Page 7 of Heavenleigh

I glared at him, and he smirked, that knowing gleam in his eyes.Shrugging, I turned my back to him and my sister to give the woman on the other end of the line my full attention.

“Jake, hey,” she said, her voice full of warmth.“Sorry, I didn’t text you back.I only saw it about an hour ago, and then something came up.I’m about to meet my friend.But maybe after…”

“Definitely after,” I told her.

“Okay,” she said softly, that warmth turning hotter.“I…I think I miss you.Weird, right?”

Something uncoiled in my chest, a knot I didn’t know was there until it eased.“Not weird, because I miss you too, bunny.”

“Jake,” she breathed my name, and that was all it took.Just that sweet, husky voice saying my name like it was the only thing worth speaking, and my entire body responded.

There was a small pause, both of us working to get ourselves under control.Soon, I promised my aching cock.I’d see her before midnight.Have her back in my room before sunrise.In my bed before breakfast.Married before the new year.

That was a solid plan that I could and would make happen.

“I’ll call you after,” she said.“See you soon.”

The call ended, and I stood there, my back still to my sister and friend, trying to get my body to calm the fuck down, staring at my now-black screen.Missing her so damn badly my heart literally hurt.

And then Yara screamed.It was her excited girlie scream that she only set free when she was overwhelmed with happiness.Warren grunted at the unexpected loudness, then muttered an explicit curse.

“Holy shit, that’s the friend?”

I turned slowly, curiosity finally pulling me from the mental itinerary I’d been preparing of a countdown to making Ven mine in every way.Yara had rushed forward, her arms around another girl dressed in a black dress.They were both laughing loudly, pulling all eyes to them as they embraced and simultaneously jumped around in a silly circle.

All I saw was dark hair hanging loose, long legs, and killer heels.Then they stopped dancing around, and I finally got my first look at my sister’s best friend.

Every ounce of air suddenly forcefully evacuated my lungs, my heart doing a crazy double beat that was borderline painful before it settled into a tempo that imitated a racehorse on the track.

“You’re here!”Yara exclaimed, her voice full of emotion that she rarely allowed anyone besides Warren and me to hear.“This is the best, worst day.It started out so shitty, and I nearly killed someone.But now I get to end it with you and my other favorite people in freaking paradise.Yes, best worst day ever!”

Laughing, Ven hugged her again.“It’s going to be the most amazing, I promise.I’ve already got everything planned.Brunch.Spa.Dinner.Dancing.You’re going to be spoiled to within an inch of your life.”

“I missed you.”Yara pulled back slowly and then turned to face us.“Guys, this is my bestest best friend in the world.I don’t know how I would have survived college without her.Heaven, you’ve spoken to Warren plenty of times to know who he is.And this is?—”

“Jake,” Ven breathed, her blue-gray eyes widening in surprise.Then her smile turned softer.“Of course it’s you.The universe has been very insistent today.”

All I could think wasshe’s been right there, right under my nose.And I had no idea.So close.I could have found her sooner.Loved her longer.We could have been building a life together for years at this point.

It felt like a betrayal somehow, that my sister had denied me the person I was meant to be with.My one.My soul mate.

But that feeling only lasted a moment before I shoved it away.The past didn’t matter.We were here now.That was the important part.

Yara turned to face me from across the table, hands on her hips, eyes narrowed in a way that reminded me of our mother.And it definitely would have pissed my sister off if I’d voiced that observation.Especially given the current climate of their mother-daughter relationship.

“Jake, this is my best friend.Not an acquaintance or a classmate.Not a throwaway friend.Not some person I met once and we casually say hello if we cross paths.This is mybestfriend.She is my favorite person in the world, and, yes, Warren, she trumps you.I love her.I will kill for her.And if you play games with her, I will make use of that beautiful active volcano and push your sorry ass into it.”

Her face shifted, going from scary baby sister to benevolent in a single blink.Her eyes softened, a shimmer of what I hoped was acceptance staring back at me.“You’re not going to do that, though, are you, Jacob?You aren’t going to play games with my bestest best friend.”

“Is Scrabble an option?”Ven asked with a mischievous smile, nudging Yara out of the way so she could get closer to the table.“Oh, thank gods you ordered appetizers.The clock was quickly running out before I turned into a she-hulk and smashed everything in my path in search of carbs.”

Without hesitating, she grabbed a coconut shrimp and took a hearty bite.Moaning, she chewed, not appearing the least bit self-conscious.“Yar, this is divine.Oh, is there mahimahi in this salsa?Yum.”

She ate like no one was watching, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away.I’d never witnessed a woman enjoying food so much.Even Yara had a tumultuous relationship with eating.That was thanks to our mother, who had made her self-conscious of every calorie she consumed to the point that I’d once thought she was struggling with bulimia.The majority of the women I’d known in any and all capacities throughout my life were like that, and I’d never paused to question it until Yara was older.

When she went off to college, she was scary thin, but by that first Christmas, she’d gained a few healthy pounds.Which she’d lost again during that winter break.I took a few days that following spring to visit my sister, and she’d appeared healthy once more.That night at dinner she’d actually eaten more than a few bites of salad.

Scooping up some of the salsa with a chip, Ven carefully shoved it into Yara’s mouth.“Eat more, talk less.Two minutes.Then you can ask all the questions.”