Page 35 of Theirs to Take

“We need to talk,” he breathed.

“Well, have you finally come to break up with me?” She had been trying to get him to break up with her at work for two days now. He had insisted that it was too early in their fake relationship to start fighting and eventually, break up, but she disagreed. The longer they let this disaster go on, the more chance that they’d blow their cover and Nova would find out. She wanted to stop lying to her friend, but more than that, she wanted this tension between her and Rod to dissipate. She was tired of arguing with him. Evie actually liked the guy and she had a feeling that they could become friends if they could just get past having to lie to everyone about being together.

“No,” he said. “But Alex knows.”

“What?” Evie asked. She was about to invite him in to have their conversation but decided against it when he blurted out what he’d come to talk to her about.

“I didn’t tell him—Tyler kind of did,” he said.

“Tyler kind of did? How is that possible?” she asked.

“It’s a long story,” he said.

“Well, I’m about to go to Tyler’s for game night, so give me the abbreviated version of the story,” Evie insisted.

“Tyler invited me to game night,” he said.

“When did he do that?” Evie asked.

“After you left him stranded for dinner, we both got takeout and he let me buy him a drink. That’s when he asked me to attend,” Rod said. “Just a reminder—you were the one who told Tyler about our little lie.”

“Right, I remember,” she assured.

“Well, Tyler apparently told Alex that he invited me to game night and Alex showed up in my office asking why Tyler had to invite me and why I wasn’t just coming with you.”

“And you told him about us lying to Nova,” she said.

“No, he guessed that we weren’t being completely honest with them, and I can’t lie to my brother,” he said.

“While I find that admirable, Rod, I’ve been lying to a woman who I consider a sister for almost a week now, and you didn’t think twice about asking me to do that. I can’t believe this. You are such a hypocrite,” she shouted, “we’re telling Nova tonight. I’m done with this stupid game.”

“This isn’t a game, Evie,” Rod said. “I honestly thought that I was doing the right thing. I’m sorry.”

She pushed her way out of the door and locked it behind her, just about shoving him out of the way. “Let’s go,” she said, grabbing his hand. She pulled him along to his SUV and jumped into the passenger side. He slipped into the driver’s side and looked her over.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m making sure that you don’t back out of this. We’re going to Tyler’s for game night, and you are going to tell Nova everything—including the part where this whole thing was your idea and that I was against lying to her from the start,” Evie said.

“You honestly don’t trust me to show up at Tyler’s?” he asked.

“Nope,” she said. “I think that you’ll find a way to get out of it. If I go with you, then you won’t have the chance to back out on me.”

“Won’t showing up together look like we’re actually together?” he asked.

She shrugged, “I don’t care, really. We’ll just sit Nova down and tell her that you made the whole thing up.”

“And then what? We sit around and play board games like nothing happened?” he asked.

“Well, that’s what I plan on doing. You are welcome to leave if you don’t want to stick around,” she insisted.

“I don’t think that you’ve thought this through, honey,” he drawled. He turned onto Main Street, and she knew that they were almost to Tyler and Doug’s. “If I leave you at Tyler’s place, you won’t be able to get home since I’m your ride.” Shit—he was right.

“I’m sure that Nova and Alex will give me a ride home,” she countered.

“Sure, after we spill our guts to Nova, she’s going to be kind enough to run you home after game night.” She knew that he was right about that too, and she wanted to tell him to just shut up. She hated that he was right. Hell, she hated this whole situation.

“What would you have us do then?” she asked. “I mean, you obviously don’t want to come clean with Nova, even though it’s only a matter of time before her husband tells her. Tyler can’t keep a secret to save his life. If he’s already hinted to Alex what’s going on, he’ll do the same with Nova. Then what will we do? Telling her ourselves before anyone else does is the only way.”

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