Page 97 of Must Have Been Love

“So?” she asks, folding her arms across her chest.

“Have you asked your brother that question?” I say.

She rolls her eyes. “Of course I haven’t. Would you?”

I smile. “Probably not.”

“Areyou sleeping with him?” she asks again.

“Yes.” I’m not going to lie to her. And I trust her enough that this will stay between us. And if Hudson’s angry that I confirmed it, well let him be. This is absolutely his doing.

“Oh.” She blinks. “I didn’t think you’d capitulate that quickly.”

“Have I spoiled your plans?” I ask.

A smile pulls at her lips despite her attempts to look angry. “Kinda. I was hoping for a bit more back and forth. I’m not above resorting to blackmail.”

“Sorry.” I lean on the railing, feeling the breeze lift my hair. God, I love this place so much.

“So?” she asks, sounding urgent again. “When did it start?”

“I’m not sure,” I say honestly. “I guess at Ayda’s party.”

Her eyes widen. “You were the woman in his office that Parker disturbed?”

I wrinkle my nose. “I was.”

“I can’t believe you’ve been keeping this from me. I thought we were friends.”

“We are,” I tell her. She looks genuinely upset. I take her hand and squeeze it. “You were always going to be the first to know as soon as we were ready.”

“I was?” she asks, sounding mollified. “Good.” She clears her throat again, like the frog in it refuses to leave. “What exactly do you mean by ready?”

My heart rate picks up. “I think we’re going to start dating out in the open soon.”

Her eyes widen. “Hudson said that?”

“Yes. He wants me to meet with Dr. Methi. For us to discuss telling Ayda.”

“Oh my God!” Autumn starts to jump up and down. Her excitement is so loud it causes Barney to bark. Ayda looks up at us, her brows pulled tight. “Nothing, honey!” Autumn calls out. Then she lowers her voice. “Oh my God,” she whispers it this time. “We’re going to be sisters.”

“It’s just dating,” I whisper back. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“I’m not,” she insists. “Do you know how many times Hudson has asked somebody to meet Dr. Methi to discuss his relationship with them?”

I shake my head.

“Me either. Because it’s never happened.” She takes my hand and dances around with me. “Face it, it’s more serious than dating. He wouldn’t want you to talk to Dr. Methi about that. He’s into you. Really into you. He’s bound to propose in no time.”

I roll my eyes at her again, because seriously, this is too much. But there’s a warm feeling in my stomach that I can’t ignore.

Would it really be so bad if Hudson proposed? For the first time in my life, I feel like I belong somewhere. With people I’m falling stupidly in love with. Not just Hudson but Autumn and Ayda and Jesse.

No, I don’t think it would be that bad. And that’s really damn scary to me.

* * *

“So you’re Skyler Brown,” Dr. Methi says as he leads me into his office. “Please take a seat.” He points at the sofa, so I take a seat on the warm leather cushions. He sits down in the armchair opposite. “It’s good to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

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