Page 49 of Falling Stars

Mav’s brow furrows. “Are you coming back here tonight? I know I fucked up, Baylee, but I’d like for you to stay so we can work this out.”

I take a deep breath. “I don’t know, okay? I need time to think about what you said.”

He nods slowly. “Fair enough.” His shoulders droop. “Thanks for the food.”

Ugh, now I feel like the asshole. Damn it. “Fine. We’ll talk later.”

Our eyes meet, and he gives me a hesitant smile. “Thanks. I’d like that.”

When Paige and I reach the elevator, her eyes are saucers. “What was that about?” she whispers.

“I’d been hoping to take this to my grave, but apparently, that’s not an option anymore,” I grumble. “Let’s get to the restaurant, and then I’ll tell you what’s going on.”

We walk a block down the street and duck into the Cactus Bloom Diner. We settle at a small table in the corner, next to the painting of the bright orange prickly pear cactus, and I unstrap Leo. He stretches his arms, and I smile. “Are you hungry, bud?” Paige and I both toss blankets over our kiddos and face the wall so we don’t flash our boobs to unsuspecting customers.

After the waitress takes our order and sets down our icedteas, I turn to my best friend and bite back my embarrassment. “Have you ever heard of the ‘kiss your best friend’ challenge?”

Her eyes light up. “I’ve seen a bunch of those online. They’re so cute.”

“They’re adorable. Unless the one doing the kissing gets rejected.”

“Yeah. That would blow. For sure.”

I wait for her to connect the dots. Then she grabs my arm. “Did you do that with Mav?”

“Six years ago.”

“What?” she yells.

Everyone in the restaurant turns to look at us. “We’re fine. Ella just bit her nipple,” I call out.

Paige snorts and smacks me and yells out, “No one bit my nipple.”

We both cackle. Once we’ve gotten the giggles out, I sigh and rehash the story. When I’m done, she’s lost in thought. “That actually explains a lot.”

“Sorry I didn’t tell you. I was mortified. Still am, actually.”

“Don’t apologize. I understand,” she says. I let out a relieved breath. I don’t know why I kept that bottled up so long. It feels good to finally unearth my secret. “Did that have something to do with the weirdness at Maverick’s condo?”

“The whole thing came up in conversation last night, and he apologized for lying about how he felt back then.” I give her all the details except for what he shared about his father. That’s not my story to tell. “I kept this locked away for years because it’s so humiliating, but I could really use someone to help me get perspective.”

She nods. “I’m so sorry, Baylee. I’d be upset too.”

“This whole time, I thought my feelings were entirely unreciprocated, you know? I watched him bounce from girl to girl like he was a giant fuckboy without a care in the world.” Every timeI’d visit him and Paige in Charming, I’d come home with my heart in tatters.

As she burps Ella, she hums. “Did he explain why he lied?”

“He said he panicked because if we broke up, he’d be losing the best friend he’d ever had. He said Rhett had warned him that sex could change a relationship and make things serious, and he didn’t want us to get hurt.” I retuck the cotton blanket around Leo while he nurses. “I guess he wasn’t ready to be in a serious relationship.”

“And if something happened between the two of you, it would be serious, fast.”

I pat Leo’s butt. “On one hand, I understand where he’s coming from. I was staying in Wild Heart and he knew he was moving to Charming for football. You and I both know what players’ schedules are like, especially during the season. But the part I can’t reconcile is that he lied to my face and denied having feelings for me. Like, I put myself out there?—”

“And he crushed you.”

“Yeah. I was devastated, and the whole time, I thought I’d imagined us having this intense chemistry. It took me years to recover from that.”

Paige reaches for her sweet tea. “When did this happen?”

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