Page 42 of American Sweethearts

I busted up at that and soon we were both giggling until we ended up lying down on our sides. I ran a finger over her forehead where a frizzy curl had escaped the bun on her head. “I’m not trying to talk you into or out of anything. I just want to be here for you.”

“I know. Thank you.” She pressed her lips to mine in a gentle kiss, her eyes still sad when we separated.

I thought about my conversation with Yariel, about his text from yesterday saying his agent had read Pris’s blog and loved it. That she wanted to meet her, and I dearly wished I could hand her this new possibility. But after tonight, and hearing how much she needed to feel in control of her life, I knew I’d overstepped. I’d been promising her that I’d changed. That I wouldn’t make the same mistakes of the past, and yet I’d gone ahead and blabbed to Yari with the intention of fixing things for her. So, I could present her this neatly packaged new career, when she was still grieving the fact that the one she’d made for herself no longer fit her and ruin everything we’d manage to rebuild. Or I could keep my mouth shut. So I said nothing and laid there dying inside while I watched her struggle.

“We can’t be fucking around at that cabin.” Her words pulled me out of my troubled thoughts and it took me a moment to figure out what she was saying.

“The cabin” was Easton’s family lake house. Some kind of mansion Upstate we were all invited to for a couple of days next week, after Christmas. The whole crew would be there and that meant we would be the only two who were not paired off. And because our friends were meddling assholes, I knew she’d want to keep whatever it was that we were doing under wraps. Hell, I was kind of glad that we wouldn’t have to deal with the twenty questions from our friends. Still it stung to hear that she didn’t want them to know.

I nodded, as I worked on unclenching my jaw, so I could say something. “The last thing I want is being stuck in a house with Camilo all up my ass about my sex life.”

She twisted her mouth, trying not to laugh at my very poor choice of words. But when she spoke, she sounded better. “I’m going up to Ithaca tomorrow and will drive to the cabin from there.”

“P and Easton are coming down to Odette’s for Christmas Eve, so I’m going up with them. Can I catch a ride home with you?” I was being fresh, but there was no way I was blowing a chance to drive down together. Especially not after two full days of having to keep my hands and my dick to myself.

She nodded and burrowed into me with a contented sigh. “Let’s sleep, Juan Pablo.”

I wished I could tell Pris how much more I wanted with her. But I didn’t need to add my own shit to everything she was already dealing with. So instead, I reached over and turned off the lamp by the bed and gathered her tightly to me. This wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot. But it was what I could have right now, and I would take it.

chapter twenty-eight

juan pablo

We got to Easton’s family mountain lodge in the Adirondacks after dark, and there were already some cars in the driveway. The plan was still for me to get a ride back with Priscilla, since Camilo and Tom, the other pair that lived in the city, were taking a private flight out of Rochester straight to DR for New Year’s. Because that was how bougie that little fucker was these days.

I saw Nesto and Jude’s truck and Tom and Milo’s Range Rover. Pris’s car was nowhere to be seen, but I didn’t want to act all thirsty again. We’d said we’d keep things casual and I didn’t want to assume anything and fuck with our vibe. Instead I decided to spend some time busting Patrice’s balls for hooking up with the most eligible bachelor in Upstate New York.

“Damn, P, this place is nice, bruh.” I could see Easton smiling in the driver’s seat as he eased into an empty spot in the enormous circular driveway. The lodge was pretty awesome. Up by Lake George and nestled in a copse of huge pine trees. It looked like a legit log home, but I assumed it was mad fancy inside. “How big is this place, Easton?”

Easton turned around to look at me, but not before he stretched to give P a hard kiss on the mouth. Then he beamed that megawatt smile my way. Dude was always happy as hell.

“Oh it’s pretty big, my whole family comes here at least once a year.” He smiled then and leaned over again to kiss P a secondtime, because one of the many changes love had made in my friend was that he no longer cared about PDA. Nope. Patrice would show his man some love anytime, anywhere.

I wasn’t jealous.

“I usually only stay for one night, but Patrice was my plus one this year when we came up for Thanksgiving.” The smile he gave my friend when he said that was so full of love, I was not surprised to see him practically melt from it. Before they pulled apart yet again I heard him whisper, “Always, bébé.”

Jesus, we’d be rolling deep with the love fest for the next couple of days. I’d probably have to choke out my dick just to make it through dinner with the way these fuckers were dolling out the PDA. But I wasn’t going to harsh their buzz. Just because everyone was coupled off and living the #relationshipgoals dream didn’t mean I had to be a Bitter Becky.

“So you were saying?” I asked pointedly, as they sat in the car literally rubbing noses. I wasn’t trying to sit here for another hour watching these two make out.

Easton snapped to attention, an apologetic smile on his lips. “Sorry, right. There are four bedrooms. So you and Pris will have to share one.”

That little grin didn’t look remotely remorseful and I should’ve seen this bullshit coming. They all had a hard-on for Pris and I to get back together—just as bad, or worse, than our parents did.

I didn’t twist my mouth, but only because I wasn’t going to get rude with the host. “Uh huh.”

Right as we were getting out the car, I saw headlights coming up the driveway. When it passed us, I saw Pris’s serious profile as she carefully navigated the snowy terrain and parked right behind us. We made quick work of getting out of the car, our bags from the back, and met Pris at the stairs going up to the house’s front porch. We did the mandatory round of hugs andkisses and I tried really hard not to stare at her ass in the leggings she was wearing.

She looked around at the well-lit wooden porch and the comfortable looking rocking chairs smiling. “Damn it’s been a minute since I’ve been up here. I think the last time was that New Year’s Eve a couple of years ago.”

Easton smiled wide and nodded. “That’s right. It was after the hottest summer ever.” That was said with a suggestive smile directed at Patrice. Meanwhile my friend cheesed at his boyfriend like he’d hung the moon.

Pris and I turned to each other and made gagging noises as we walked up the few stairs to the entrance. I tried no to pout at the fact that I didn’t get to kiss her like that. That I wanted to let her know that I’d missed her in the two days since I’d seen her. That I couldn’t stop thinking about her, worrying about her job. That she was back to being the center of everything for me. I couldn’t do or say any of it. That was the agreement.

I sighed as we got to the door, and when I looked at her, I was relieved to at least see that her eyes looked a little regretful, too. But then she pointed at the big picture window and we both smiled at the scene. Inside we could see Milo curled up on one of the couches in front of the gigantic fireplace. Jude was arranging a charcuterie platter on the equally gigantic coffee table, and the smells coming from inside meant that Nesto was doing his thing in the kitchen.

Pris opened the door and hollered inside, “Feliz Navidad, mi gente!” Patrice and Easton were right behind us and soon we were all bickering and laughing. It had been a while since we’d been together like this. These next couple of days would be nothing but relaxation, and I couldn’t fucking wait.