Page 41 of My Hottest Obsession

“Yeah. I was busy giving Honor a bath. She managed to dump an entire bowl of applesauce all over herself,” Lottie says in exasperation.

“I bet she looked adorable,” I say with a laugh, and she laughs too.

“Yeah, well, she always looks adorable.”

“True.”

“Stop trying to change the subject,” she orders me, and I sigh.

“What did he want?” I ask her hesitantly.

“He wanted to talk about you. Why didn’t you tell me that you were seeing him? Or that you quit your job?” She asks.

“It’s been recent; there wasn’t time.”

“Bullshit. I saw you three days ago. You could have told me on the way to dinner or back home.”

“I just… I couldn’t talk about it.”

“Because you love him,” she says matter-of-factly, and I drop the phone.

I hurry to pick it up and try to deny it.

“No! No, I don’t.”

“Oh, stop. You can’t lie to me. I know you too well,” Lottie says.

“I can’t,” I whisper.

“Can’t what? Admit it? Not even to me?” She asks.

“Not even to myself,” I admit.

“Oh, Goldie,” she sighs, and I choke back some tears.

“I wasn’t supposed to fall for him.”

“Why not? He’s been in love with you for years.”

“No, he hasn’t! It was just a fling to him.”

She huffs out a laugh, and I try to dry my tears.

“It’s not a fling. He loves you.”

“You say that, but he never has,” I argue.

“Okay, but it’s obvious that he’s all in with you. I mean, he called me a ton to talk about you. He’s skipping work to come pound on your door and beg to talk to you. He wouldn’t do that if you didn’t mean a whole hell of a lot to him.”

Her words strike a chord in me, and I pause.

Could she be right?

“Do you want him, Goldie?” She asks me, and I swallow.

“Yes,” I admit.

Honor babbles happily in the background, and I suck in a sharp breath.

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