Page 51 of Shared By my Ex's Best Friends
Jake meets my eyes, steady and sure. “I’ve never been more serious about anything.”
Ethan studies him, a flicker of disbelief passing over his face before it fades into something more contemplative. “You really think that could work?”
Jake lets out a breath and shrugs. “I don’t know. I’m not saying it’s simple. It’s probably going to be messy as hell. But I know Maya, and if anyone could love all three of us—fully, without guilt or confusion—it’s her. She’s got the biggest damn heart I’ve ever seen.”
The words hit me somewhere deep. Right in that soft, vulnerable place I’ve been guarding for weeks. A part of me that’s been holding tension like a clenched fist, waiting for something to give.
I picture her again—laughing with Jake, shoulders brushing against Ethan’s in quiet comfort, looking up at me with that wide-eyed trust.
I see the way she carries everything for everyone else, even when it costs her. The way she hides what she wants so she doesn’t disappoint anyone.
What if we stopped being part of the weight on her shoulders? What if we let her want what she already does—without shame?
“So,” I say slowly, “it sounds like we’re all on the same page?”
Ethan looks down at his glass, thumb tracing the rim. “I think we are.”
I glance between them—Jake, bold and brave, whose loyalty runs deeper than he lets on. Ethan, quiet and intense, with emotions that burn beneath the surface like a fuse.
And me, caught in the middle, the one who never expected to fall this hard, this fast, for a girl who somehow lit all of us up like we’d been waiting for her our whole lives.
“Then maybe we ask her,” I say quietly, the words tasting like both risk and relief.
Jake’s mouth curves into a smile—something softer than his usual smirk. “Together?”
I nod. “Yeah. Together. She deserves to know she doesn’t have to carry this alone. Not if we’re all in.”
Ethan lifts his glass again, his voice calm but sure. “To giving this a try.”
Jake raises his beer. “To not screwing it up.”
I laugh, surprised by how light I suddenly feel. “To Maya.”
The three of us drink. Not awkward—just sure.
For the first time, the chaos doesn’t feel like something we have to fix. It feels like the start of something we’re finally choosing.
Chapter twenty-one
ETHAN
The rehearsal dinner is flawless.
At least on the surface.
The candles flicker in perfect rhythm, their light dancing along the linen-draped tables and catching in the crystal glasses. The wine flows without pause. Laughter hums across the room.
Danielle looks like she might actually survive this wedding without imploding. Jake is charming her parents like he’s been rehearsing for months and Liam’s corralling the groomsmen with his calm, capable presence.
And then there’s Maya.
She drifts into our little circle like she’s glowing, a fresh glass of champagne in hand and that effortless smile that makes people lean in without realizing they’ve moved. Her eyes skim the group—land on me for half a second longer than the others—and something low and hot stirs in my chest.
Jake straightens the second he sees her, his grin sharpening as he lifts his glass. “Finally. The guest of honor.”
“I thought that was Danielle?” Maya says, laughing as she takes a sip.
“Eh,” he shrugs. “You walked in and the energy shifted. Pretty sure everyone’s looking at you now.”
