Chapter 26
LILY
“Will you stop following me around? I’m fine.”
Jasmine snorted. “If you were fine, you wouldn’t be biting my head off right now.”
Lily whirled to face her twin. “If you weren’t stalking me at my own birthday party, I wouldn’t have to bite your head off right now.”
Affronted, Jasmine poked Lily in the sternum. “Our birthday party. I was there the day we were born too, if you recall. And I’m pretty sure I came out first, even though Mom and Dad say otherwise.”
Lily’s mouth dropped open. “What?”
Jasmine was trying to bite back a smile, but Lily wasn’t going to get distracted by that. She could feel the amusement from her sister pouring off her in waves. Jasmine lifted her chin and folded her arms. “Clearly, I’m more mature than you. So I had to have come out first.”
The laughter that burst from Lily’s throat was more disbelief than anything else. “That’s… that’s a low blow.”
Her twin shrugged. “I tell it how I see it. Now, are you going to tell me what happened with you and Aiden… and Reese? Or am I going to have to track him down myself? Oh, look. He’s right over there.”
Jasmine turned in that direction, but Lily’s hand shot out and caught her wrist.
“Don’t you dare,” she hissed.
Normally, Lily wouldn’t mind sharing the more intimate details of her feelings with someone she trusted. Jasmine was her closest confidant. She was the one Lily went to for advice and to feel sane again when things got a little crazy.
Like they had today.
But something was holding her back. The way she felt about Aiden seemed too personal.
She didn’t want Jasmine pushing her opinions on the matter.
Somehow, Lily knew that if Jasmine chose this moment to remind her she shouldn’t be handing out second chances like candy on Halloween, part of her would be inclined to agree.
And yet that didn’t feel completely right either.
Aiden needed someone to understand where his fear came from. But understanding it didn’t make what he had done acceptable, and it didn’t mean Lily had to decide anything before she was ready.
That was why she hadn’t made any decisions yet.
She couldn’t.
“Something is bothering you,” Jasmine pointed out for what felt like the hundredth time. “And I don’t like it. Today is our birthday, and it should be filled with love and excitement. No Debbie Downers. So you can either tell me what’s going on, or I can go on a sleuthing adventure on my own.”
“Someone say my name?”
Lily stiffened. How had she not noticed Reese making his way toward her? This just kept getting better and better.
At this point, she might as well get it all out so she didn’t have to keep holding onto the hurt festering in her chest. She closed her eyes and groaned.
“Fine, you know what?” Her eyes flew open, and she stared hard at her sister. “Aiden used to be best friends with Reese, okay? Not only that, but he found out early on and kept it from me.”
Jasmine’s lips puckered in thought. “Okay…”
Right. Jasmine didn’t really have the same views when it came to dating someone’s friend or their ex. She lived in the gray area.
“What’s the problem?” Jasmine asked. “He knew. Now you know. Does it make you feel any differently about him?”
“What? Of course not.” Lily shot Reese a pleading look. “Help me out here. Dating a friend’s ex isn’t a good move. Things get complicated—”
“Normally, I’d agree,” Reese murmured, scratching at his chin. His fingers raking through his stubble made that sound that gave her goose bumps, but she kept her eyes trained on him.
Normally? What did he mean, normally? Had his opinion changed?
Reese blew out a heavy breath. “Look, Aiden and I had a falling-out years ago. That’s why you never met him when we were dating.
We’re not as close as we used to be. That doesn’t mean we’re not trying to get back to that place, but things are different now.
It wasn’t like I introduced the two of you.
And he wasn’t trying to steal you away from me.
Heck, I’m out of town so much lately that there won’t be many opportunities to make things awkward between us. ”
All of that sounded so reasonable that Lily was left speechless.
“But he still should have told both of us,” Reese added.
Relief loosened something in her chest. At least he understood that.
“If anything,” Reese continued, glancing at Lily and then Jasmine, “Aiden would have grounds for asking you to put some space between us. Or at least change the way we normally are.” He made a face and reached behind his neck to grip it before he sighed.
“Our friendship isn’t exactly normal, you know. ”
Jasmine snickered. “You can say that again.”
Lily cut her a warning look. She wasn’t going to push Reese out of her life just because she had dated him once before. Still, Aiden hadn’t said a single word about her friendship with Reese. He hadn’t asked her to put distance between them. He hadn’t shown a degree of jealousy.
Her stomach twisted uncomfortably.
Even with all of Aiden’s insecurities, he had trusted her where Reese was concerned. Lily couldn’t deny that. But trust in one area didn’t erase dishonesty in another.
“Yeah…” Jasmine made a face. “The friendship you two have going is… weird.”
This time, Lily swatted her sister’s upper arm with the back of her fingertips. “Hey!”
“What?” Jasmine yelped with a laugh. “It is.”
“No one asked you,” Lily muttered.
Jasmine’s smile faded when she caught the look on Lily’s face. “But that doesn’t mean Aiden gets a free pass for keeping things from you.”
