Page 6 of Ever With Me

But Naomi had a point. She checked her phone for the time.Yikes.Almost eleven p.m.

Biting her lip, she trudged toward the door and opened it reluctantly. She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at her sisters, who were illuminated by the yellowish light in the hallway. “What do you want?”

“Do you really think this is the healthiest way of dealing with this? We’ve been trying to get ahold of you for hours. The news about River House and the town fair is all over town.” Naomi wrinkled her nose.

Ugh. Dammit.Maddie cringed. Leave it to her lovely little hometown, where every teeny thing that happened spread like wildfire within hours. Except it was always like a terrible game of telephone, where fifteen different versions would circulate, no one quite knowing the right version.

Lindsay set a hand on Naomi’s arm. “Maybe we talk about that another time? She’s clearly having a rough time.”

“I get that, but this isn’t healthy. Josh is a douche who doesn’t deserve your tears. He’s gone too far this time in stabbing you in the back—he stabbed all of us Yardleys. Don’t waste your tears on him.”

Maddie sighed impatiently. “That’s easy enough to say when you have the perfect husband and she”—she gestured toward Lindsay—“has the perfect boyfriend. Meanwhile, the guy I was desperately in love with completely pulled the rug out from under my feet.”

Lindsay and Naomi exchanged a look. Lindsay brushed past her, flipping on the lights. “Number one, you’re completely overestimating the so-calledperfectionof our partners.” She collected scattered food wrappers from the floor. “And number two . . .” She appealed to Naomi.

Maddie raised a brow. “Number two?”

Naomi gave her a chagrinned expression. “Maddie, it’s not like you were with Josh that long. You fall in and out of love pretty easily, sweetheart.”

Ouch.

She’d always suspected they thought that about her, but hearing Naomi put it so bluntly hurt. In the gut.

Maddie glared at Naomi. “Low blow, Na?—”

“We’re not trying to hurt you, babe.” Lindsay came over and tugged at her elbow. “You just feel things hard. And that’s a good thing sometimes. But you dated Josh for like four months and were already talking about long term. I know he’s a shitbag for moving on so quickly?—”

“He practically cheated on me, Naomi.” Maddie set her hands on her hips. “And now this? You should have seen him at the damn meeting. He was so cold.” Also, her sisters knew nothing about how it had been with her and Josh when they’d been together. They’d both fallen hard and fast. Gone from a first date to moving in together after two weeks. Josh had been just as vocal about forever as Maddie had been.

And then he’d gone on that work retreat with Gina, and it had been over in a blink.

“We’re not saying he’s anything other than a total loser.” Naomi frowned. “But we care about you. And the fact that you’re letting him get to you like this worries us.”

Maddie rubbed her swollen eyelids, then twisted her hair back into a messy bun. “Seriously. Go home, guys. I’m not ready to move on and prove how happy I am without him. Not tonight. I’m completely heartbroken tonight.” She’d even rearranged the schedule for tomorrow so she didn’t have to work the next day in the store.

Naomi grimaced. “He doesn’t deserve your tears, Mads. But if this is how you want to spend the night, let us at least stay here with you. We can hang out. Drink some wine. The kids are asleep, and Jeremy won’t mind if I stay over with you.”

Maddie considered their offer as Lindsay continued to straighten out the room. Ever since Lindsay had moved in with Travis last year, she’d become appallingly neat and organized, leaving Maddie as the wild and crazy “messy one.”

Wild and crazy. Exactly what they think about you. Crazy to fall in love so quickly. Crazy to still be hung up on Josh.

Maddie sniffled, hating feeling sorry for herself. Naomi was right. Josh was out there with Gina, happy. A happy ending that hadn’t included her after all.

No matter how much that made her chest ache, she couldn’t change it.

She flung the sweatshirt into the corner of the room into a pile of laundry. “Did I mention I effing hate him?” she moaned, not meeting either of her sisters’ gazes.

At once, Lindsay and Naomi enveloped her in a hug. She said nothing, soaking in their warmth and friendship.God, I’m so lucky to have them.Her siblings, including her eldest brother, Logan, and her younger brother, Jake, had always been tight-knit. There for each other. Now that Lindsay and Logan had smoothed the friction that had formed between them when Logan had found out she was dating Travis Wagner the year before, they were all closer than ever.

Maddie’s closeness to her siblings had actually been a point of contention with Josh, come to think of it. He’d grimace when she “overshared” details about their relationship with her sisters.

Deep down, she knew she was better off without him—but why does it still hurt so much?

It wasn’t like she was the only single one in her family—both Logan and Jake were, too, and heaven help the woman who dared to date Logan.

She stopped trying to psychoanalyze herself and sighed, pulling away from the embrace. “I’m fine, you guys. Really. Go home. I’m really okay. I didn’t realize it was so late. I just . . . needed a good cry after the meeting.”

“Can you try to make that the last cry?” Lindsay asked with a worried expression. “We want you to be happy.”

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