Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
“And if Beatrice can’t watch the kids, we’d love to,” Savy adds.
“Oh, we couldn’t ask you to do that,” Bree says, shaking her head. “That’s way too much.”
“We want to,” Savy says, placing her hand over Bree’s. “We tried to pay for the wedding, but Brody refused.” She glares playfully at Brody. “Any ideas where you might want to go?”
“I don’t know,” Bree says. “I’ve never been anywhere.”
“Really?” I ask.
“Nope, I don’t even have a passport.”
“Well, we need to change that,” Brody says. “What about Italy or Paris? They’re both known for having amazing food. Right? Maybe you can meet some of those crazy chefs on that food show.”
At his words, Bree’s face falls. “Excuse me,” she breathes. “I need to use the bathroom.”
She takes off, and Brody and I exchange a look before we get up and follow her.
“What’s wrong?” I ask when we catch up to her in the bathroom.
She’s standing in front of the mirror, tears sliding down her cheeks as she tries to stop them with a tissue.
“I’m sorry,” she says. “I didn’t mean to—”
“Hey,” I say, turning her to face us. “Don’t apologize for getting upset. Tell us why so we can fix it.”
“It’s not something you can fix,” she says. “I was supposed to go to France. Pete paid for me to study with some of my favorite chefs. It was his Christmas present to me. He had just given it to me right before he…” She chokes out a sob. “Right before his heart stopped.”
Oh, fuck.
“I never went. Beatrice offered to watch the kids so I could go, but I couldn’t find it in me to leave them. With Pete gone, I was all they had. It was just too hard.”
“I’m sorry,” Brody says, wiping under her eyes. “I didn’t know. Fuck Paris,” he jokes. “Nobody wants to meet those over-the-top chefs anyway.”
Bree snorts out a laugh. “Actually, I totally would,” she says with a watery smile. “Your words just caught me off guard and brought back memories of that day.”
Brody and I pull her into a hug and hold her until she’s calm and ready to go back out and join everyone.
The rest of the evening goes smoothly. We talk and eat and dance. At the end of the night, Ben and Savy give a speech, thanking everyone for coming out and supporting a cause that’s close to their heart, and then we take off. Since it’s the weekend, Bree and the kids spend the night. Bree cuddles with us until she’s ready to fall asleep, and then she moves to the bed she shares with Evie.
“We should order a bigger bed,” I say to Brody once she’s fast asleep. “I don’t see her wanting anything other than to sleep with both of us once they’re living here.”
“You okay with that?” Brody asks. Despite us being best friends, and me making it clear I’m okay with everything we’ve done together, he sometimes worries that his attraction to me will push me away.
“I’m more than okay with it,” I assure him. “I’ll start checking out beds, so we can have one here before they move in.”
As I’m pulling my phone out to do a search, a text comes through from my dad: I need to see you in my office Monday morning at eight
I must make a noise of disgust because Brody asks if everything’s okay. “Yeah, just my dad and his bullshit.” I send a quick text back letting him know that’s not happening, then set his contact to mute, not wanting to deal with his crap tonight.
“Let’s look at some beds,” I say, clicking on the internet. “It needs to be big and comfortable.”
“Make sure it’s waterproof too,” Brody adds. When I give him a brow up in question, he smirks. “You see how wet our woman gets? Just wait until we have her in our bed every goddamn night.”
And because he isn’t lying, I add waterproof to the search.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
AUBREE
Me: Lunch today?
Brody: Only if I can have you ;)
Hayden: Can’t. Sorry.
“Where’s Hayden?” I ask Brody thirty minutes later when I walk into his office with a bag of food from the deli we love.
“I’m not sure,” he says, pulling me into his arms and kissing my lips. “You smell like cupcakes.” He runs his nose along my jawline and then playfully nips at my bottom lip before brushing his lips against mine.
“I was baking this morning,” I tell him. “Viviana had an appointment.”
“Mmm, any chance you brought me one?” He tugs me closer, and his leg parts my thighs, rubbing against my center.
“No, sorry.”
“That’s okay,” he murmurs, sucking my lip into his mouth. “I’ll just eat you instead.”
After the gala, we discussed the mechanics of our relationship. The guys mentioned that while in a perfect world, the three of us could always be together, there will be times when one of them has to go out of town, and they’re okay with me being with only one of them. They don’t consider it cheating in any way.