Page 23 of Knight

They’re relentless. “You mind your own business, young lady.” I flick her leg and she shrieks.

“Oh, you mean the Children’s Hospital fundraiser? My firm is sponsoring a table. I’ll be there too.” Oh great, just what I need, Cassandra on my date with me. Who knows what will come out of her mouth. Well, at least I’ll have a familiar face, if not a big mouth.

We chat and laugh and have fun, just like we do almost every Sunday night. These four ladies are my everything.

Reagan asks Skylar what’s the latest with Jason. I can tell neither Reagan nor Harley like him. I haven’t met him. A situation I clearly need to rectify. “I don’t know. He’s so hot and cold with me. One minute we can’t get enough of each other, and the next he just falls off the grid for a day or two at a time and won’t tell me what he’s up to. I’ve never really been insecure in relationships, but this guy has my head spinning. We’re not that serious. It’s not a big deal. We’ve only been dating for a few months. Leave it be.”

I hate hearing her like this. She’s never like this. Normally if a guy pisses her off, she just dumps him and moves on to the next. She’s never insecure in relationships. I love that about her.

“Skylar, you’re a smart, confident, beautiful woman with everything in the world going for you. You deserve someone who makes you feel good all of the time. Not someone who makes you feel bad half of the time. You’re about to take your grad school exams and apply to business school. You don’t need someone messing with your head and dragging you down.”

She looks at me with defiance. “Yeah, well the sex is amazing, so I’m not quite ready to give him up just yet. Maybe I’ll keep him around for the last year of school and then cut him loose. I know you guys are just trying to help, but I really can manage this myself. I’m not exactly a doormat here.”

People have always thought it weird that my girls and I speak so openly about sex, but that’s just how it’s always been. Even when they were teenagers. I was always honest and open with them, and eventually, they became the same with me.

Scott and I always felt that showing the girls a healthy relationship was a really important part of parenting, as was the ability to openly discuss things and talk things through, without fear of punishment.

At times, our family dinners included condom demonstrations, boyfriend intimacy information, and birth control pill instruction. Sometimes Scott would excuse himself if it became too much, but that’s just how things were for our family. It makes me happy that the openness continues into today.

That all being said, I’ve always hoped that the open way we are, and the marriage they saw, would be conducive to the girls being in healthy relationships. It doesn’t sound like Skylar is in one, and I don’t like it at all. I’ll make it a point to come down and meet her for lunch soon to discuss things further. For now, I’ll respect her wishes and drop it.

Eventually, the girls head to the bar for their weekly sister time, also known as lemon drop shots, leaving Cassandra and me alone.

The second they’re out of earshot, Cassandra turns to me, “Several orgasms? Details please.”

“Oh, Cass. It was kind of a wild night, and he’s a really passionate guy.” I go into full detail about the evening, from our under-the-table escapades at the restaurant, to my initial hesitation about sleeping with him, to the amazing sex we had.

“At least he knows what’s he’s doing. You never really dated anyone but Scott, but a man who knows what he’s doing in bed is like a unicorn. You seem to have found two of them. I hate you for that.” I laugh.

“I think you’ve found more than two men who know how to please you, Cass.”

“Yeah, but I’m running at, like, a 15-20% success rate. You’re at 100%.” I guess I am. I’m a lucky girl. I smile.

I decide to have some fun of my own and really make her jealous. “He’s hung like a fucking horse. I’ve never seen anything like it. I wasn’t even sure if I could take it all in. I thought he’d split me in half.”

She glares at me while I smirk. “I have half a mind to throw this drink in your face. You better be lying.”

I shake my head no while continuing to smirk.

She narrows her eyes at me. “You are the worst friend I’ve ever had. I hate you. We’re breaking up.”

“You can never break up with me. You’re stuck with me for life. I love you.” I hug her and kiss her cheek. I do love her.

“I love you too, and I’m happy for you. You deserve lots and lots of happiness, and you really deserve lots and lots orgasms.”

I giggle.

“What now?”

“I don’t know. He texted me this afternoon about missing me. It sounds like we’re going out again on Friday. I’ll see where it goes.”

She smiles. “I’m so proud of you. I want my best friend back and this is a giant first step in that direction. This is the first time I’ve seen her in a while. I love seeing this smile on your face. It hasn’t left all night.”

I suppose she’s right. I am smiling a lot tonight. Of course, it has a lot to do with being with my favorite four ladies, but I think Mr. Knight also has something to do with it.

We eventually say our goodbyes and I head home. I see that Jackson called while I was at dinner. I’m still a little emotional over that letter and trying to figure out what I want from this relationship. I text him, letting him know that dinner ran late, and that I’m exhausted and headed to bed. I’ll talk to him tomorrow. I think I fall asleep before my head hits the pillow.

CHAPTERNINE

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