Page 29 of Fighting Happily Ever After

Still…

Faith took a deep breath. “I don’t know, Hope. You’re not supposed to be stressed about anything and—”

“Not knowing is stressing me out. Now, spill.”

Faith couldn’t help but smile at her sister’s stubbornness. She also knew it was probably true. No doubt Hope would work herself up if she didn’t tell her the truth. Besides, it was time. She was tired of carrying secrets.

“Wait here.”

As soon as the decision was made, it was like a weight she didn’t know she was carrying was lifted from her shoulders. Faith quickly retrieved the envelope from where she’d stashed it only minutes earlier and returned to Hope’s bed.

Once she showed it to her sister, there would be no going back. She could never take it back and the truth would finally be out in the open. Faith couldn’t decide whether that was a good or bad thing.

She took a deep breath. “Are you sure you want to know?”

Hope hesitated, obviously sensing the gravity of what her sister was about to show her. But just as Faith knew she would, she nodded and Faith handed her the envelope.

Cleaning up after an event with a helper who knew what they were doing made everything exceptionally easier. Especially when that helper wasn’t the woman you wanted to pin up against the wall and kiss senseless until she begged for more.

Logan looked over at his cousin.

Yes.Working without all the sexual tension was definitely easier. But not nearly as much fun.

“Why are you looking at me that way?” Levi tossed a tablecloth into the pile and searched for another one. “It’s creeping me out.”

Logan chuckled. “I was just trying to decide if it was a good thing that you’re not Faith.”

Levi shook his head and tossed another tablecloth in the pile. “That may be the strangest thing you’ve ever said to me.” He tipped his head to the side. “Well, maybe notthestrangest thing. But still, what the hell?”

“Well, on one hand, we can burn through this so much faster if I’m not looking at you wondering how I can get you naked in the next thirty seconds.” He ignored Levi’s exaggerated shocked expression. “But on the other hand,” Logan continued, “it would be a lot more fun if I was.”

“Wondering how to get me naked?” Levi tugged at the hem of his T-shirt. “Here, want me to—”

“Oh, hell no.” Logan tossed a pile of dirty napkins in his direction and laughed. “To clarify, it would be a lot more fun if you were Faith, and I was trying to figure out how to get you naked.”

“Right.” Levi laughed. “What is going on with the two of you, anyway? Obviously there’s some nakedness.”

“Some,” Logan agreed. “But…” He drifted off. Levi was his best friend and if he was going to confide in anyone, it would be him, but somehow it didn’t feel right giving him the private details. The last thing he wanted to do was lessen what had happened between him and Faith the other night. If anything, he wanted to make sure it happened again. And he might not know much, but he knew enough to know that it would never happen again if he wasn’t careful.

Levi waited a minute, but when Logan didn’t continue, he shook his head and went back to clearing the tables. “Whatever, man. All I’m going to say is it’s about time the two of you got over each other and got together.”

“You know we’re not actually together, right?”

Levi shook his head. “Whatever you say.”

“But damn it, I’d like to be.” It came out of his mouth so quickly, Logan didn’t even realize what he’d said.

Not until Levi ran across the barn floor and slapped him on the back. “You what?”

Logan shook his head and looked at his cousin, realizing what he’d just said out loud. And more importantly, how much he’d meant it. He’d always been attracted to Faith. Ever since they were kids, he got a knot in his gut when she was around. But she’d obviously never felt the same. At least, she sure acted like she didn’t. There’d been a few times he’d thought maybe, just maybe he’d caught her looking at him with that look in her eyes, but as soon as he tried to make a move, she shot him down. Repeatedly.

Sure, he’d been a kid with absolutely zero game, but his instincts couldn’t have been that far off. And a young man could only handle so much rejection before he started to take it personally. So it had become a game instead. How many ways could he make Faith Turner blush? Or smack him? Or roll her eyes? Or get really angry? That was the big payoff. If he could cross the line enough to piss her off, then he knew how much she cared.

Yes, he’d been a stupid teenage boy, who’d clearly gotten it backward. But some attention was better than none, right?

Wrong.

Those days were over. Now that he’d had a little taste of it, he wanted all the attention. All of therightkind of attention. He shook his head and told Levi as much.

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