“And Worth was there the entire time?”
I nod. “I don’t know what I would have done without him.”
“I’m so relieved. But honestly, you could have told me. I would have gone to Cincinnati with you.”
“I didn’t want to ruin this time for you and Leo. Most people would still be on their honeymoon at this point.”
“You’re my friend,” she says. “I want to be there for you.” She pulls me into a hug. “So how are things with your dad?”
“I stayed in Cincinnati until he was discharged from the hospital, but I didn’t visit him again. He needs to get better. And then… I don’t know.”
“You’ve always adored him.”
“I thought he sacrificed so much for us—working so we could have a comfortable life. In reality, it was my mom who made the huge sacrifices. Staying with him, knowing about his second family, but wanting us to have a picturesque childhood anyway.”
“You know, I’m kind of proud of her for divorcing him now,” Jules says. “She’s still young enough to fulfil her own dreams.”
I haven’t really thought about my mom in all this, other than the sacrifices she’s made in the past. But Jules is right. She has a chance at a real life now. Maybe she’ll move to New York.
“Tell me about you and Worth,” she says, emptying a bag of chips into a bowl on the counter.
“Aren’t we about to have brunch?”
She looks at her watch and then shrugs. “Food will be here in ten minutes. What are we supposed to do, not eat until then?”
I take a chip. “Worth’s been amazing. He got me to Cincinnati on a private plane on Thanksgiving. We were at Tavern on the Green with his sisters but he didn’t hesitate to come with me?—”
“You met his sisters?”
“Yeah, just for a few minutes. Because then I got the call from Oliver.”
“But you were doing Thanksgiving at Tavern on the Green with the fam?”
Before I can answer, Leo comes into the kitchen. “Fisher and Jack are here. Do we have that weird beer Fisher likes?”
“Did you hear Worth and Sophia went to Tavern on the Green for Thanksgiving? With Worth’s sisters.”
“Yeah, he just said,” Leo says. “Sorry about your dad.”
“Thanks,” I reply.
“You don’t think that’s a big deal?” Jules says. “Like… I think Worth really likes her.”
“He married her. Of course he likes her.”
“But it was a Vegas thing. They were drunk and acting crazy.”
“Yeah, sounds like Worth,” Leo says sarcastically.
Jules snaps her head toward me. “Was he drunk and acting crazy?”
“We’d had a few drinks, but no, he wasn’t drunk.”
“He’s in love with you,” Jules says, and my heart bunches in my chest. I can’t quite breathe. “Isn’t he, Leo?”
Leo holds his hands up in surrender. “I just came here for beer.”
“Try the bar,” Jules snaps playfully before shooing him back toward the living room. Turning back to me, she asks, “Are you in love with him?”