Chapter 16
LILY
“Oh, boy. What did he do?”
Lily lifted her head to see Jasmine’s head poke into her bedroom. “What?”
Her twin entered fully and waved a finger in Lily’s general direction. “That face. Something happened. You look… miserable.”
Lily threw a pillow at her sister. “I’m not miserable,” she insisted. “I just…”
How could she say she felt off when she didn’t know why?
Jasmine studied her for a long moment, then sighed. “You know what you need? You need to go out.”
Snorting, Lily picked up the book she’d been reading, though she didn’t know why she bothered. She couldn’t stay focused long enough to follow the story. “Aiden is working. I can’t go out.”
“Oh, come on. You’re not going to be one of those people, are you?”
Lily peeked at her. “One of what people?”
“The kind of person who doesn’t go out unless their boyfriend is with them. Who said you need to go out with him? You can come with me. Granted, you’ll be a third wheel…”
Lily’s eyes flared wide. “You’re going out on a date? With who? Please tell me it’s Parker.”
Jasmine threw back her head with a laugh. “He is so not my type.”
Except that they were.
Lily had seen it from the first moment they met. Aiden had seen it, too. Parker and Jasmine had similar views on relationships and what they wanted from life. The only problem was that neither one seemed interested in risking anything romantic.
Or perhaps that was the point.
They understood each other well enough to recognize the danger.
Lily sighed. “Okay, so who are you seeing?”
“Someone you don’t know. But we’re going to meet up at the country club. You should come. It should be fun.” Jasmine bounced onto the edge of the bed and plucked at Lily’s pajamas. “But you’re definitely going to have to change.”
Lily laughed and nudged her sister with her toe. “Since when do you believe in love again?”
“I don’t.”
She said it with such a flippant tone that Lily gave her a double take.
“Then why are you going on dates again? Isn’t that… against everything you do believe?”
Jasmine dropped with an exaggerated sigh onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling.
“I want to believe in love. I really do. I want to find what Mom and Dad had and be able to connect with someone so entirely that I can’t fathom living without them.
But…” She rolled her head so she could look Lily in the eye. “I just can’t.”
Her voice had gone quieter.
Less teasing.
“So I’ll keep going out with guys until I find someone I can tolerate, and I’ll live my life vicariously through you.”
Lily frowned. “That’s really sad. Are you sure you don’t think you could connect with Parker?”
Her sister rose onto her elbows, nose wrinkling. “Nah. There’s no way he’d make me as happy as Aiden makes you. I like Parker too much to lock him into a relationship where he’ll never have that.”
The words were practical. They were also strangely tender. Jasmine might not believe in romance for herself, but she cared enough about Parker not to ask him for less than he deserved.
The warmth in Lily’s chest faded and was replaced by a chilling reality. Jasmine had no idea what it was like to hide a relationship from everyone.
Hiding what she had with Aiden was wearing on Lily to the point that she wasn’t sure how long she could keep doing it.
Hadn’t she broken up with Reese because she wasn’t happy with the way their relationship was going?
She’d felt like she wasn’t being prioritized, even though she couldn’t blame Reese for any of it.
His job was important. She understood that, which was why they’d broken things off amicably.
But this was different. Aiden was here. And still, most of the time, she couldn’t have him where anyone might see. Was it so bad that Lily wanted to enjoy her love out loud?
“Okay. Spill.”
Lily shot a surprised look at her twin. “Spill what?”
“That look. You went from hopeful to sour in less than ten seconds. What’s going on? Talk to me.”
Shaking her head, Lily clamped her mouth shut.
She’d sound like a selfish girlfriend. She’d agreed with Aiden that they needed to come up with the right time to tell Mathew, and with everything happening with Penny, now just wasn’t that time.
Still, she couldn’t keep pretending the delay didn’t hurt.
Jasmine poked at her. “I’m not leaving until you tell me.”
“Fine. It’s not all flowers and rainbows, okay? Everyone’s love life is shadowed by something, and my relationship with Aiden is no exception.” Lily sighed. “I don’t get to share my happiness. I don’t get to go out with Aiden in town and hold his hand. I don’t get to claim him as mine.”
Understanding dawned in Jasmine’s eyes. “But it won’t be forever, right?”
“It’s not supposed to be.”
Jasmine studied her. “That wasn’t a very confident answer.”
Lily looked away.
Her twin’s expression softened. “Until then…” She wagged her eyebrows in a clear attempt to make Lily laugh. “You get to be my third wheel.”
Lily shot her a flat look. “Oh. Goodie.”
Jasmine threw back her head and laughed.
The sound was so genuine that Lily couldn’t fight her own smile. This was what she loved about her sister. She always knew how to make a bad situation feel a little lighter without pretending it wasn’t there.
“Oh, come on,” Jasmine said. “You know you want to. You’ve always hated being cooped up. And you’re no stranger to being single.”
“But I’m not single,” Lily said pointedly.
There was no way she’d entertain the attention of another man. She loved Aiden. And if he had to work, she’d make sure he didn’t have to worry about her losing interest.
“I’ll come with you, but the second anyone gets too pushy, I’m out of there, and you have to find your own way home.”
“Deal!”
“Reese! What are you doing here?”
Lily threw her arms around her best friend, then pulled back with a laugh. He looked just as surprised as she did. “I thought you were going to be out of town for the weekend. Or at least busy.”
He nodded as he stepped back and let his arms drop to his sides. “I thought I was. But then things changed. And you said you weren’t interested in going out because you didn’t feel well.”
There was an accusatory air to his voice, but before she could say anything, Jasmine jumped in.
“That’s because she’s missing her beau. Mr. Amazing has to work tonight, so she’s my third wheel.” Jasmine stood on her toes and scanned the room. “My date is around here somewhere. I’ll have to introduce you.”
