Page 50 of Faking it with My Billionaire Bosses

I stared out at the backyard and watched as a hummingbird swooped down to drink from a feeder. The bright colors were stunning while it hovered in the air and then flew away too fast for me to track. “They said she was lying about part of it. Any of it being true is enough for me to think they aren’t very good men.”

She hummed to herself and finished her coffee. “Good and bad is very black and white for you when it comes to men.”

I turned to look at her. “Well, yeah. How could it not be?”

She smiled and stretched. “Promise you won’t get upset with me?”

I frowned and nodded. “Sure. Why would I?”

“I think your Mom’s behavior gave you huge issues with men. You’ve always been so quick to write men off. Good men, men who were perfect in 99% of ways. At the first sign of a flaw, you run.” She saw my face twist and rushed on. “I’m not saying whatthey did is just a flaw. What they did is big. I’m just talking in general. I think you’re always so wary of ending up like her that you’re too careful with your heart.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I just know when something isn’t right for me.”

“Honey, you had one bad sexual experience as a teenager and wrote off sex for years. You closed yourself off. When it comes to men, you’re a hard one to get to. These three men broke through all those barriers. I know that what they did is wrong, even if I don’t think we truly know what they did, but I don’t think you would’ve let them in like you did if there wasn’t something there.”

I stood up and walked to the edge of the patio. Looking out at the yard, I swallowed down the urge to cry even more. My head ached from all the tears I’d shed. When I turned back to her, I mostly had control of myself. “Maybe I do judge men too harshly and too fast, but look at the situation I’ve gotten myself into.”

“Okay, let’s break this down. Samantha’s accusations were that they tricked you into signing a contract, planned on using you to make themselves look even better, and cheated on you with her. Am I getting most of it?”

I gritted my teeth and nodded. “Seems like it.”

“I don’t buy it.” She shrugged when I looked at her in shock. “You told me about Drake bringing you that contract and that he even offered to set you up with a really good contract lawyer. That’s a far cry from tricking you into signing a contract which fucks you over.”

“Maybe something changed.” I stared at her and shook my head. “Why are you doing this?”

She motioned for me to sit down. “I’m just trying to look at this thing from all angles. I hate seeing you so hurt and…I talked with Rosie last night.”

“About what? What could Rosie possibly have said that made you go from wanting to kill the guys to trying to tell me they’re not all that bad?”

Gia narrowed her eyes at me. “Sit down, Sunflower. Don’t get pissy with me. I’m just trying to help.”

I sank into the chair across from her and motioned for her to go on. “What did Rosie say?”

“She said the guys are really upset. They wouldn’t talk to her about it, even when she threatened them, because they said they didn’t want to make her think one way or another before you got a chance to talk to her. They did tell her they’d hurt you, though, and that they were going to everything they could to make it better.” Gia watched me closely. “Rosie probably won’t tell you, but she likes them. I think you should talk to them and find out the truth before you tell Rosie anything. Like you, she watched your mom go through asshole after asshole. I think you should be completely sure these men are assholes before telling her they are.”

I wanted to be angry at her. Maybe I was a little bit, but mostly I was just tired. I missed the anger. Gia was a true best friend. She would kill for me, but she would also kill me with the truth if she thought she needed to. Her brutal honesty wasn’t always fun, but it’d helped me more than a few times. I just wasn’t sure I could face her truth so fast in this situation. My feelings were too raw.

“Maybe just hear them out.” Gia reached over and took my hand. “I know you. You’re probably calling yourself a million names right now, convinced you’re an idiot. The thing is, though, Sonnie, you’re one of the smartest people I know. You’re protective of yourself and Rosie. You wouldn’t have let those guys within a mile of you or Rosie if you weren’t sure they were good. I don’t think you were wrong. I think they deserve a verballashing and to have to spend the next six months spoiling you to make it up to you, but I don’t think they’re bad.”

“You’re going to tell me I’m not an idiot? Look at the situation I’ve gotten myself in.” I stood up suddenly, knocking my chair over, and placed my hand over my stomach as a wave of nausea washed over me. Rushing over to the grass, I bent over and threw up violently.

Gia rushed over to me and held my hair back as I vomited. “Oh, babe. You poor thing. We don’t need to talk about it anymore. I’ll stop.”

I lifted my head and wiped my mouth. With a weak laugh, I looked over my shoulder at her. “It’s not you. I just… My body never responds well to stress. At least it’s not explosive poop!”

She laughed and pulled me into a hug. “Are you sure it’s not? You kinda stink.”

“Thanks.”

Rosie walked out the house at that moment and put her hands on her hips. “I don’t know what happened, but I left Monster at their house so we have to go back.”

I slumped into Gia’s hold and nodded. “We’d never leave Monster behind.”

“They’re really upset, Sonnie. I don’t know what they did, but they’re sorry. If you don’t even try to hear them out, you’re being dumb.” Rosie lifted her chin and frowned at me, looking more like a disappointed parent than my little sister. “I thought they were going to be just another set of morons like Mom’s boyfriends, but they’re not. Did you know that while you’re out on your dates, the other guys have been watching movies with me or playing games? The first couple of days I thought it was lame, but they’re funny and they let me pick the movies. They didn’t even complain after watchingMean Girlssix times. They’re nice.

“I threatened them. I was rude. I told them I would ruin their lives.” Rosie winced at my expression. “They didn’t flinch. They were still nice. They made you happy, Sonnie. So, whatever they did, you need to talk to them and then get over it. I don’t want to go back to our old house and I don’t want to go back to trying to piece together meals when you’re too busy to go to the store to buy groceries.”

My chest constricted as all the air left my lungs at her words. “Rosie, I’m so sorry.”

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