Page 83 of Four Dates and A Forever
“What did he tell you?” Because if he told them about their sex-buddies arrangement, she’d die of embarrassment.
“My husband mentioned Rhett’s relationship to your ex,” said Jillian.
“Nothing more,” Piper said again, and smacked Jillian’s hand. “He hasn’t said a word to anyone about anything. Jillian’s just filling in the blanks like she always does.”
Jillian held up two fingers. “I swear. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Liar,” the three women said in unison, then burst out laughing and Elsie found herself laughing too. She also felt herself brought into the fold of what seemed to be a special bond between these women.
“We all did and we’re sorry,” Darcy said.
“I didn’t,” Piper said.
“It’s okay. I’d be curious too.” Elsie explained the situation with the house, and how Axel bamboozled them both, and then more about their arrangement. Just the part about living together, not the “benefits” part. “It’s a temporary thing born from a shitty situation.”
“We offered to have him stay in the cottage. He declined,” Darcy said suspiciously.
Elsie tried to be angry on the matter but thinking back to earlier that morning and waking up in his arms, how he’d wished her a good morning, not once but three times, she couldn’t. It was as if she’d landed right where she belonged.
She looked up to find all four women looking back. “My new place won’t be ready for another few weeks. Rhett has been very generous by letting me stay.”
Jillian took an innocent sip of her bubbly. “So, how’sthatgoing?”
“He’s leaving for LA next week and we’re trying to leave the past in the past. But sometimes the past seeps into the present,” she said honestly.
Darcy snorted. “Gage and I tried that, but it didn’t work.”
“Why not?”
“The harder we tried to keep apart, the stronger the pull,” Darcy said. “Did Rhett ever tell you how I met Gage?”
“No.”
“I was a runaway bride.”
“And you ran into his arms?” Elsie said with a sigh, because how romantic was that.
“I wish. That would have made the transition so much easier, but it wasn’t our time. I was actually engaged to his twin brother, Kyle.”
“Oh my god.” Elsie covered her mouth. That topped any complications Elsie had in her life. “How does that even work?”
“I found out Kyle was cheating on me, so the day of the wedding I asked him to choose between me and his co-worker. He didn’t have an answer, but that was all the answer I needed.”
Darcy shrugged like it was no big deal, but Elsie imagined at the time it was a huge deal. She knew how crippling infidelity could be.
“I didn’t find out about my husband’s cheating until eight years in.”
“I am so sorry,” Darcy said. “Then you understand how hard it can be to trust again. But I promise, with the right person it can work.”
“So you were able to trust again?”
“First, I bolted. Right out of the church and never looked back. That same night Kyle was killed in a car crash.” Elsie could tell there was more to the story but didn’t ask. “The family blamed me for his accident and made my life hell.”
“Even Rhett?” He was such a gentle soul, she couldn’t imagine him being vindictive to anyone. Then again, she never imagined Axel would come at her so hard during their divorce.
“Even Rhett. In his defense, no one knew about Kyle and his side-piece. They also didn’t know I was pregnant. Keeping my daughter a secret from the family was wrong, but their mom, Margo, can be overbearing and downright mean, and I refused to put my daughter through that.”
“But you seem so happy now.”
