Page 138 of Midnight Confessions

“I know you talked to her…” I say, lifting an eyebrow.

“Rebecca?”

I nod. Sondra’s been busy all week. Consumed with Preston and busy catching up on the work she missed while on her honeymoon. We haven’t had a moment with just the two of us in ages. Although I miss the enormous energies of Keith and Dottie, I’m warmed to have alone time with Sondra; the way it was before we made our duet a quartet.

Her lips purse into a flat line before she answers. “I did. She’s very nice.”

I roll my eyes with a sigh. “Elaborate. We haven’t been able to talk about the dinner party all week. I want to know, hold nothing back.”

“They’re friends, Winter. Believe me, I pulled him into the bedroom and yelled at him like he was a teenager who broke curfew for what he did. And he admitted to lying about having plans so he could talk to you. He thought you having your friends there would be easier on you. Seriously, babe, Aleck just wanted to see you and talk to you.”

“He brought a woman with him—”

“He brought afriend. A friend who’s going through a nasty divorce. Her husband was in town trying to put a hold on her funds and Aleck has been helping. She wasn’t in his plan that night, but she needed help, so he brought her to get her out of her unpacked apartment.”

“What are you guys like,best friendsnow?” I snort and look away. I’m being childish, I know, but I don’t care. I’m heart broken, I get a pass.

“Stop it. Since when do you turn someone away who could use a friend? She’s a good person. Aleck seems to think she needs friends like us. A friend likeyou. Seriously, Win, her ex… He’s a real asshole. My loyalty willalwayslie with you and if I thought for one minute they were anything but new friends, I would have put them both out on their asses. He made a mistake bringing her under the circumstances, but she’s a good person and he’s seriously messed up over losing you.”

“He told me there was nothing between them. Aleck is alotof things, but he’s not a liar.” I take a deep breath. “I’m just acting jealous.”

“Preston said he’s never seen him like this. Aleck rarely speaks to his actions, let alone apologize for them, agonize over them—”

“I know what you’re doing.” I aim my leering eyes at her with precision. “Suddenly you’re Team Aleck—”

“I always have been and always will be Team Winter, ineveryscenario. Even when you’re being an idiot. You accidentally kill someone? I’ll bring the bleach. You know that. I just want to see you happy.” She throws her arms up, lazily. “Listen, Aleck fucked up big time. I don’t know if I’d ever have gotten over Preston ghosting me for a month. So, carry on, sweetie. Hate him all you want, and I’ll back you no matter what. I just don’t want you to deny yourself happiness in the name of your prideful heart. Brian did a number on you, and since then you wait for people to show you how much theyneverloved you. But not all people that mess up have bad intentions.”

“I don’t expect you to understand.” I grab a nearby pillow and hug it to my chest. “You met Preston and sparks lit the way to your future immediately.”

“Hey, don’t act like I haven’t been through the ringer. You’re not the only one who’s suffered from the torment of shithead men, Winter.”

I shake my head. “Shit, you’re right. I’m sorry. I just… I don’t know why I lied about sleeping with Dylan. Well, Ido, I just don’t know where I scrounged up enough balls to do it. The goal was to get him to stay away because I can’t fight him, I care about him too much. Now he’ll never talk to me again.”

Her eyes narrow on me and she smirks behind her kombucha bottle. “Don’t be so sure about that.”

“Sondra, Iknowhim. He hates me now. Aleck can handle my bratty personality, he can handle my fight for dominance in our relationship. He actuallylikesit, I think. The one thing Aleck won’t stand for is knowing I gave myself to someone else.EspeciallyDylan.”

“Well, I guess there’s only one thing that can save you now…”

My smile mirrors hers. “Yeah, what’s that?”

“The truth.”

I snort, rolling my eyes. “I don’t want to besaved. That was the point of lying. I’ll never trust him. I don’t want to be anyone’s fling. I don’t want to be anyone’s training wheels preparing them for the real thing. I want more. More commitment, more of a future,more… I wanteverything. Aleck’s not ready for that. He was right to leave me behind, he’ll only make me miserable in the long run. We’re done, Son. Let it go.”

Her compassionate eyes hold me. “Win…”

“I’ll be fine…” Letting my head fall back to rest on the cushion. “That’s what I get for falling in love with Aleck Fox. He always told me what he was. He always told me he didn’tdocommitment and relationships.” I take a deep breath, realizing I’ve been blaming him for the truth I’ve always known. The truth he was always honest about. “Every woman wants to be the one to tame the wolf, to make the rake fall in love… But in the end, the wolf is always destined to eat Little Red. You can’t rewrite a legend.”

“You can if the villain falls in love with his prey.”

I snort a laugh. “Aleck doesn’t believe in love, told me himself. I fell in love with a man who told me to my face that he believes love is a lie.” I expel a breath. “How stupid am I?”

“You’rehuman, Winter.” She smirks, then sighs theatrically. “We need a vacation… Just the four of us.”

“You just got back from Turks and Caicos. What’s the matter? Three weeks of turquoise waters and white sandy beaches wasn’t enough?” I lift an eyebrow. “Or maybe a break from marital bliss is what you need…”

“Oh no, being Mrs. Bell isexactlywhat I wanted to be when I grew up. Now that I am”—She flashes her ring finger—“I’m fucking thrilled.”

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