“You promise?”
“Swear,” he said, kissing her more thoroughly, more deeply, but he maintained control, completely aware of where they were.
“Did I get here in time?” Avery’s voice interrupted them, and Ella jerked out of his grasp. “I was about to board when I got the call,” his sister continued.
Tyler swung around just after Avery burst into the room, out of breath. For Ella’s sake, Tyler prayed his sister’s mind remained on the new baby and not—
“What did I just walk in on?” Avery asked, her startled gaze jumping from Tyler to Ella. “Are you two hooking up?”
* * *
Ella cringed at getting caught kissing Tyler by his sister, her best friend. Given the choice, she’d want to sit Avery down and talk to her, explain both the past and the present. In fact, she’d planned on calling her as soon as she had a chance. Avery wasn’t just her best friend, she was her sister. The person who’d stood by her when no one else had. She couldn’t risk losing her.
“Avery—” Tyler began.
“Avery, please, can we talk?” Ella brushed past him and headed for her friend, determined to take charge of the conversation.
She glanced over Ella’s shoulder to Tyler, then looked back to Ella. “Sure. I take it there’s been no baby?”
Tyler shook his head. “Not yet. Everyone took a break, but they’ll all be back soon,” Ella said. She grasped Avery’s hand and led her to the farthest chairs.
Tyler took a step toward them. Ella shook her head. “No. I need to talk to your sister.”
He held up both hands and backed away, leaving the two women alone.
“Are you hooking up with my brother?” Avery asked, her voice tempered. Not angry, but not jumping for joy either. “I saw the chemistry between you two when you returned from the island. So?”
Ella shook her head and looked into her friend’s concerned gaze. “You need to brace yourself because it’s more than just the one night we just spent together.” She twisted her hands together nervously.
“Relax and talk to me,” Avery said.
Ella blew out a breath and stared up at the dingy hospital ceiling. Of all the places she thought she’d admit her youthful indiscretion, a hospital waiting room wasn’t one of them. “Okay. Remember the Christmas we snuck the schnapps from behind your parents’ bar and got drunk?”
Avery grinned and let out a laugh. “Of course I remember. I passed out cold so damned fast.”
“And after you did, I … snuck into your brother’s room.”
Avery brushed back her bangs and blinked. Then blinked again. “You snuck into Tyler’s room?”
Ella nodded. “And into his bed.”
Her friend’s eyes opened wide. “Did you…?”
Again, Ella nodded.
“But you were a virgin!” Avery shouted … just as the rest of the family filed into the room. “Sorry,” she muttered.
The rest of them gave them a wide berth, so Ella figured she might as well continue. “Yes, I was a virgin.”
“You… Tyler… He took your—” A bright flush stained Avery’s cheeks. “Oh my God.”
“I didn’t tell you because I was ashamed. Ashamed of what I did under your mother’s roof, ashamed of how I acted, that I betrayed your trust.” She trembled as she relived those awful feelings, feeling so pained at having betrayed her friend. “And things didn’t end well between me and Tyler afterwards, which was another part of the reason I wanted to put the whole sordid thing behind me.”
Avery twisted her fingers together, obviously thinking hard about what she’d just heard. “So … that’s why things between you two were always so weird.”
“Yeah.” Among other reasons, including what he’d said to her afterwards, but Ella didn’t need to share the details. She only needed Avery to know she was sorry.
“And now?” Avery asked.