Page 102 of I Loved You First

For years she’d worked her butt off, wanting to prove to everyone—but mostly to herself—that she’d earned her spot on Simone’s prestigious payroll. Now, she struggled to care that she worked for one of the most sought-after event planners in the world.

Sighing as she stared out at the Seattle skyline, she longed for gluten-free dinners by the lake and building Legos with a five-year-old.

It was late in Vermont. Brady would have been tucked into bed by now, and maybe Cam, too. If she were still there, they would undoubtedly be snuggled up under his covers.

Shaking her head, she focused on her notes as Leo stopped in her doorway.

“Why am I not surprised to see you still here? I’m starting to wonder if you have a sleeping bag under your desk.”

She smiled at her handsome friend, who still looked fit and fresh after fourteen hours on the job. There wasn’t a blond hair out of place or wrinkle to be found on his slim-fit white pants, lapel-striped button-down, or navy-blue blazer. Leo’s trendy outfits were always on point. “I’m wrapping things up now. I’ve been busy these last few days.”

“And quiet. And sad,” he said as he walked farther into her space.

She shook her head, struggling to blink back a fresh wave of tears that were always too close to the surface. “I’m fine.”

Leo raised his brow. “Girlfriend, please. Neither of us believes that no matter how many times you tell me.”

Staring at her desk, she fought to swallow over the emotion choking her throat. Giving up, she covered her face with her hands and started to cry. Because she’d never been more miserable.

“Fi.” Leo nudged her up from her seat as his voice dripped with sympathy. “Honey, come here.”

She stepped into his arms, returning his embrace as he hugged her hard.

“Tell me about it,” he murmured next to her ear.

She sniffled, inhaling a shaky breath as she rested her head against his chest. “Work’s not helping this time. It doesn’t matter how early I get up or how late I stay, I can’t stop thinking about them.”

He nodded, rubbing his hand up and down her back. “It’s going to take time. You’ve only been home for a week.”

“Eight days,” she corrected as she eased back to wipe at her cheeks.

He raised his brow again. “Okay. Eight days, then. But who’s counting?”

She wanted to smile, but she couldn’t. Because every second of the last week and one day had passed in centuries. She missed Cam and Brady.

Leo sighed. “Your heart’s broken, honey.”

She nodded while more tears trailed down her cheeks. “In a million pieces.”

He guided her over to the couch. “Let’s sit down.”

She sat next to him, taking the tissue he plucked from the box on the side table, unceremoniously blowing her nose. “Thanks.”

“Sure,” he said, pulling another tissue from the box and handing it to her. “Now, tell me everything because you’re not fooling anyone with your scarily bright smiles and ‘I’m fines.’ You’re especially not fooling me.”

She nodded as another tear fell. “Cam and I… We were trying to be just friends, but after things changed, I wanted him, Leo. For as long as I could have him, I wanted whatever we could have.”

Leo nodded. “I totally get that. That man’s a delicious piece of meat.”

She huffed out a small laugh as she rolled her eyes. Leo could make her smile in nearly any situation.

“Keep going,” he encouraged with a gesture of his hand.

“I knew we were going to end. Neither one of us pretended anything different. I don’t know how I convinced myself that our goodbye would hurt less this time.”

Leo stared at her with compassion-filled eyes. “Have you talked to him?”

She shook her head. “He called again. On Saturday night when I was still at the Drake event. I want to hear his voice so badly. I want to know how Brady’s doing, but it’s better if we stop dragging this out and just go our separate ways. We promised each other simple, but nothing about me and Cam is simple.”