Page 9 of Perfect for Her

Maybe this won’t be as bad as I think.

“Started without me?” I joke, taking in the platter of donuts, scones, and bagels sitting in the center of the table.

Kate makes a noise as if that was even possible and Hannah just chuckles softly, smiling shyly as she takes a sip of her coffee.

“These look so good,” I say, trying to get around the awkward pit in my stomach.

“So, Mark’s the father, huh?” Kate mutters through a bite of her bagel and I almost choke on air.

My eyes widen as I look around the table to see knowing smirks on all their faces. I want to ask how they know but Billie gently places her hand on mine and squeezes.

“You will soon learn that the men in this family do not know how to keep a secret. They love gossip almost as much as we do.”

I try and breathe, the unknown choking every word from my lungs.

“I don’t know what to say…” I whisper after a few minutes of silence, three sets of eyes peering at me with sympathy I didn’t think I deserved. “If I knew…”

Kate waves her hand in dismissal.

“We don’t give a crap about that, we want details. How did you meet him? Where did you meet him? Was the sex good?” Hannah gasps, her hand bracing against her chest as the rest of us laugh. “What? Inquiring minds want to know…”

“You guys really don’t care?” I came into this expecting judgment, anger, and maybe a little sympathy but this is nowhere near what I thought was going to play out when I walked in here.

“Did you know we were related to Mark in some way?” Hannah asks as I shake my head and Billie shrugs her shoulders, taking another sip of her coffee. “Then who the fuck cares? You didn’t know who we were and we didn’t know who you were. But my question is, how did you not recognize Max? I mean, they are twins.”

Fair point and I smile, relief washing over me as the weight rolls off my shoulders.

“I never met Max. I only ever dealt with Addison.” To be honest, I was supposed to meet Max the day before Mark showed up at my door but he got called into work early and so Addison dropped off Luna instead. I can only imagine what my reaction would have been if I met him and thought he was Mark.

“Wow, this is like a fucking movie.” Hannah rolls her eyes but Kate looks like she just got picked to be an extra on The Bachelor. “So back to our questions. How did you meet him?”

The waiter comes over and I order a tea, hating the taste of coffee and indulging in the habit I picked up overseas of drinking tea whenever I’m stressed.

“We were both in Jamaica for a week. I was at a bar being hit on by some sketchy-looking dude and Mark came up and pretended to be my boyfriend, and the rest is history I guess.”

Images of that night filter through my mind, my body heating at the memory of the way his body moved against mine. The second his hands gripped my hips and pulled me close I knew he would change me. The second I looked into the crystal-blue eyes and ran my fingers through that dark hair I knew that man would ruin me and I wasn’t wrong.

“So, you guys just fucked like rabbits for a week?” Hannah blurts out, covering her mouth with her hand as the rest of us break into hysterics.

“Pretty much. I don’t think I saw much other than the hut we stayed in and the beach. We didn’t even leave the room for food.”

Billie groans, her eyes rolling in the back of her head as we look at her, confused. “What I wouldn’t give to stay in a room all day and just have sex. Don’t get me wrong, Luke and I are very… hands-on, but sometimes you just want to pass out because all you’ve done is fuck and nothing else.”

“At least you guys don’t have kids. I don’t know how Addison and Max do it, but from what I’ve heard, they go at it every chance they get. How do you and Cash handle it?” Kate asks Hannah who turns a dark shade of red. As far as I know, Hannah just had a baby not too long ago, so her wide-eyed gaze is full of alarm.

“Ummm, I’m not at that point yet,” she says, clearing her throat. “I go for my six-week appointment in a few days.”

Kate wags her eyebrows suggestively. “Well, if you get the green light let me know, and I’ll come to pick up Carter from you so you and Cash can have some alone time.”

Hannah nods, a shy smile playing on her lips as I stay quiet, not really knowing how to interject into this conversation. I know Addison well enough, but talking about her sex life while she’s not even here? Not really my cup of tea. So, I just sit back and smile as the girls go on a tangent about sexual positions that I might need to look up once I get home.

“So, Mark really showed up on your doorstep?”

My eyes snap up to theirs, nodding, trying not to blush at what happened after, but of course, they notice.

“Okay. I need details because that look that crossed your face tells me that it’s very unsuitable for brunch,” Hannah whispers as I shake my head.

“We might have gotten hot and heavy on my couch.”

---