Jasmine shrugged. “I can think your friendship with Reese is strange and still think Aiden should’ve been honest.”
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Reese spoke again. “For what it’s worth, I think the two of you make a good couple.”
Lily shot him a look of surprise. “What?”
Reese shoved his hands into his pockets.
“You’re good together. You make him want to be a better person.
I’ve never seen him this invested in a relationship.
” His expression tightened. “That doesn’t make what he did right.
He put himself in a difficult position, but then he kept making it worse by waiting. ”
Lily swallowed.
“He hadn’t known when he met you that we were involved,” Reese continued.
He blew out a breath, and his cheeks filled with a little color.
“Frankly, you’re hard not to fall for, Lily.
I knew you were special from the moment we met.
I just wish things could have lined up differently for us.
” Then he grimaced. “I probably shouldn’t have said that. ”
“No, probably not,” Jasmine said dryly. She draped an arm around his back. “But you know what? I think I can introduce you to some girls so you don’t have to keep holding a candle for this one.”
Reese didn’t budge even though Jasmine attempted to wheel him away. “I know our opportunity has passed. It’s fine. And I’m glad we were able to stay friends.” He shrugged out from Jasmine’s hold. “I’d never cross the line with you, Lils. Ever.”
She smiled her thanks.
“So what are you going to do?” Jasmine asked. “With Aiden. Please tell me you didn’t break up with him.”
Lily immediately felt sick to her stomach. “Of course not. At least… not yet.”
Jasmine’s expression softened.
“I still love him,” Lily continued. “That didn’t disappear because I found out what he did. But I don’t trust him the way I did yesterday.”
Neither Jasmine nor Reese said anything.
“I know I had this thing about second chances,” Lily went on. “I used to think people didn’t really need them. They were either good people or bad people. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. There’s a lot of gray out there.”
She ignored the triumphant look that briefly crossed her sister’s face.
“That doesn’t mean every mistake should be brushed aside,” Lily added. “And it doesn’t mean what Aiden did was small. He kept something important from me, even after I gave him chances to tell me the truth.”
Her head felt tight, and it had started to thrum with her pulse.
“I’m going to let things settle,” she said. “I don’t want to make a decision while I’m this upset. But if we stay together, he’s going to have to rebuild my trust.”
“Makes sense,” Jasmine said. “You’ve gone your whole life believing one thing, only to realize it isn’t as simple as you thought. You’re growing.” She nudged Lily with her elbow. “My baby sister is finally growing up.”
Reese frowned. “You guys are twins.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to her. She’s making stuff up.”
“Am not. I’m totally more mature than you.”
“Denial isn’t just a river, you know,” Lily shot back.
Jasmine gasped. “Rude!”
Lily ignored her outburst and turned toward Reese. “But I should probably tell Aiden I still care about him. I don’t want him misunderstanding the talk we had. The last thing I need is for him to think we’re over and decide there’s no reason to try.”
The way Reese’s entire demeanor shifted, as though he wasn’t prepared to give her bad news, made Lily’s whole body go rigid.
“Where is he, Reese?” she asked quietly, surprised that she kept her voice level.
“He… left.”
Her stomach bottomed out. Pain lanced through her heart and made the ache in her head seem like a tickle.
“He’s gone?”
It was her birthday. How could he leave without saying goodbye? Why wouldn’t he at least come talk to her?
She could feel herself getting more upset. She had given him chance after chance, and he was still running when things became difficult. A warm hand rested on her forearm, and she looked up to find Reese watching her with concern.
“It’s not what you think,” he said. “Aiden didn’t leave because he was scared to talk to you.”
“How would you know?” Her voice cracked. “He just left. Without a word.”
“He thought it would be a good idea to give you some space.”
“I didn’t ask him for space.”
Reese’s mouth tightened. “He was afraid staying would ruin the rest of your birthday,” Reese continued. “I don’t think leaving was the best choice either, but he thought it was better if he did.”
Lily swallowed against the ache in her throat. “What the heck?”
Reese squeezed her arm. “I do know that he cares about you enough that he didn’t want to mess up the rest of your birthday evening. He didn’t want to stand on the outskirts of your guests as a reminder of disappointing you. He’s not going anywhere,” Reese repeated. “He’s still yours.”
“But how do you know?” she asked, her voice breaking. Searching his eyes, she found nothing of comfort. But there was a sort of determination within those depths. Lily clung to that feeling with every last bit of strength she had.
“I can’t tell you the details. That’s his responsibility. All I can do is assure you that Aiden isn’t willing to give up. He’s not done. Not by a long shot. “So when you decide you’re ready to talk to him again, I believe he’ll be there. But he needs to do his part too.”
She nodded, even though she wasn’t sure she believed what he’d said.
The strange numbness that washed over her was the only thing keeping her rooted to the spot.
She worried if she took even one step, she might lose her footing and become a spectacle she didn’t want to be with all her guests watching.
Lily could have faith. She could hope they would work this out. But Aiden would have to be the one to reach out and earn back her trust.