She’d always gotten along well with Reese. But then Jasmine got along with everyone. She just didn’t connect romantically with anyone.
Reese nudged her. “Sounds like you need an upgrade.” He winked at her, and she laughed.
“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?” Jasmine purred, going a little overboard with her flirting. She dragged a finger up his arm and walked around him like he was her prey.
He watched her with amusement, turning with her movements. “All I’m saying is that you deserve better than to be ditched by your date. Please tell me you’re not serious with this one.”
“As if,” Lily said with a laugh. “Jasmine will never be serious with anyone. Not even someone as amazing as you.”
“Alas, if only I were available to fill that role, I’m certain I could have changed your mind.”
This he directed at Jasmine, but it caught the attention of both of them. They stood before him with wide eyes and mouths agape.
His focus bounced from one to the other. “What? Why do I feel like you’re both going to eat me alive?”
“Reese Crawley!” Lily crowed. “Are you seeing someone?”
His eyes widened, and he let out a laugh. “What? No. You and I both know that’s not going to happen in the near future. I can’t offer a woman what she needs. Not with my travel schedule.” Then he seemed to realize what he’d said. “And no, I’m not dating.”
He made a show of pouting like he was auditioning for a role in a new drama. “But I’ve already punched that ticket, Jazz. Sorry.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jasmine asked, curious more than anything.
“It means, dear Jazzy,” he said as he draped his arm around her shoulder, “I can’t date you because you’re never supposed to date your ex’s sister. And it goes both ways. I’d never date my best friend’s ex, either.”
“Ahh.” Lily nodded. “He’s got a good point.”
Jasmine pulled out from under Reese’s arm, probably in case her date returned. She wouldn’t want him thinking she was flirting with another guy. Reese was more like a brother to her, anyway.
Still, she planted her hands on her hips and cocked her head. “And why not? What’s so wrong with dating me?”
“It’s not you, sweetheart,” Reese insisted. He glanced at Lily. “Back me up here, Lils.”
“It’s…” Lily looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “Messy. Think about it. If he asked you out and things got serious, then you might wonder if he was comparing you to me. Or what if your self-confidence took a hit anytime we hung out?”
Jasmine’s expression shifted.
“Same sort of situation with the whole dating-a-best-friend’s-ex thing,” Lily continued. “Can you say you’d be okay if Isabelle or Sophia dated someone you were serious with?”
Jasmine held up her hand. “Okay, okay, I get it. Yeah, I suppose that would get messy. Because if I wasn’t over said ex, then it would be hard to see them together all the time.”
“Exactly.”
“And even if everyone was over it,” Lily added, “I’d still want the people involved to be honest. Otherwise, someone is bound to feel betrayed.”
Reese nodded. “That’s the bigger issue.”
The conversation had gotten a little too serious for Lily’s liking, but thankfully, they didn’t linger on it for long.
And Lily didn’t have to worry about catching the attention of other men because Reese remained a decent buffer.
When he went off to dance with a girl who had arrived with her friends, Lily checked her phone. She’d expected to see a message or two from Aiden since he liked to touch base with her from work.
But fate must have been smiling on her because at that moment, her phone rang.
She slipped outside and answered. “Hey, there.”
“Hey, beautiful.”
She grinned and leaned against the balcony rail so she could keep an eye on the door and make sure she didn’t say anything she didn’t want overheard.
“Is that music I hear? What are you up to?”
“I went out with Jasmine. We’re a tricycle tonight.”
“A tricycle?” Aiden laughed. Then he grunted with amusement. “You must be the third wheel in that scenario?”
“Well, I couldn’t exactly bring you with me, now could I?” The words came out a little sharper than she intended.
There was a brief pause.
Lily brought her thumb to her mouth and chewed on it. If he had gotten off early, she’d leave right this second.
“How long is your break?”
“I have to head back to it in about five. But I don’t want to talk about work. I want to hear about your day. Anything interesting?”
She laughed. “Not really, but Jasmine and Reese just had an interesting conversation about dating.”
“Ooh, do tell.”
Lily explained the conversation she’d had with Reese and her sister, detailing their reasoning. “I never would have pegged Jasmine as being okay with dating my ex, but until we pointed everything out, she seemed to realize it would be a bad idea. Maybe it’s because we never got too serious.”
Aiden grew quiet. So quiet, Lily pulled the phone from her ear and checked the screen to see if he was still on. The call was still going.
“Aiden?”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah, angel. I… do you… is that how you really feel?”
“About what?”
“The whole dating someone like that being messy…”
“Oh.” Lily frowned. “One hundred percent. Don’t you?”
More awkward silence followed.
This time, she didn’t rush to fill it.
“I don’t,” he said at last.
“Really? Why?”
“I don’t know. I guess if it feels right, there’s nothing you can do to stop those feelings. The heart wants what it wants, and all that.”
She frowned. That was a good point, too, but it wasn’t enough.
“The heart wanting something doesn’t mean no one gets hurt,” she said carefully. “I guess I would hope the two people involved would be smart enough not to cross that line before feelings got in the way. Or at least honest enough to talk to the people who might be affected.”
Lily waited for him to agree, but it never came. The silence stretched, and something small and uneasy took root in her chest.
“Aiden?”
“Look, a patient just got admitted, and I need to take their vitals. Talk to you tomorrow?”
The answer came too quickly.
“Yeah…” she murmured. “Sure.”
“Okay, good. Love you.”
“Love you, too,” she whispered.
But he had already hung up.
Lily kept the phone pressed to her ear for another second before lowering it. Maybe he really had needed to get back to work. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d brushed against something he didn’t want her to see.