The Best Friend Bargain
“Maybe she rejected you.”
“You really think you’re second choice?”
“Well…” Not usually. But—”Sometimes.”
“You gonna let me in?”
“When did you—”
“This morning.”
“It’s barely—”
“It’s nearly noon, princess,” he says.
“But—”
“Would have done it sooner, but I had to sober up.”
Alcohol is a blood thinner. Getting a tattoo drunk is a bad idea. “What… what happened?”
He taps the door. “Let me in.”
“Or?”
“Or I’m putting my shirt on.”
“That will hurt your case.”
“Even so.”
It’s a compelling argument.
I open the door.
Forest steps inside.
He’s close. And he smells so good. Like the soap at his house.
Like A+D Ointment and fresh ink.
God, it’s even better up close. The other half of my tattoo, the one he did for me. Another line from the song. It wraps around his broken heart.
It’s ours.
It’s just for us.
Delicate, subtle, perfect.
God, he hates that movie. He hates it, but he still—
“Can I?” My fingers brush his chest.
“You don’t need permission to touch me.”
“Never?”
“Never.”
“What if I tell you to get lost? To go back to Mackenzie and beg her to have you?”
“I won’t.”
“What will you—”
“If you really want me to leave, I will. I’ll hate it, but I’ll leave. I respect you, Skye. You are my best friend. You always come first.” His thumb brushes my palm. “Is that what you want?”
I shake my head. “What happened?”
“After you got drunk and freaked out?”
I want to argue, but I can’t. It’s fair. Accurate. Kind even. He’s giving me an out. I think. “Yeah.”
“I got drunk and… figured things out, I guess.” He takes my hand. “Mack was at the bar.”
“What?” Jealousy rises in my throat.
“Let me finish.”
“If you—”
“She was saying all this bullshit, and I snapped. I can take her hurting me, but not hurting you.” He moves closer. Until he’s close enough I can smell his shampoo. “I was pissed. I told her I’d kill her if she hurt you again.”
“You did?”
“Not in those words, but yeah.”
“Would you?”
“If you want me to.” He squeezes my hand. “I told her to stay away from you. Because you deserve better, Skye. You deserve a happy life where no one ever fucks with you.”
“She—”
“I don’t think she realizes it, but I don’t care. I can’t watch her hurt you.”
“Okay.”
“And I… I don’t have everything figured out. But, fuck, Skye the thought of losing you—it hurt worse than anything ever has.”
“Yeah?”
“Not just because you’re my best friend. Though you are.” His voice gets soft. “Because—I’m still not sure what the words mean. If I have it exactly right. But I’m getting there.”
“What the—”
“I’m not the smartest guy. Or the richest. Or the most… the least fucked up. But I’ll love you more than anyone will.” His eyes meet mine. “I love you, Skye.”
“You love me?”
“Yeah. It was obvious after you left. There was this hole in my gut and nothing could fill it. Nothing but making sure you’re okay. But trying to make you happy.”
“This?” I trace the lines of his new tattoo.
“Yeah. Holden did it.” His expression fills with vulnerability. “You like it?”
My nod is heavy. Like isn’t a big enough word. “I love it. I love you.” I stare up at him. “I…”
“I want to hear anything you have to say, princess. But right now, I really need to kiss you.” His hand goes to my cheek. He looks down at me, asking for permission.
I nod a yes.
He leans in. Presses his lips to mine.
It’s soft, slow, sweet.
Mine.
Right now, he’s mine.
No, he’s finally mine.
Forever.
Epilogue
Skye
Ariel pulls the door open. “Is it really eight?”
“Yeah.” Forest hugs his sister.
She hugs back. For a second, she crumbles with exhaustion. Then she shakes it off, steps into the living room, draws a circle around Charlotte’s crib. “She’s fed and changed, but she—”
“I’ve got it,” Forest says.
Her eyes bore into his. They question him. She’s as protective as Chase is. “Can you do an hour?”
“I can do all night.” He goes straight to the crib. Leans over it. Lets Charlotte wrap her tiny hand around his finger. “She’s an angel.”
Ariel shoots me an is he for real look.
I laugh. Of course, he is. Forest hasn’t been as doting as Chase. But he’s been obsessed with Charlotte since the day she was delivered. Four months ago.
Ariel is madly in love with her daughter. But she’s also exhausted. It’s all over her face.
“Take his word for it,” I say. “Make him babysit all night.”
He pulls Charlotte from the crib. Holds her to his chest. “All week. All month. Forever.” He looks into his niece’s eyes. “She’s the sweetest thing.”
“She is.” Ariel softens. “But she’s also an evil little sleep thief.” She crosses the room to her daughter. Leans in to plant a kiss on her head. “I’m going to miss you, baby.”
“You’ll be in the next room,” Forest says.
“Even so.” She tears herself away from her daughter. Takes a single step toward the bathroom. Then another. Another.
I swear, it takes her five minutes to cross the living room. And it’s not a huge one.