Page 71 of Friends With Benefits

“He’s not here yet,” Hailey told her in a low voice. “I haven’t said anything about you two breaking up, but everyone’s going to wonder why you’re here without him. Someone’s going to ask where Mitch is.”

“Oh, God.” Kerri pressed a hand to her stomach. “What should I say?”

“Just keep it simple.” Hailey handed her a glass of wine. “Just say you’re not together any more and you think he’s coming later.”

Kerri nodded. She went back out to mingle with friends, her eyes constantly going to the door every time someone came in. She tried to laugh and talk and pretend her life wasn’t crumbling, tried to keep the sadness from swamping her. Luckily, Jason and his wife had just announced they were pregnant, which focused everyone’s attention on them.

She was talking to Jason’s wife about the baby, and strangely, she wasn’t even envious. Usually when someone was pregnant, she had to fight off feelings of jealousy because that was something she wanted so badly.

Was it possible that if she didn’t have Mitch, it didn’t matter if she had kids?

Whoa. That was a radical mind shift for her. But a baby didn’t seem like such a big priority when she was so miserable from missing Mitch.

It wasn’t the best time for Mitch to finally show up. He walked in looking all tall, big and gorgeous, smiling at Hailey, clapping Miguel on the back and wishing him happy birthday.

Kerri couldn’t take her eyes off him. Her heart squeezed painfully and she could hardly breathe. He hadn’t noticed her yet, so she could watch him. He didn’t look like the happiest guy in the world either. Well, good.

She turned back to Marla with a bright smile. “So, do you want a boy or a girl?”

Marla laughed. “I know I’m supposed to say I just want a healthy baby, but the truth is, I really want a little girl!” She chatted on while Kerri put on a show of listening and talking animatedly in case Mitch looked over.

When she glanced back to where he’d been standing, he was gone. She swallowed, and she and Marla and Hailey continued their baby discussion. She turned her empty glass in her hands and wished desperately for another drink, but she was afraid to get up and go get one in case she ran into Mitch.

“Hailey?” she murmured. “Would you be a super friend and get me another glass of wine?”

Hailey just looked at her. “Sure,” she said. “You just hide here in your corner all night.”

Sarcasm. Whatever. Kerri was totally fine with just hiding there in her corner all night.

Eventually Mitch reappeared in the room and, like magnets, their gazes collided instantly, sending a jolt through her like a live current. The music, the loud chatter of voices fell away, and all she could see was his face—sober, serious, mouth straight, eyes shadowed. Kerri’s lips trembled and her throat hurt. Her chest ached painfully.

I can’t do this. I cannot do this. No, I have to do this.She wanted to flee, but some small remnant of pride made her stay where she was, leaning down to hear Marla’s latest comment. She laughed, tearing her eyes from Mitch’s, and flipped her hair back from her face. Even as she did that, she recalled him teasing her about flipping her hair and slowly lowered her hand with a little heart stab.

She downed the rest of her wine and stood, happy now to have a reason to escape the room.

There was a second smaller party going on in the kitchen, as usual. Hailey was getting some food ready to serve. “Can I help?” Kerri asked desperately.

“Sure,” Hailey handed her a bowl of chips. “Go take this to Mitch.”

“Huh?” She stared at her friend, dumbfounded.

“I’m kidding,” Hailey said. Then she muttered, “Sort of.”

Kerri took the bowl from her friend and said in a low voice, “Are you trying to tell me I should talk to him?”

Hailey looked back at her, her face sad. “You guys had something special. I just think you could still work things out if you just talked.”

“I don’t want to talk to him,” she said through clenched teeth, and turned and stalked away. She went into the living room, flung the bowl of chips down onto a table, and walked out again. She went down the hall to the bathroom, fighting back tears. Someone was in there, so she went into Hailey’s bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed, trying not to sob. God, this was hard.

She was sitting in the dark when the open doorway filled with a large body silhouetted against the hall light. She recognized Mitch’s form even though she couldn’t see his face.

“Are you okay?” he asked in a low voice.

Desperately she blinked back tears and forced a smile. “Of course,” she said brightly. “Just waiting to use the bathroom.”

“Kerri…”

“Just go away, Mitch.”

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