Page 108 of Until Then

She snorts. “Because I’m stubborn. Chase and I moved too fast. I didn’t have time to really settle into our relationship before we were married. With Reid, I want to make sure I take my time making big decisions.”

A chuckle escapes me as I turn into the parking lot of the nail salon. “It’s probably a good thing you forced him to take itslow. Otherwise, he’d have already talked you into walking down the aisle.”

“You know”—she stretches her fingers out in front of her, a nervous tic we both possess—“I secretly thought he would have grown bored with me by now, but he loves me just as much, if not more, than he did in the beginning.”

My heart squeezes as I take her in. “That boy is obsessed with you.”

She laughs, her eyes filling with tears. “He really is. God, I didn’t know love could be like this. So… free. With Chase I… it was okay in the beginning, but it was like nothing I did was good enough. LikeIwasn’t good enough. Reid has never made me feel that way.”

“He can’t help it.” I undo my seat belt. “That boy is pure golden retriever. All he knows how to do is show you love.”

Blinking rapidly, she fans her face. “We better get in there before I get any more emotional.”

I can’t help but think about my own feelings for Derrick. I’ve had plenty of boyfriends, but I’ve never felt the way I do with Derrick. I’ve never loved another person in this way. With him, I feel content to simply exist.

The salon is an adorable little place with pale pink walls and other pink accents throughout. It’s fun and girly and so much cuter than the white, uber modern salon I frequented in LA.

We also don’t need to book appointments months in advance. Once we’ve checked in, we head over to the wall of swatches and polishes.

“I don’t know what color I’m in the mood for.” I tap my finger against my lip.

“I’m going with orange,” Via says, already scanning the swatch of appropriate shades.

Still unable to decide, I pull out my phone and shoot a text off to Derrick.

Me: I’m getting my nails done with my sister. I don’t know what color to get.

It only takes a minute for his response to come through.

Derrick: Can I pick?

Me: Sure. Which color would you prefer to see wrapped around your dick later?

Those three little dots signaling his reply appear almost immediately. Then disappear.

Finally, I get:

Red.

My stomach flips at that simple response. Red it is.

I pick up the swatch and choose a bright cherry red.

“What’s that little smirk about?” My sister asks as we sit side by side at the empty manicure stations. “You texted something dirty, didn’t you?”

I shrug, playing innocent. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

Her laugh is a breathy huff. “I can’t believe you’re with my boyfriend’sdad.”

“It really is wild.” There’s no denying how complicated the whole situation is. “But I’m happy.”

“You deserve it,” she says, unscrewing the lid from the bottle of pastel orange she chose and pulling the brush out to assess the color.

“So do you.” If anyone does, it’s her. My wish for my sister is that she can have every good thing she’s ever wanted.There’s one thing, I know, that was and will be a struggle, but I have no doubt that one day she’ll be a mom.

“Who would’ve thought we’d both fall in love with Parkerville, Maine and its men?” She breathes a laugh. “They should put that on a travel brochure. Come here if you want to find love.”

An hour and a half later, our nails are done, and we head to the coffee shop, having forgotten all our talk about our mother and our men.

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