Page 31 of Revenge Cake

Seriously, fuck Lauren! And here I was on cloud nine after the showdown between Lani and my mom. I can’t remember ever being happier than when I watched Lani jump to my defense—her eyes sparking, her jaw set. She was furious, and I didn’t even think what my mom said was all that bad. It was a balm to every insecurity I’ve felt since we started dating.

And my mom assumed she loves me, and she didn’t correct her. I’ve been trying not to read too much into it, but I couldn’t quite stifle the rising hope.

And then she returned from the bathroom, and all of my hopes sunk.

“What did she say?” I ask. She doesn’t answer right away, and I know she’s thinking about what she should tell me, not wanting to betray Lauren. “She won’t care if you tell me. She’s a fucking loudmouth. She does this all the time.” In my anger, I’m unable to stop myself from adding, “Most people have the common sense not to believe everything she says.”

Lani sighs heavily. “She didn’t say anything bad.”

“Sure she didn’t. You’ve barely said a word since you came back from the bathroom.”

She goes quiet again, and I can’t stop anxiety from clawing my insides. What is she thinking about? What could Lauren have told her? I’m no saint. I’ve had a lot of ugly breakups, and Lauren wouldn’t hesitate to tell her about one of my less than stellar moments. On the contrary, she’d talk about it with glee and shameless laughter.

God damn it, I’m so pissed off. I’m calling Lauren the second I get home and bitching her out.

“Logan…” Lani begins, her tone hesitant. “I want to…” She breaks off. “I want to make a compromise.”

I grip the steering wheel harder, curiosity making me tense. “What do you mean?”

“Well…” When out of the corner of my eye I see her licking her lips and blinking rapidly, I nearly drop my jaw. I’ve never seen her speak with such uncertainty. “I need you to realize,” she restarts with a steadier voice, “that I still have the same reservations I’ve always had about you. I’m still not okay with how easily you fall in love and how many relationships you’ve had.”

I shut my eyes briefly in disappointment, reminding myself to keep my eyes on the road. “Okay,” I say tonelessly.

“But I won’t let that… I don’t want to be selfish anymore.”

My curiosity is piqued again. “Okay.”

“It’s not fair what I’ve been doing.”

“Okay…”

“I’ll be your girlfriend.”

She says the words so quickly, I’m not sure if I heard them correctly. Making a snap decision, I click the turn signal and pull the car off to the side of the road. After shifting the gear into park, I turn to Lani. “Can you repeat that?”

“I said I’ll be your girlfriend.”

I frown, unwilling to trust it just yet. “Are you being serious?”

“Of course.”

My eyes roam her face. She means it. Of course she does. She never says things she doesn’t mean. Elation courses through my veins as I unbuckle my seat belt and pat my lap. “Get over here.” She smiles mischievously before unbuckling hers and sliding her butt from her seat to my thighs.

What follows is a lot of contorted limbs, bumped heads, and laughter, because car sex isn’t easy when you’re six-three, even when your girlfriend is tiny. When it’s over she rests her forehead against mine, straddling my hips while I stroke her back.

“I love you,” I tell her.

“I know,” she says, like she’s Han Solo, but I try not to let it bother me. I try to embrace today’s victory.

I’ll save her “I love you” for another day.

CHAPTER 11

Present Day

Leilani

Item 1—Makeover

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