“Jourdanne!”
“You can’t deny it!”
I shook my head, smiling and giggling. “Okay, they are.”
“See? Daniel looked especially hot.”
I swirled the champagne again before sipping more of it. “Oh, sheesh, Daniel is a piece of work. He’s always telling others what to do, putting them in their places.” I thought for a second whether to explain everything that happened the night Daniel tied me to the bed. After a moment, I realized it best to leave some things private. “He’s very commanding too. Never takes no for an answer. But it’s nice, not having to worry about making decisions or pleasing others. It’s good to just hand that over.”
“And Damien?” She nestled back onto her elbows as she took a seat on a stool. “The thrill seeker, you said once.”
“Oh, gosh. Damien is truly exciting.” I felt a smile starting, one that wasn’t going to fade any time soon. “He’s always pushing the boundaries, going the extra mile. He’ll do anything to embrace life to the fullest. Well, until there’s blood, anyway.”
“Too bad he didn’t take you on a drive.”
“Ah, I’m never going to live that down, am I?”
“Nope. But really,” she reached over and touched my hand, “I think it’s great how you’ve embraced each one of them.”
“Well, they’re my brothers now. I have to.”
“No you don’t,” she laughed. “You could still be angry with them because they’re spoiled. Hate them for their undeserved riches.”
I tightened my lips together with a nod. “True.”
“Well,” she said through a lengthy exhale. “I don’t get it.”
“Get what?”
“You said you wanted to be with someone tonight. Why me?”
“I wanted a girl’s night.”
“No,” she scrunched over and ran her hand through her long blonde hair, “you said you wanted to do something together, so you weren’t by yourself again.”
“And?”
“And why not call one of the guys?”
I laughed at her. “Seriously? After all this? You don’t really think I’d go chasing them down, do you?”
“Look, I’m so happy we’re catching up tonight, and we can do this every night for all I care,” she giggled, “but you don’t want me.”
“I don’t?”
“You want to see them, be with them.” When I didn’t reply right away, she kept explaining. “It took me a while to make sense of my relationship with the guys, but you were always there to tell me to focus on what made me happiest.” I tilted my head, my eyes softening in her gaze. “They make you happy, Parvati.”
“I mean, sure. Hawaii was a great experience. It was… eye-opening.” I crossed my arms tighter over my body. “They each taught me something I think I already knew but just didn’t want to accept. That life is easier when you let go, have fun, and embrace what you have in front of you.” My eyes danced around the room for a moment, then they caught Jourdanne’s amused smile I quickly covered my face and let out a grunt.
“Oh my gosh! Am I that obvious?”
“Oh, absolutely.”
“Oh, no!”
She poured more champagne into each glass, topping us off. “Let’s cheer to us. You and me, best friends through all the crazy things in life.”
I sat down on a stool and took the glass in hand. “To a night without men.”
“Sounds good.”
22
PARVATI
I woke up the next morning in one of the guest rooms at the mansion. Two glasses of champagne, pizza, and ice cream were blending in my stomach in the worst of ways. I sat up in a cold sweat, hoping that some water would make things better. It didn’t. I barely swallowed from the glass on the nightstand, then I ran to the bathroom and let everything out.
A knock hit the door. “Parvati? You okay? Sounded like you were running?”
I rinsed my mouth and washed my face. “Yeah, I’m okay,” I called out.
“Can I come in?”
“Yeah, it isn’t locked,” I told her as I rubbed my face with a towel. I met her on my way back to the bed.
Her eyes widened in surprise. “You’re so pale! Are you feeling okay?”
“Not at all. Mary’s had a slight head cold, so maybe I caught it.” I sat down and let out a breath. “Maybe it was the champagne.”
Jourdanne sat beside me as she scanned me over. “No fever, no cough. Could it be jetlag still?”
“No way. I’ve been home for weeks.”
Her eyes trailed around the room slowly, then they popped back into mine like a bullet. She grabbed my arm tight and asked with a somber tone, “Do you think you could be—”
“No.” I stopped her right there. “No.”
“But when was your last period?”
I shook my head. I was not having this conversation.
“Come on, what if?”
I sighed. Jourdanne loosened her grasp, but I could still feel my arm throbbing. “I don’t know… I guess it was right before the wedding.”
“So, you’re late.”
“No. I’d be on time. This week.”
“You came home a month ago… from a week in Hawaii.”