Page 38 of Twisted Devotion

It takes us a good hour to get to the white colonial-style house in the suburbs, and Adam is napping when we arrive. The three of us sit on the sectional in the living room around the giant fireplace and catch up on one another’s lives while sipping hot mugs of tea as if we’re a group of housewives dishing on the latest gossip. Granted, Aurora is the only married one out of the three of us.

Aurora is back to work at her bookstore, which is thriving more than ever with both online and in-store sales, and Allison is moving up the ranks of the marketing department of Westbrook Inc., which she’s thrilled about.

When it’s my turn to give the low-down, I sit there and chuckle a little. “It’s . . . interesting.” There’s that word again—interesting. It’s a cop-out of an answer, and I know it. I stare at the liquid in my mug, enjoying the warmth of the ceramic against my fingertips.

Aurora smirks. “Oh? Do share.”

I take a deep breath, and then let it all out. “Jackson is infuriating. He’s wickedly handsome, sure, but he can be so childish.”

Allison snorts. “You’re like the babysitter he secretly wants to bang.”

I stare at her. “Not even secretly,” I reveal. “He seems to think us ending up sleeping together is inevitable.”

“I mean, he is—” Aurora starts, and Allison cackles, cutting her off.

“Get this,” I tell them. “He challenged menotto sleep with him. Said if I made it through our contract, he’d double my pay.”

Aurora rolls her eyes. “Dick move. He wants to make it seem like you want him more than he wants you.”

“That’s bullshit,” I say.

She grins. “Oh, of course, but he’s a guy and he’s Jackson. He wants to believe he has the upper hand here.”

“He doesn’t,” I insist, and both ladies nod in agreement.

“He’s even worse than Nikolai,” Aurora adds.

“Yeah, no kidding.” I glance around at the baby blue walls and the family photos hanging on them. It’s crazy to think of how far Aurora and Tristan have come and everything they’ve been through together since they met. “When you and Tristan were on the outs, did you and Nikolai ever . . . you know?”

Aurora laughs. “Not a chance. Surprisingly enough, he respected me enough not to seriously push the topic.”

I arch a brow. “But he brought it up?”

She shrugs. “Yeah. It never meant anything, though, not really. Especially when he caught sight of Skylar. Those two were it for each other basically right from the start.”

I smile at the picture of them. They get at each other’s throats constantly, but each would rip out anyone’s throat who posed a threat to the other.

Allison glances down at her phone and grumbles under her breath.

“Al?” Aurora checks. “What’s up?”

“It’s Monica.” Allison taps away at her phone for a few seconds then drops it onto the couch cushion.

“What’s going on with you two?” I ask.

“I told her I didn’t want to see other people and I think it freaked her out a little. She’s got some weird affliction with commitment. She won’t really open up about it, so I can’t even attempt to understand it. I’m finally at a place where I’m ready to be with her—fully—and now it’s like she’s not sure about it.” Allison bites on her fingernail. “It’s starting to freak me out.”

I frown at her. “All you can do is be honest with her about what you want and encourage her to do the same. You can’t force her to tell you things she isn’t ready to yet.”

Allison purses her lips. “You’re right, I know. It’s just so frustrating.”

Aurora leans back and lets out a soft sigh. “You’ll get there. It may take some time, but you two are meant for each other. It’s going to work out.”

“Easy for you to say. You’ve got the perfect setup,” Allison responds.

“Oh, yeah,” Aurora says dryly. “Fell in love with the guy who had me kidnapped. Real smooth of me.”

“I’m never going to live that one down.” Tristan’s voice fills the room as he walks in with Adam on his hip. The old hardwood floor creaks under his feet as he leans down to set his son in the playpen in the corner of the room. Once Adam is settled, Tristan comes behind the couch and leans down to kiss Aurora.

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