Chapter twenty-five
Rylee
The lie.
T he cool air outside fills my lungs, and I release it slowly before pushing the door open and stepping inside Mia’s café. The smell of coffee and freshly baked croissants hits me instantly.
Taking the day off to visit her was necessary. So much has happened in the past two weeks, too much to explain over the phone. The thought of lying to her about my marriage to Luc twists my stomach, but putting her in a position where she’s forced to lie for me would be even worse.
I glance at the counter, expecting to see her, but she’s not there. Looking around the room, I spot her curls by the window, sitting on the table, fingers moving rapidly over her laptop.
Damn it. She’s in the middle of a writing sprint. My timing couldn’t be worse. I hesitate, wondering if I should turn around, but my feet carry me forward, anyway. I slide into the seat across from her, waiting for her to notice me.
She’s so focused that she doesn’t.
I clear my throat. “Hey, girl,” I whisper, not wanting to startle her.
Her head snaps up so fast I’m surprised she doesn’t pull something. Her wide brown eyes lock on mine, and her face instantly breaks into a smile.
“Oh my God, you’re here!” she squeals, jumping out of her chair and nearly knocking it over.
Before I can react, she’s throwing her arms around me. I stand just enough to hug her back, laughing as she squeezes the air out of me.
“I missed you, too,” I say, grinning.
She’s bouncing, drawing a few irritated looks from the quiet readers around us.
After a few seconds, we sit, still grinning at each other.
She closes her laptop and pushes it aside. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
“Sorry for showing up during your sprint.” I brush my hair behind my ear, nodding toward her laptop.
“Are you kidding?” She waves me off as if the very idea is ridiculous. “Don’t even worry about that. I’m just so happy you’re here.” Then her eyebrow lifts up in a mock glare. “Even though I’m still mad at you for ghosting me. Do you know how close I was”—she pinches two fingers together—“to driving to your place and making sure your boss didn’t kidnap you as his sugar baby?”
“First of all, no one kidnapped me.” I remove my coat and hang it behind my chair.
“Good to know.”
“But… there’s a lot I need to tell you.” I slip off my gloves, setting them on the table.
Her gaze falls to my hand, freezing there. “Rylee?” Her voice is softer now, her eyes fixed on my ring. “Is that an engagement ring?”
My stomach flips. I nod.
Here we go.
“What the fuck, Rylee? How, when, who?” Each word spills out faster than the last. Her hands are flying in every direction, nearly knocking over her iced coffee.
I bite my lip, bracing myself. “Two days ago. Well, he proposed, of course, and…” I tap my finger on the table. “Luc.”
“Two days… Luc?” she repeats, as if she needs to hear it again to believe it. Leaning in, she lowers her voice, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Luc as in Lucien Kingley?”
I nod, unable to meet her gaze, and she throws herself back into the chair.
“Rylee. Queen. Del. Sol. Explain. Now.”
Uh-oh. She only uses my full name when she’s mad.
I let out a long breath, looking down at my hands. My fingers fidget with the edge of my sleeve. “Remember the summer I was here? You asked Luc to show me around, and we ended up spending a lot of time together…” I pause, my throat tightening. “It just kind of happened. I didn’t say anything because, well, Luc had feelings for you, so I wasn’t supposed to…” The words taste sour as they leave my mouth, even though they’re half true.
She blinks at me. “Luc didn’t have feelings for me. He was just confused back then, but I knew he liked you.” She rolls her eyes, exasperated. “Why do you think I asked him to show you around in the first place? I wanted you two to hit it off. And when you went back to New York and didn’t tell me anything, I thought nothing happened. You always tell me everything—even who you slept with. I thought if something had happened, you would’ve told me. But I guess I was wrong.” Her words hit like a slap.
“I wanted to,” I say, barely above a whisper. “But I felt… guilty for betraying, and breaking, our girl code. Even though we didn’t really sleep together.”
“Wait—y’all didn’t sleep together?” she asks, her brows pulling together in surprise.
“Not really,” I admit, my cheeks flushing. “But we kissed, and… we spent the night together. And I wanted to.” God, I wanted to . “But I couldn’t because—you know…” I nod toward her, unable to meet her gaze.
Her expression softens as she leans forward. “Rylee, I never liked Luc that way. He’s like a big brother to me.”
“I should’ve told you. I’m sorry.”
She exhales sharply through her nose as she sits back again. “So, what happened after you went back to New York?”
My stomach twists, the lie sitting heavy in my throat. “Well, we, um… kind of made an unofficial long-distance agreement. Like, we could see other people, but when the time was right, we’d try to make it work.” I bite the inside of my cheek to keep steady.
Mia’s brows draw together as she listens, her thumb absently playing with her ring.
I hate this.
“When he found out about my job, he jumped at the chance to help me. He didn’t tell me at first, because he wanted it to be a surprise. He thought I’d say no if I knew it was him. And when we saw each other again…” I take a breath, forcing the words out. “We realized we still had feelings for each other. He said he didn’t want to lose me again, so he proposed and I said yes.”
