Page 5 of Changing Rules

“I…love…you…too,” I mumble, trying to breathe. Her grip is suffocating.

When she finally releases me, Meg leans away, a tender smile stretching across her lips. “You’re so beautiful, birthday girl.”

“Thank you,” I murmur, my heart melting as I pull her inside the house. “I’m so glad you came.”

She chuckles as she slips her shoes off. “You’re my best friend. Where else would I be?”

Xander and I spent the morning together, but he’s dedicated to keeping himself in shape during the offseason, so when Drew and Marco insisted they meet at the gym, he agreed.

That means Meg and I have the whole house to ourselves for a few hours. I can’t complain. A low-key birthday with my best friend is exactly what I need. I plan to celebrate with myboyfriend later…in our bedroom. I have a very special wish this year.

“What do you want to do?” she asks, nose scrunching. “You were so cryptic when we talked last time.”

“I ordered pizza, bought two bottles of wine.” I grin at her. “And we’re going to watch our favorite movies.”

“The Devil Wears Prada?” She arches a brow, her eyes glimmering.

I nod. “And, if we have time…” I trail off, leaving her in suspense. “We are going to watch…”

“Oh, don’t tell me—I want to guess it myself.” She nibbles on her bottom lip. “Is itCrazy, Stupid, Love?”

“Yes,” I confirm, and she bursts out laughing.

After two hoursof giggling continuously, reliving memories that span a lifetime, and a bottle and a half of wine, Meg and I are extremely tipsy.

I can’t stop blabbering about the vacation Xander and I are taking in two weeks. We’re still not sure where we’ll go, but honestly, it doesn’t matter. We just want to get away from Boston and our families. May feels like a good time to do it.

“Has Xander’s sister moved back yet?” Meg asks.

“Yeah, they’ve been here for about a week.” I take a sip of my wine, hiding behind my glass, trying to ignore the heaviness in my chest.

“And?” Lips pressed together, she lifts both brows in question, clearly picking up on the change in my mood.

Sighing, I set my wineglass on the table. “And nothing.”

“What’s wrong?” Meg shifts on the couch so she’s facing me. “I couldn’t shut you up for even a second just a moment ago, and now you’re clamming up on me. Why?”

With a shrug, I run a hand over Milo’s head. “They found a rental fifteen minutes from here.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

The heaviness only grows, making it hard to breathe. “I dunno.”

Pauline wished me a happy birthday, along with Greg. They invited Xander and me to their place for dinner next week. Ryan texted well-wishes too, while Audrey…

“She doesn’t really like me,” I say.

“What? Why?” Meg pulls her legs up under her, her eyes never leaving mine.

“She liked me at first, but that changed pretty quickly after all the crap with Jake. She doesn’t like the negative press Xander has gotten. She feels like I took her place in his life—that’s what their mom told me.”

“I’m a little drunk, so maybe I can’t grasp the concept,” she says, blinking like she’s trying to clear her brain, “but that doesn’t make any sense. Being jealous of your brother’s girlfriend is creepy.” She shudders.

“Before me, Audrey was the only girl he really cared about. He would’ve done anything for her.” I swallow past the lump in my throat. “Now that he cares about me as well, she doesn’t like it.”

“Excuse me,” my best friend says, a little too loudly, “but her brother is twenty-six. She can’t possibly expect him to love his sister more than he loves his girlfriend.”

“He won’t be twenty-six until August,” I correct her.

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