Page 8 of Lost the Handle

“Well, I had no clue, and now I have nowhere to stay. I called Benny, and he said you lost him as a roommate. So, hey ya, roommate!” She adds jazz hands, and I blink.

“You want to stay here? What about Stella or Asher or even Aiden?”

She shakes her head, still giving me jazz hands. “Newlyweds, babies, and more babies. I can’t go stay with your mom because I think she’s still mad at me, so I’m going to have to buy her some new heels or something.”

I wrinkle my face. “Mom isn’t mad at you.”

“Eh…” she says slowly. “I beg to differ. No one hurts her precious Quinny and gets away with it unscathed.”

I want to laugh since it’s true, but what she doesn’t know is that my mom loves her almost as much as she loves me. I guess I could ease her concerns about hurting me, but we both know that she did. That I’m still hurting. Needing to know, I ask, “What are you doing here?”

“Here at your apartment? Or here in Tennessee?”

I watch as she wheels her suitcase into the now-guest room. It has a bed in it—that’s it—so yeah, guest room. Wait, Emery isn’t my guest. “I’m here because I have nowhere to go, and I’m in Tennessee because it’s time to come home.”

I follow her, stunned by her answer. “Time to come home? I thought California was your home?” She scoffs, tossing her bag onto the bed like she belongs here. “Emery, you can’t stay here.”

She throws me a look, her brows slamming together. “Why not? Is someone using this room?”

“No, but?—”

“So why can’t I stay in it until I find a place?”

I narrow my eyes at her. “When are you going to find a place?” Something flashes in her eyes, and she doesn’t need to say anything. She has no intention of looking for a place.“Exactly. You think you’re gonna break up my engagement and stay here.”

I’ve got to give her credit; she actually looks shocked as she presses her hand to her chest. She even gasps a bit as she gawks at me. “Quinn, I would never. I couldn’t break up a true and loving soon-to-be marriage, could I?”

“E, go. Go stay with your family.”

Her eyes darken as she glares. “I don’t want to stay with them, and you always said your door is open for me.”

I hold her gaze. “That was before I got engaged.”

She challenges my gaze, and I know she’s not used to me telling her no. “Is…” She pauses, pure disgust on her face. “What is her name?”

I swallow, my mouth tasting like ash. “You know her name. Ava.”

She wrinkles her nose at that. “Yes, Ava. Sorry. Is she living here?”

My heart hasn’t stopped pounding, and again, it feels like it’s going to come out of my chest. “Not yet.”

Not ever. I don’t make it a habit to lie to Emery, but I know I can’t be truthful about that.

A little gleam shines in her gray thunderstorm eyes before she asks, “And she knows about me? Your best friend for your whole entire life?”

“Em—”

“Since you have all those pictures of me in the living room, I assume she does.”

Fuck my life, why don’t I replace those damn pictures? I don’t have one picture of my nephews, but you best believe I have tons of Emery and me over the years. “Yes,” I say curtly, and she grins as she starts to unpack her things.

Without looking at me, she asks, “So, do you need to call and let her know I’m staying with you a bit until I get on my feet?I’m sure she’ll be so understanding that your best friend needs a place.”

Unable to control myself, I bite out, “If you say best friend one more fucking time…”

She looks over her shoulder, her eyes dancing with mischief. Her voice drops an octave, all full of naughty promises and everything I’ve been craving for three goddamn years. “You’ll what?”

I clench my fists, but my damn traitorous cock thickens at her unspoken promises. He’s a total fucking whore for Emery. He lives for her. He’s been so lonely without her.

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