"I logged into his laptop that he always keeps at home." Pause.Just spit it out."And into his patient portal." I avert my gaze until I can no longer look away.
Lilly presses her mouth in a thin line, and I can't help myself. "Don't judge me! You hacked into Katherine's social media for revenge. And not to mention spying on King for, like, ev— Just because you run this massive empire priding itself in its security—"
My BFF's demeanor shifts, and my next words remain lodged in my throat. Her devilish expression is not the response I expected to me word vomiting the morally gray actions she took at times.
She clucks her tongue. "Please. I would've done the same thing. I would've gotten that information for you any day if you had asked. I may run a business now, but when it comes to my family…" Lilly lets the statement hang.
"You're not disappointed?"
"Why would I be? The douche kept a secret from you—hisgirlfriend."
"Fiancée."
"What?"
"From his fiancée," I clarify quietly.
"You are engaged?" Lilly squeaks, and I wince.
"Was engaged." The ring was the only item I left in New York. It should've been delivered to Collin by now.
She rubs her temple. "I'm…confused."
"Collin's mother wanted him to settle down. His partying was not good for publicity. He needed to represent the image she created for the brand, and with me working for her, it was the perfect setup in her mind. I didn't care. As I said, we complemented each other."
Lilly nods, and the glistening sorrow turns her hazels dull.
"You know that, after Charlie, I refused to let anyone in all the way again. I was going to tell you at the vineyard in two weeks. I didn't want to do it over the phone."
If one person believes in a soul mate, it's Lilly. There is no relationship without love for her, but that's because she grew up with her other half—even if she had no clue until her life came apart like a frayed thread you pull on, unraveling until you have so many pieces you can't put it back together. The guy I naively thought was my other half cheated on me, and after that, I chose to protect myself from the hurt. Not that it helped. Even the guy I didn'tlovelovemanaged to hurt me—by humiliation.
"I found the test results for an STD test his physician ran. He has chlamydia."
"Fuck." She shakes her head. "I— I don't know what to say. Did you get tested?" Lilly scans my face.
I put on the mask my friends have seen for as long as they've been around me—The Bulldog, as they call(ed) me. "I had my annual exam last month. Everything was fine, but I will go get checked out again. We always used condoms, but better safe than sorry." I shrug as if it's no big deal, yet my insides feel like a balled-up piece of paper. "Who knows where he got that shit from. I'm mostly embarrassed and—"
It's at that moment that my phone begins to ring on the other side of the room. We both glance in the direction of the intrusive sound. "I need to change my number." I don't have to tell her that it is probably Collin. Again. He's called and texted in thirty-minute intervals since I turned my phone back on to call my brother, Oli. One person in my family should be aware of where I am until I find the courage to face my father.
She grabs my hand and pulls me up. "Then let's do that."
I squeeze her fingers, bringing her to a stop. "What about Rhys and Audrey?"
Lilly lets go of me and hooks her arm around my shoulders. "Daddy can take care of his princess for a few hours. I need some quality time with my best friend."
CHAPTERTWO
MARCUS
"Bax."King drops herself in my lap, forcing me to abandon my forward position with my elbows propped on my knees.
"Monroe," I reply without averting my eyes from the disaster in the making.
Wes, King's husband and one of Lilly and Rhys's best friends, is in the pool. He has Rhys on his shoulders while their friend Hudson climbs on top of Kiwi's—the four of them about to battle it out like a bunch of high schoolers, not four adults in their mid to late twenties.
King hooks her arm around my neck. "You know Monroe hasn't been my name in years." She takes a swig of her beer.
"You know my name has three more letters," I counter, mimicking her by lifting my bottle to my lips. We arrived at the vineyard two days ago, and so far, I've holed up in my bedroom in the east wing. I always stay near the family, while the guests are in the west wing. When we arrived, I swiped supplies from the in-house bar and limited my meal hours from one to four a.m. I told myself that intermittent fasting would be good with my currentliquidcalorie intake. I did my job by bringing everyone here. Now, I'm off the clock until we head back to LA or Lilly leaves the grounds—which is not likely to happen, but it's the reason I can't return home for the remainder of the week.