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“We didn’t get an invitation,” Gemma hissed. “You told Harris we were coming and to give his mom proper planning time.” Gemma sent Milly a distressed look. “Kat considered proper planning time to be the night of the event.”
Unfazed, Kat sat back further into the couch. “You act like you’ve never crashed a party before.”
“I’ve never crashed a party before!” Gemma snagged the glass of wine out of Kat’s hot little hands.
“Rude much?” Kat said.
“I need a drink.” Gemma finished it in a single gulp. “It’s not like you have to go back and face your neighbor.”
Kat looked over her shoulder to where the four sexy men stood in conversation with each other. All of them had a wide stance, even wider biceps, and mouth-watering butts.
“Like that would be a hardship,” Kat said.
“Well, your neighbor is over there too.” Gemma openly pointed at Nolan. “You could have asked him.”
“My neighbor has a stick up his ass, while yours is a funny, charming contractor who has the whole sexy single dad thing going for him.”
A laugh erupted from the men and Milly looked back at the group. She wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but when Jax had approached the group, Lucas didn’t leave. He hadn’t given Jax the same open and warm greeting as the other siblings, it was more of a brisk nod, and she wondered if Jax was okay.
As if sensing her attention, he turned and immediately met her gaze. It had been like that all night. She’d feel this pull and look up to find Jax looking back, and vice versa. Only this time he’d caught her ogling his butt and he let her know by giving her an I caught ya wink.
“I can practically smell your clothes melting off,” Kat said loud enough that Jax heard.
“Can you keep your voice down,” Milly asked. “The last thing I need is for you encouraging my mom. She already mentioned to Jax what beautiful grandbabies we’d make. I know she’s just being her eccentric self but … ”
“But what?” Gemma asked.
But what if her mom knows something’s off? What if Milly wasn’t as convincing as she thought?
She didn’t know if she was spending too much time with Jax or not enough. She looked over at her dad, who did look much improved. Were they pulling this whole “dating” charade off? And when did this charade start to feel too close to something real?
Milly said none of those things because it would only lead to more questions. Questions she couldn’t answer honestly, and she hated lying to her friends.
She pressed a palm to her forehead to ward off the impending headache. In trying to placate her parents with a simple white lie, she’d made it more complicated than string theory.
“Just that Zoe would know how to handle this situation.”
“Are you kidding?” Kat asked. “You’re killing at life right now. You’ve got this new hot boyfriend, you’re getting laid, and you seem happy.”
“I am happy,” Milly said and realized she meant it. She hadn’t allowed herself much happy since Zoe’s diagnosis because it felt wrong to be happy when her sister was dying. And then after Zoe passed, guilt felt less complicated. But these last couple of weeks with Jax had made her begin to wonder if grief didn’t have to be the final destination.
“I’m so happy you’re happy,” Gemma said, but she didn’t look like she meant it. “I’m just worried about you moving so fast. Jax is not a commitment kind of guy and he’s leaving.”
Kat nudged Gemma in the ribs. “Why do you want to shit on her happy?”
“I don’t want to. I am so happy she’s happy. I just know how bad heartbreak is when someone leaves.” She looked at Milly. “You’ve had enough heartbreak for a lifetime and you’re not a casual person.”
Milly already knew this—hence the rules. She also knew that when it came to feelings, rules didn’t apply.
“Maybe that’s been the problem. I’ve always been so invested that I get hurt. Maybe I just want to have fun and we all know he’s the perfect guy for that.”
Kat and Gemma exchanged glances. “Are you sure you aren’t just using this as a distraction?”
“Of course I’m not sure. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t even know if I’m staying,” Milly said, and both of her friends shared a look. “What? I don’t. When my contract with Sierra Vista is up, I have no idea what I’m going to do. Do I go back to New York? Move to San Francisco to be closer to my parents? Stay here in Sierra Vista to be near you guys? Or maybe follow a different opportunity. I don’t know what the answer is, but right now I just want to enjoy the happy.”
Both of her friends went silent, and Milly knew, before turning around, that a new party had joined the conversation. Someone whose woodsy and manly scent wove its way around her.
Milly tilted her head back and found herself staring up at Jax. His smile was dialed to devastating, his charm at a million, but the twinkle in his eyes held a hint of concern—for her. Her immediate reaction was relief, that he’d come to save her from spewing more lies.
