afraid that I’m taking up space in their life with my problems.
