Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 81584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
“You didn’t say anything,” Myla sputtered. “I didn’t—”
“Was I unclear about any of that?” Frankie asked Cian. “You can leave, too.”
She pulled away from my hand and strode down the hallway and out of sight.
“You knew?” Myla asked, her eyes filling with tears.
“Saw her at the clinic the first time. Drove her home afterward.”
“That’s why you cleared out the protesters,” Cian murmured under his breath.
“You guys should probably go,” Lou whispered, glancing over her shoulder at the kitchen. “I’ll call you in a while, okay, My?”
Myla nodded as Cian led her out of the house.
Lou turned to me as soon as they were gone. “I shouldn’t have called around. I was just getting really worried when I hadn’t heard from her. With Scott showing up here all the time, I thought maybe he’d done something or—”
“She’s not mad at you,” I assured her. “It’s been a long day.”
“I had no idea,” Lou muttered, pressing her fingers against her eyes. “I knew about the Scott stuff, but after the STI screening came back clean I thought it was over.”
“I don’t think she was plannin’ on tellin’ anyone.”
“Why? I mean, she knows we would’ve supported her.”
“I didn’t want this to be some defining moment for me,” Frankie said, standing at the end of the hallway. “Because it wasn’t. It was an unfortunate situation that I took care of. That’s it. I didn’t need support. I didn’t need hand holding.”
“I still wish you would’ve told me.”
“I’ll remember that next time.”
“I’m sorry I got everyone all worked up about you being missing. I fucked up,” Lou said with a grimace.
“You didn’t. I love you for worrying enough about me that you called in the goon squad. I should’ve texted you to let you know I wouldn’t be home today. I just didn’t want to explain everything, so I was putting it off.”
“Let’s just make a deal, if one of us isn’t going to be home we let the other one know—no questions asked. If you want to tell me why, cool. If not, no worries.”
“That works for me,” Frankie said.
“But we should probably have a code word or something,” Lou mused, tapping her finger on her chin. “So we know it’s you or me and not some psycho with our phones.”
“You two worried about bein’ kidnapped?” I asked, my lips twitching as I held back a smile.
“Try being a woman for a day,” Lou replied, still tapping her finger with a faraway look in her eye. “Then come back to me with that question.”
“What about yankee doodles?” Frankie asked with a smile.
“That works.” Lou dropped her hand. She looked over at me and then at Frankie. “So, what’s going on here?”
“We’re friends,” Frankie replied before I’d even formulated an answer. “Besties. BFFs.”
“That’s an interesting turn of events,” Lou said blandly as she walked over and dropped down onto the couch.
“Gray’s a good man to have in your corner.” Frankie shot me a smile as she shuffled over and sat on the opposite end of the couch.
“You’re one of us now?” Lou asked.
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
“You’re one of us,” she clarified. “So, I have to ask—”
“You really don’t,” Frankie muttered, like she already knew what the question was.
“Your mother actually, in real life, no shit, named you Gray White?” She widened her eyes at me.
“Jesus, Lou,” Frankie dropped her head back against the couch.
“What? It’s a serious question!”
Frankie patted the couch beside her, so I sat down instead of looming over them.
“No, she named me Grayson Leo Phillips.”
“Wait, what?” Lou asked in confusion. “Phillips?”
“Lily isn’t his birth mom,” Frankie supplied helpfully.
“Jesus, today is full of surprises,” Lou exclaimed. “Go on.”
I couldn’t help the laugh that came out of my mouth. “My mother’s last name was Phillips. When I was born, my parents agreed I would have her last name—not sure she gave my dad much of a choice—so my last name was Phillips. After she died, my dad changed my name to Grayson Phillips White so shit wasn’t confusing for me at school and all that.”
“Okay, that makes way more sense.”
“I’ve heard it all before. Kids thought it was funny as hell.”
“I bet. Poor little Gray.”
Frankie yawned and pulled her legs up and curled them under her.
“Movie?” Lou asked. “I’ll get drinks.” She shot up from the couch and hurried to the kitchen.
“I don’t know how long I’ll last,” Frankie informed me. “Even after that nap, I’m beat.”
“You’re healing.”
“Thanks for staying.”
“Not sure I did anythin’ to help.”
“Just knowing you were there helped,” she replied softly. “It’s all good now, if you want to go.”
I traced the lines of her face with my eyes. She looked tired, yes, but she was still fucking breathtaking. My stomach sank. I’d been reminding myself of all the reasons it wouldn’t work with her, but I was already past the point of no return. Somewhere between kissing against the wall in the clubhouse and watching her put too much lemon juice on her fish and chips that afternoon, I’d walked right into it without realizing. I was fucking gone for her.