“So you’ve said for a long time,” Kate commented.
“Because it’s the truth.”
Arilyn tapped her finger against her lips. “Hmm.”
“Guys! There is nothing going on with Wolfe and me. Never has. Never will. Got it?”
The door opened. “I got breakfast, sweetheart. Time to get up. Oh. Shit.”
He stared at the group of females for a moment. Then shrugged and dropped the bags on the table. “Hello, ladies. Kate, I’m surprised you waited till morning. Figure you’d be guarding the door when we got here last night.”
Kate crossed her arms and glared. “You turned off your phone. I’m pissed you didn’t give me full disclosure.”
Wolfe grinned and began unpacking. The scent of eggs and bacon drifted through the room. “You’re scary when you’re being protective. I took good care of her. Right, Gen?”
When she woke in the middle of the night, her head rested on his chest and his thigh lay heavily over hers. His breathing and heartbeat soothed her. The delicious scent of washed cotton and male skin surrounded her. She knew she should untangle herself but he felt so good, so solid, she went right back to sleep.
“Right.”
“You just come over now, Wolfe?” Kate asked.
Uh-oh. “Umm, he—”
“Nah, we slept together last night.”
Crap.
Arilyn cocked her head. “Hmmm.”
Kennedy grinned. “About time. You know what I say about getting over a guy?”
Wolfe rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I heard, get under another. You share that theory with Nate?”
Kennedy flushed. “I plan on being under Nate for a damn long time.”
“Still no wedding date yet?”
Her friend gave a long-suffering sigh. “Soon. Why mess with perfection? Now, stay out of my love life or I won’t let him play with you on the golf course again.”
Wolfe laughed. “Trust me, Ken, you’re the one whipped in this relationship.”
“Screw you.”
Gen burst out laughing. God, she’d missed this. Missed them. The back-and-forth banter, insults, and love shining underneath. How had she made it this long without her friends?
Arilyn, always the peacemaker, spoke up. “What can we do to help? Are you talking to David today?”
“I left him a message, he wouldn’t pick up. I’m heading over to my mom’s house to talk. I asked for everyone to be there. They deserve an explanation.”
“We’ll go with you,” Kate stated.
“No. I think it’s time I’m honest with them and myself about what type of relationship I was in. I need to do this on my own.”
Arilyn nodded. “We understand. Listen, we’ll be at Kinnections all day. Why don’t you come by and we’ll have a girl’s night? You can come to my place.”
Gen smiled. “Thanks, but I don’t know if I’m up to it right now. I need some time to think. Deal with David. How about I let you know?”
Kate looked worried, but finally agreed. Wolfe broke off pieces of the breakfast sandwiches and handed out coffee, and her friends finally left. Odd, she felt different already. As if a piece of her had flared to life, reminding her there were plenty of people who loved her for who she was and never asked for changes. Isn’t that love, like Wolfe had said? Had David ever really loved her? Had she ever loved him?
“What time are you heading out?”
She shook off her thoughts and put the dishes in the sink. “Now.”
He washed his hands, dried them, and grabbed his keys. “I’ll drive.”
Gen stared at him. “You don’t have to come with me. It’s my family. I’ll be fine.”
“I know. I haven’t seen your parents in a while, and I’d like to hang with you today.”
She narrowed her gaze. “You and my father don’t get along. Izzy will probably be there. I don’t need a babysitter.”
“I know. I’m still going.”
She glared at him. He stood in her kitchen, relaxed, the black ink of his tattoo crawling up his meaty shoulder and caressing his ear. The diamond in his ear gleamed, along with his eyebrow ring, and his hair was a delicious mess of dark curls. Gen knew he wasn’t budging. She’d seen that look before, and it was all pretend casual. Inside, he was a rock, and if he wanted to go with her, he was going.
She huffed out a breath. “Fine. Come on.”
When they pulled up to her mother’s house, Gen was grateful for his presence. A mass of cars filled the driveway, and her stomach fluttered. Had she always been afraid of disappointing her family? Funny, they’d never pressured her with career, or their expectations of what type of person she should be. Had it all been her own aspirations and drive for success? Maybe it was time to be brave enough to admit her mistakes. That she didn’t know all the answers, and maybe wasn’t the person they always thought she was.
“Ready?”
He grabbed her hand.
“Ready.”
They walked together up the steps to the big porch, where white wicker rocking chairs and tables spread out. Their family had called her home Tara because it was the core of who they were. She remembered when her father had abandoned them for the lure of the bottle, and how her mother struggled to keep the house on her meager salary. Remembered the endless crying at night from her mother’s room, and the anger burning in Izzy directed at her father. Her brother, Lance, was in medical school at the time and had gotten his girlfriend pregnant. The house welcomed all of them in, along with the new baby, who became her first beloved niece. Lance married Gina and raised Taylor there for the first few years as he struggled through medical school.