Page 40 of My Ex-Best Friends

I raised my hands like she’d pointed a gun at me. “Whoa. I’m… We’re not… It’s…”

“You aren’t sure if you’re serious about Noah?” She tilted her head as she inspected me and I saw her for the woman she’d become. She was smart, protective, and honest. “I saw the way you were with Logan and Colt. You four can’t seriously still be denying the thing you have, can you? You’re all adults now, for fucks sake.”

I grunted. Shots fired and target struck. “Jesus, Kelly, just say all the shit I haven’t been able to yet.”

She flashed me a grin but then it fell into something tired. “Look, I don’t care what you have going on. If it’s the three musketeers and you or if you’re just playing double-dutch. It doesn’t make a difference to me. What does matter is that Sinclair likes you. She’s talked about you nonstop. I care about who comes into her life because she cares who walks out of it. Do you understand?”

I felt a bead of sweat roll down my neck. “I, um, I think so. You aren’t sure you want me in her life.”

“I’m going to be harsh for a second. You flaked. You abandoned your family, your best friends, and your entire life to run away. I can’t pretend to know why you ran but I saw the people you left behind. I love Noah, as a friend and as Sinclair’s father, and I saw the damage you did to him. You won’t do the same to my daughter. She has her father’s heart, thank god, but it makes her tender, vulnerable.” She stared straight into my soul as she finished. “What I’m saying is that if you’re not sure you’re sticking around, I need you to stay away from my daughter. I don’t know you anymore, Brooke, so maybe you’ve changed. I hope you have. I think I could like you now that I’m not chasing Noah while he chases you. When I think of someone spending time with Sin, I feel less indigestion than normal whenI think about it being you. You just need to be sure of what you’re doing before you accidentally hurt Sin. Got me?”

I felt like I’d been flayed open and had salt poured into the wound but I understood her and where she was coming from. In an embarrassing display of emotion, my lip wobbled. I sank my teeth into it hard and took a deep breath. “I get you.”

“A word of advice?” She waited until I nodded. “If something feels right, let it be right. I spent a long time pretending like I wasn’t staring at my friend’s boobs because I wanted to touch them. I could’ve been happier a lot sooner if I’d stopped fighting what felt right.”

I caught her hand when she turned to leave. “Thank you.”

She laughed and then pulled me into a hug. “God, you’re so much more emotional as an adult than you were as a teenager. You used to be such a little bitch. You’ve gone soft, babe.”

I grinned. “And you used to be such a giant bitch. We all change as we get older.”

“I hope you stick around. I think we could have a lot of fun together.” She winked at me. “If you’re ever into one more?”

My mouth fell open and my cheeks flushed.

“Oh, my god! I’m kidding! I’m happily married.” She snorted. “You should see your face. It’s like you’ve never been hit on by a woman before.”

I thought about it. “You might’ve just popped that cherry.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to tell Noah that I popped your cherry. That’ll really fuck with him.” She winced. “Oops. I might’ve slipped back into big bitch mode.”

“Out of all the ways I would’ve imagined this conversation going, this was never going to be one of them.” I looked up and saw Noah walking towards us with a concerned look on his face.

“Noah!” Kelly elbowed me. “I popped your girlfriend’s cherry.”

Noah’s gaze stayed on me. “Nope, That would’ve been Colt. Then me. And then Logan.”

Kelly whistled and slapped him on the back. “Not even one iota of a rise? I thought that would really mess with you. Huh.”

Noah waited until she’d strolled off to wrap his arm around my waist and pull me in. “The way you get wet for me? I’m not worried about you looking elsewhere, B.”

I ran my fingers through his hair like I’d always wanted to in school but hadn’t been able to. “Except for Colt and Logan…”

“Look at me, Brooke.” He waited until I met his gaze. “That’s not the same thing. We’ve always been a unit when it comes to you.”

I swallowed, letting how much I liked that wash over me. “This is crazy.”

“Is it?” He smiled and shrugged. “It feels like what I’ve been doing all these years is crazy and this is finally something sane.”

My heart thumped harder. “Kelly is considering me in the running to be Sinclair’s stepmom.”

As soon as the words left my mouth I blanched. Why had I said that? I wanted to chase them down and eat them. No way should I have brought that up, maybe ever, but sure as hell not so soon.

“Let’s pretend I didn’t say that.”

Noah brushed my hair back from my face and then slowly ran his thumb over my mouth. “Part of me being Sin’s dad is that I no longer make decisions just for myself.”

I looked down. I was sure he was at the part where he told me that I was good to fuck but not to stepmother.

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