I exhale slowly, waiting for her reaction. She’s quiet for a few seconds, as if she’s processing everything.
“It hurts a little that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me the truth.” The sound of her voice breaks the silence. “To think that I’d be anything but happy for you…” The hurt in her eyes cut deep in my chest.
“Mia, I’m sorry—”
“But,” she interrupts as a tear slips down her cheek, “I’m so, so happy for you.” Her hands reach across the table, taking mine in hers and squeezing it tightly. “You deserve all the love and happiness in the world, and I’m glad you finally let someone in to love you the way you deserve. I know Luc, and he’ll treat you right.”
Her grip on my hand tightens, her warmth seeping through my skin, and I fight the urge to cry as she beams at me through her tears.
“OMG!” She holds up her engagement ring beside mine, both diamonds sparkling under the light. “We’re getting married!”
Her laugh is bright, bubbling through her tears, and I try to smile at her excitement, but it doesn’t take away the weight in my chest.
Her love with Jake is real, but my marriage to Luc is nothing but an arrangement. My mind drifts back to the contract. One year, then I’ll grant you a divorce. If we decide to stay together, we’ll revisit the prenup. The chances of him falling for me are zero. Even if a tiny, foolish part of me hopes he could love me one day, I know better. No man will ever love you, Lily. We’re cursed, remember.
Her laughter fades, and she studies me carefully.
“You’re not mad at me?”
“Of course, I am.” She laughs through the last of her tears. “You’re my best friend, and I love you a lot. But you’ll have to earn my forgiveness. You can start by making me your maid of honor.”
I laugh despite the guilt swirling in my chest. “You’re the best friend anyone could ask for, and I love you so much.”
Then she glances over my shoulder; her face lights up with that sweet Jake smile just as he appears beside her. “Hey, princess.” He leans in, brushing his lips against hers in a kiss that lingers as if they’ve forgotten anyone else is in the room.
When he finally pulls back, his eyes search hers, his brows furrowing slightly.
“Hey, baby, you okay?” He crouches in front of her to meet her eyes. His thumb brushes the last trace of tears from her cheek.
“I’m fine.” She waves a hand, brushing it off. “Happy tears… maybe a bit of hurt tears, but mostly happy.” She chuckles, the sound a little wobbly.
I wince at the hurt part.
Jake doesn’t look away, his gaze steady, searching hers like he’s trying to read her thoughts. “Yeah?”
She smiles softly, nodding toward me. “I just found out my best friend Rylee is getting married.”
Jake’s head turns to me like he’s just realizing I’m sitting here. His focus had been so completely on Mia that I might as well have been invisible. “Hey, Rylee,” he says with an easy smile. “It’s so nice to see you. And congrats.”
Before I can respond, Mia leans closer to him, her grin playful. “Guess who she’s marrying.”
“Who?” Jake asks.
“Luc,” she says, her eyes lighting up even more.
Jake blinks. “Your friend Luc?” His eyes bounce back and forth between Mia and me. He straightens, standing before settling into the seat beside her. “When did that happen?”
“It’s a long story,” I mumble, shifting in my seat.
“I’ll tell you all about it later.” Mia nudges him.
“Right, well, happy for you both,” Jake says with a polite smile.
“So how’s everything with the hotel?” I ask.
Jake and Mia opened a boutique hotel here in Les Collines d’étoiles. They named it The Waterfall. They really are aa power couple. Mia’s books and bookstore café are doing amazing, and Jake is already thinking about expanding with another hotel.
“It’s doing amazing.” Jake nods. “We’re working on the new expansion.”
“That’s amazing! Have you guys picked a date for the wedding yet?”
They both turn to each other, a second passes between them.
“Not yet,” Jake finally says. “We just have a lot going on.”
I look over at Mia, who gives me a half smile.
Jake exhales, turning his full attention to Mia. “I just wanted to see you before heading back to the hotel.”
I glance at my phone, pretending to scroll, giving them their moment. Jake murmurs something to her. I take a quick peek at them as he brushes his nose against hers. Then he presses a soft kiss goodbye to her lips.
“Bye, Rylee, it was nice to see you.” He stands tall again, offering me a warm nod.
“It was nice to see you, too.” I watch as he leaves. I didn’t like the guy at first, especially after he let her walk away with a broken heart. But now? I can’t deny he’s good for her. He makes her happy, and that’s all I care about.
As soon as he’s gone, I turn to Mia, smirking. “You two are disgustingly cute in the most nauseating way possible.”
“Shut up.” She rolls her eyes, but the dreamy smile on her face doesn’t fade.
She’s my best friend, and I truly am happy for her, but sometimes, it’s hard to quiet that jealous little girl inside me—the one who used to daydream about love, about someone who would look at me the way Jake looks at her.
“So, when’s the wedding?”
I quickly push those feelings aside, forcing a bright smile. “I’m not sure yet, but pretty soon. Like, in a month?”
Her jaw drops. “A month? That’s way too soon!”