Page 44 of Ride By Your Side

She smiles, subtly lifting one shoulder. “Maybe a little, and Vee, huh?” she asks, making note, for the second time, of the nickname I’ve come up with for her best friend.

“Yeah, and what about it?” I ask, doing my best not to make a big deal out of it as I shove another bite of sandwich into my mouth.

“I don’t know, I guess I just find it sort of interesting that you have your own little nickname for her, that’s all,” she states,lifting a brow in my direction as she crosses one leg over the other.

“I know what you’re doing,” I say, speaking through a mouthful of sandwich. “And there’s nothing to read into here. It’s just a nickname—nothing more, nothing less.”

“I don’t know. You’ve known Ronnie for as long as I have, and it’s always felt like you refused to follow the rest of the crowd and call her Ronnie. But now, after spending less than two weeks with her, you have your own little nickname. It’s just a little suspicious, is all I’m saying, especially when you came home married to her to top it all off.”

“And don’t forget that it was a drunken mistake, and that I’ve already called a lawyer and have plans set in motion for us to get this thing taken care of. Believe me, there’s nothing weird or nefarious going on here.”

She tosses her hands up, palms facing me. “Hey, you’re the one making this into a big deal.”

“Don’t even,” I say, letting the rest of my uneaten sub fall onto the wrapping. “Don’t act like I’m the only one making things weird.”

“Okay, fine. I may be making things a little weird, but can you really blame me? You’ve hated my best friend for as long as I can remember, and now all of the sudden the two of you are besties, with her living in your apartment. And let’s not forget that she’s now your wife. You have to admit, that’s pretty fucking weird, Miles.”

I let out a small chuckle, because, honestly, she has a point.

“Okay, yes. I never liked her all that much—” I start, but she interrupts.

“Oh, it was more than just you not liking her. You made that crystal clear,” she says, her eyes narrowing, not about to let me off the hook on this one.

“Okay, fine. I more than disliked her, but I can admit that maybe I was wrong and she’s actually not as bad as I thought,” I confess, even if it stings a little.

“Normally, I’d be ecstatic to hear that, but I’m going to be honest, I’m kind of worried.”

My brows furrow. “Why?”

She rolls her eyes. “Because she’s my best friend and you’re my brother. I’m pretty sure that makes me legally obligated to kick either of your asses if either of you hurts the other, and I’m not looking to do that.”

I laugh once more. “Okay, I can promise you she’s not going to be breaking my heart.”

“And what about you breaking hers?” she challenges, tilting her head to the side.

“I’m pretty sure, to do that, she’d have to be into me like that, and I can assure you, nothing like that is going on,” I lie, because last night was proof that maybe things are a little more complicated than I care to admit.

She doesn’t believe me either, as her head falls forward. “I know you like to think that I’m blind and that I’m still nothing more than your silly and naïve little sister, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I can see that something’s changed, and that something is going on between the two of you. I know you two better than I know the back of my own hand, and at this point, it’s pretty fucking obvious.”

A sigh escapes my lips as I shake my head and look away. “Look, Blair,” I offer, daring a glance back in her direction. “Yes, I may now somewhat enjoy her company, and I get that I misjudged her before, and that’s on me. But I need you to understand something: nothing is going to happen between us. You’re my top priority; always have been. I would never risk our relationship—or yours with her—over something that I know could never truly work. Veronica’s important to you,and, somehow, she’s also become important to me, too. Hurting either of you isn’t an option. Trust me on that, okay?”

Her lips form a straight line as she lets my words settle before she finally nods. “Okay, good. I believe you.”

“Thank you. Now tell me more about what all I’m expected to do to help get your business going,” I say, more than ready to change the subject—and thankfully, she seems just as ready and willing.

For now, and more than ever, I’d rather focus on the fact that my sister is finally settling down in our little hometown. It’s a much-needed and welcome distraction, one my brain so desperately needs. I’d do just about anything—and I mean anything—to keep the thoughts of Veronica at bay. The more I think about her, the harder it gets to remind myself that she’s someone I can never have, especially after this talk with Blair.

27

Veronica

Normally,lunchtimeismyfavorite time of day, especially since it gives me a chance to decompress and gossip with my teacher friends, but today is different. For once, I desperately need the distraction of teaching so I can think about anything other than Miles Bennett.

Ever since last night, and, well okay, maybe even a few days before that, he’s all I can think about. It doesn’t help that I had yet another sex dream about him—a continuation of our interaction in the kitchen but instead of him ending things and walking off, it was him eating me out on the kitchen counter, as if I were his favorite meal, before he carried me to his bedroom and we finished up in there.

Just thinking about the dream makes my skin prickle with heat, and I can feel my cheeks burning, but I play it cool as I set my lunch bag on the table and sit across from Ford.

“How’s the first day back?” he asks as he rips open a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos.

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