Page 26 of Sex, Lies, and Margarita Mixes

I groan. “Yeah. That’s the one.”

“Tell me you didn’t read it.” She says, but her tone implies that she’s wanting me to say the opposite.

I tell the truth. “You know damn well, I read it. He gave it to me to read.”

“Roxy—those are his innermost, honest thoughts. He basically let you read his journal.”

Right again. They are.

“I read the whole damn thing. Twice.” I rush to say it.

She pauses again. Her voice is softer as she asks, “And?”

I’m not going to lie to her.

She’d know I was full of shit anyway.

I’m honest. “I’m so in love with him.”

I expect her to gasp, but she doesn’t. She sighs. “No shit. You fell head over heels in love with Chase West the second you saw him. I was there, remember. And that scared the absolute shit out of you. It still does. But… he loves you, too, Roxy. Instead of walking away from your crazy—and you are off the chain crazy, my girl—he loves it. Because he loves you. Stop trying to make the damn man leave you. He’s not going anywhere. Stop with the bullshit and just accept his love. Appreciate it. Fuck, enjoy the hell out of it. Women write books wanting a man like your husband and you have him.”

Shit… talk about brutal honesty. She just called me batshit crazy and told me I better hold onto my devoted man all in the same breath.

I blink. “Well damn, Yoda-With-Tits. Why don’t you just unload your wisdom on me all at once? Why haven’t you ever clocked my tea like this before?” I ask, exasperated.

She laughs a full on belly laugh and cheekily says, “Because you would’ve punched me in my tits.”

I chuckle and feel the smile spread over my face as I mutter, “I still might.”

“Fair.”

We both laugh.

She lets me breathe for a minute. Just us and the silence.

Then she says, “You want me to come down there? I can be there by tonight. Just have to book a flight. I’ll slap a kombucha bitch for you just because kombucha is gross and key a Subaru on the way in for good measure.”

I snort. “Must be nice to just be all ‘I’ll book a flight’ and I actually like kombucha. Some of it is really good. Sasha is your friend, calm your tits. And if you slap me, we’re going to tumble.”

“Being a public figure with some fan pages does have some perks.” She laughs. “And we’ve tumbled before. On heels… down stairs… I also seem to remember you tumbling into that husband of yours—and his crotch a time or two or ten. We’re still filming, but I’d cut out early for you, Rox. Knox can handle the cameras all by his lonesome for a bit if he has to. You know that.”

She would. She would book a flight and leave L.A. and filming just to come to me if I needed her.

I’d do the same though. I have done the same.

I’m good though.

I smile for the first time all morning. “Thanks, Mari Lynn. I love you. But I’ve got it.”

“No, you’ve got him. The rest is details. And I love you, too.”

I roll my eyes but she’s not wrong.

She hums. “So what’s the plan, Rox? Are you gonna let him love you or are you gonna keep pretending the only thing you need is working til you fall over, killer red lips, and bronzer?”

“Harsh.” I growl.

“Accurate.” She retorts.

---