Page 9 of Pieces of Us
I shrug. “I might have dated you, Mel. I had so much fun that night. And just so you know, it was some of the best sex of my life, too.”
She snorts. “Don’t try to flatter me, Linc. That’s not the type of apology that works with me.”
I move so she has to look me in the eye. “I’m serious. I still think about that night. I still hate that I had to choose my best friend over you. And now, I want to apologize. I can’t go back and change how I handled things, but I can promise I’ll do what it takes to make up for it.”
She narrows her eyes at me and crosses her arms. The action causes her cleavage to press up and out of her sweater. I look away and start pacing.
“Thank you for finally explaining what happened.” She blows out a long breath and lowers her arms, so I’m safe to look at her again. “I guess I would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes.”
“Think you can forgive me? I want to have fun with this wedding stuff. I want Jax and Audrey to have the best day of their lives.”
“Since it’s in the name of Jax and Audrey’s happiness, I can forgive you. I want this wedding to be amazing, too.”
I can’t help the goofy smile that I’m sure is forming on my face. “Thanks, Mel. You won’t regret it. We’re going to be wedding planning besties.”
She shakes her head. “You’re ridiculous. Can we get back out there now?”
“Yeah. Thanks for listening, Mel.”
“Sure.” She turns and walks out of the room, and I’m not sure if things are fully resolved, but we’re in a better place than we were before.
Chapter Three
Melonie
It’s Thursday afternoon, and after a morning full of client calls followed by emails and spreadsheets, my brain is fried, and my eyes are burning. I chose to become a CPA when I was fourteen and sat in on a meeting my dad had with our accountant. I love numbers and helping people, so I knew it would be perfect for me. While I love my job, today has dragged on forever. I back my chair away from my desk and rub my eyes. I only have an hour left, so I set an alarm on my phone for 5 o’clock and promise not to look at the time again until it goes off.
I stand from my chair and raise my arms above me, stretching my back. I can’t wait for Audrey’s wedding, just to have a week off. Ever since my company went through a merger, I feel likemy workload has doubled. But after I had watched some of my colleagues be let go in the process, I always remind myself that I’m blessed that my position wasn’t one that was on the chopping block when they made the deal.
As I flop back down into my chair, my phone vibrates on my desk. I force my eyes to the notification, ignoring the clock. I see Linc’s name on a text, so I open the message—he wants me to call him.
When Linc pulled me aside at Jax and Audrey’s engagement party, I let him talk. I let him believe that I forgave him. I realize he feels bad for what happened. In his mind, he was protecting Jax. But it still hurts a little. And I still grow a little angry with myself every time I look at him and imagine that night. It’s annoying how my vagina betrays me.
I bring up his contact information and hit call. At least talking to him is better than working at the moment.
“Mel?” No one else in my life has called me Mel. But Linc insists on nicknames, and I don’t hate it. At least Mel is better than “bubbles.”
“Hey, Linc, what’s up?”
“You sound cute over the phone.”
“Linc, if you’re going to try to flirt with me, I’ll hang up. Now, why did you need me to call you?”
“I got our first task. Are you free tomorrow after work?”
“I can be. What do we need to do?”
“Audrey said we can go do the cake tasting. She said, and I quote, ‘I don’t need to eat all of that sugar’.”
“Oh, so, she thinks I want to? I have to fit into a dress in like two months, too.”
His voice changes from a playful tone to one a bit more serious, an octave lower. “Mel, you’ll look beautiful no matter what. Let’s go eat cake.”
Linc is one of the few men in my life that has openly and honestly complimented my body. He doesn’t know it, but the sex we had that night was so amazing because I felt sexy and safe with him at that moment. I could let go and enjoy myself instead of feeling self-conscious.
“Okay, we’ll go eat cake. Send me the address and time, and I’ll be there.”
“Great! See you tomorrow.”
