“Well, that’s good,” she said, although her tone suggested she was doubtful of my sincerity.

“This is a new beginning,” I stated.

She leaned her hip against the table. “We’ll have to get dinner soon if I can manage to get a sitter for Mia. I think we both need some girl time.”

“That would be nice,” I agreed, moving through the store.

There wasn’t anything else for me to fix. Arden was always on top of things.

“I guess I’ll head out.”

“I have everything covered,” she assured me.

“Thanks.” I flashed her a grateful smile.

She reached her arms out and hugged me briefly. “The best is yet to come,” she whispered in my ear.

I closed my eyes, hanging onto those words and praying that she was right.

IT FELT WEIRD being in Ezra’s house by myself. I knew he would want me to make myself at home, but it wasn’t my home.

I’d been here for hours and he still hadn’t come back. It was late afternoon now and I’d spent the whole day making phone calls to cancel everything associated with the wedding, as well as to let my family know. My dad and brother had both offered to castrate Braden for me. I turned down their offers, as tempting as they might be. When I told my mom, she said, “Oh thank God.” I would’ve been more hurt by her words if I hadn’t come to see what an asshole he was. Emma hadn’t said much when I told her. I got the impression that she was afraid, “I told you so,” might pass through her lips while she was trying to be supportive.

I heard the roar of a car and rolled off the couch, hurrying to the front window.

Ezra’s large SUV zoomed down the drive with Maddox’s sleek sports car behind him. I saw Emma sitting in the passenger’s seat and a smile spread across my face. She hadn’t said anything about coming over when I talked to her earlier and I hadn’t wanted to ask and sound whiny, but I really needed her right now.

I waited for them to park before opening the door and rushing outside.

Emma had barely gotten out of the car before I crashed into her arms, squeezing her tight. I’d seen her only a week ago when we got together to catch up after her being gone on tour with the guys, but it felt like so much longer.

She hugged me back just as fiercely.

“Why are you guys here?” I asked, flicking my head in the direction of Maddox and giving him a small wave.

He smiled and waved back. His brown hair fell messily over his forehead and stubble dotted his jaw. He crossed his arms and laid them on the roof of his car. “This one,” he pointed at Ezra who was walking towards us, “said something about a party.”

“A party?” My brows rose in interest.

“Yeah,” Ezra nodded. “I’m calling it the Thank-God-That-Asshole-Is-Out-Of-Your-Life party.”

Laughter burst free of my lungs and I couldn’t seem to stop. “That’s quite a long name for a party.”

He shrugged. “It seemed appropriate.”

“I hope you got alcohol.”

At my words he walked over and opened the trunk of his SUV, revealing two twelve packs of beer stacked beside my belongings.

I put a hand to my forehead and pretended to swoon. “You’re a life saver.”

“I also got cake.” He smiled proudly. “And fireworks, because what party is complete without blowing some shit up.”

“Yeeeaaah!” Maddox clapped his hands together. “Beer and fire, I like this party.” He held out his fist for Ezra and Ezra bumped his against it.

Boys.

Emma shook her head, a small smile turning up her lips. She eyed the boxes in Ezra’s car. “Do you want me to help you unpack?”

I had told Emma on the phone that I would be staying with Ezra for the foreseeable future.

“That would be great.” It would make the time go faster and we could talk.

We each grabbed a box and Ezra told me that he and Maddox would bring in the rest. I flashed both guys a grateful smile.

Emma followed me up the porch steps and into the cottage. Since Maddox and Ezra were best friends she’d been here plenty of times before.

I trudged up the steps and pushed open the door to the guestroom with a shove of my shoulder.

I set the box in my hands down on the bed and Emma did the same.

The guys were right behind us with more boxes.

Ezra lingered in the doorway, looking back at Maddox and then Emma before his eyes landed on me. “I…uh…” He scratched the back of his head, a nervous habit. “I cleared out a drawer in the bathroom for you to put your things.”

“That’s nice of you, but you didn’t need to do that. The last thing I want to do is disrupt things for you.” I felt like I kept telling him that over and over again, but I sincerely meant it. It was never my intention to swoop in and unsettle things.

“You’re not disrupting anything.” He assured me.

Emma watched our exchange with a careful eye.

“Well, thanks for the drawer then. If you’re sure?” I questioned further.

“I am.” He nodded.

He ducked out of the room then with Maddox behind him.

Emma’s lips twisted as she fought a smile.

“What?” I asked, knowing exactly where this was heading but refusing to be the one to initiate the conversation.

“What’s going on with you guys?” She asked, trying to hide her growing smile.

I fiddled with my keys, looking for the chain with the small pocketknife. My dad insisted I always have one with me, and he’d also stuck a can of pepper spray in my car. He took the over protective parent role very seriously.

Once I found the knife, I used it to slice open the tape on one of the boxes.

Shrugging, I began to lay the stuff on the bed. “We’re friends. We have been for years. Nothing has changed.”

She eyed me for a moment and then let out a sigh. She opened another box and started unpacking that stuff.

“You haven’t talked to him since New Year’s,” she whispered, “that hurt him.” She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, waiting for my reaction.

I set a stack of jeans on the bed before turning to the dresser and opening a drawer.

“I did what I had to do.” I swallowed past the lump in my throat, waiting for her to ridicule me for my stupid decisions.

“I know,” she replied, shocking me. “There’s something I’ve been wondering, though,” she started.

I raised a brow for her to continue when she trailed off.

“Why did you call him when you got arrested and not me? I can see why you wouldn’t want your parent’s to know, but you and I have been best friends for longer than you and Ezra.”

I hadn’t told my parent’s about getting arrested, but I had let Emma in on that detail.

I began to place the jeans in the drawer, weighing my answer. “I guess I was afraid you’d judge me.” I shifted my eyes nervously in her direction.

She reeled back, shocked by my admission. “How could you think that?”

I put the last pair of jeans away and closed the drawer.

I waved a hand at her and said, “Look at you, Emma! You have the perfect relationship with the perfect guy. You’re happy. You didn’t get with some fuck up like I did.” I opened another box, my back now turned to her.

“You think my relationship is perfect?” She snorted. “I assure you, it’s not. We have our ups and downs like everybody else.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, grabbing the stack of clothes from the box. These were on hangers so I walked over to the closet to hang them up. “But you guys are…ugh…. You’re perfect for each other. Braden and I were not. You warned me that he was the wrong guy, so I guess I was afraid you’d say ‘I told you so.’”

“You know I would never do that,” she defended, “and Ezra could just as easily have said that to you. My God, he’s the one that punched Braden, not me.”

I finished hanging up the clothes and faced her with a frown on my face. “I didn’t want to be a bother to you, okay? You’re always wrapped up in Maddox and now you’re planning your own wedding,” I pointed to her hand where a unique purplish pink diamond glittered, “so I didn’t want to be an inconvenience. I knew I could count on Ezra.”