Chapter 20

Chapter 20

1-MILLIE-

“Wow…” I blew out a breath when Candice’s car slowed to a crawl at their new house.

“I know, right?” she murmured, giggling, her entire b*dy vibrating with excitement.

The house was gorgeous, and I’m certain the location and the structure were the sell-outs to Candice.

“This is your dream house, Can. I looped my arm through hers is we entered the foyer. The three-bedroom house built of stone and logs was ideal for starting a family. Natural light passed through the floor to ceiling glass walls, illuminating the open floor plan, and large windows created a warm and inviting atmosphere.

“Oh, look at that view,” I gushed as we entered the kitchen and gazed at the closed glass French door. I dragged Candice with me and opened the door, stepping onto an elevated stone deck overlooking the city. Huge logs circled a man-made fire pit, recreating an outdoor camping vibe.

“I’m in love with this house. No wonder you bought it at first sight.” I murmured, grinning at my best friend.

“And it’s far enough from Mom so I could breathe,” she said, face scrunching. I giggled at that.

It was an hour’s drive away from the city. I doubt that would stop Nancy from visiting her often, though. Nancy was a sweet lady, but I understand Candice’s craving for space. Having someone micromanaging your life even when you’re already married was suffocating. But Moms will be Moms.

“When are you moving?” I asked, following Candice back inside. She headed for the kitchen, drew a glass from the cupboard, and filled it with water, offering it to me.

I sipped my water, feeling the summer heat enveloping me.

“Proper turnover will be done this week, and we’re still waiting for the furniture to be delivered, Candice grabbed a glass of her own and led me back to the deck. “And for Aaron’s dad to find a replacement for him.”

“Oh, I breathe. She ordered the furniture seconds after reading the broker’s email that they were drawing out the papers and Aaron was not leaving his job at his dad’s law firm. He will only be working from a different city.

“I’m so happy for you.” I tried to hide the sadness in my voice.

She reached for my hand, squeezing it. “Are you okay?”

“Of course,” I chirped, biting the pang of longing already sinking in my chest. “I just…” I trailed off, water gathering in my

eyes.

I haven’t really cried since finding out about Natalie and Hunter. The chaos that followed that day kept me occupied. Now that I am alone with Candice, and seeing her dream materialize, I realize how much I have lost. This was my dream, too, to get married and start putting roots in one place. I imagined furniture shopping for Hunter and I’s house, too. It all vanished in one go.

“Oh, babe come here.” If there was one person in this world who could understand me by looking at me, that’s Candice. She just gets me. I lowered my guard and buried my face in Canilice’s warm embrace, letting my tears stream.

“I still can’t believe Natalie would do that to you,” Candice said. We settled in the master bedroom on the second floor. There were outdoor couches available on the balcony left by the previous owner. We ordered pizza while Candice listened to my story in detail for the second time. “She’s an ungrateful b utch. I would understand if it was someone outside our circle of friends. But she’s too close to you. She’s technically living under your roof!”

I lift

my

shoulder in a shrug, lazily sipping my Sprite. “I would never understand what she did, no matter how much explaining she does, but Hunter… I gave him everything, Candice.”

Chapter 20

She snorted, brushing off the lonesome air that hovered over us “I never liked the guy”

She openly disliked Hunter from the moment I introduced them together. Candice said something about his aura being strange. It rubbed her the wrong way. But for the sake of my happiness, she tolerated Hunter’s creepy aura. Those were her exact words. Three years later, her first impression turned out to be true.

“Draco is way better than him.”

“Ugh! Not you, too!” I groaned, sinking into the rattan cu shioned chair.

Mischief sparked in her eyes. “So tell me about last night. You two looked cozy after that ‘talk.”

Cozy doesn’t even cover what we had last night. We k*ssed a lot on the dance floor, and Damian might have grown a liking to my butt. He’d squeezed it a handful of times while grinding me against him. He didn’t shy away from letting me know how aroused he was. Pride swelled in my chest knowing I did that to Damian

“You’re blushing” Candice pointed out, tilting her head to the side. “Oh, my g od. Tell me! I want dibs

I peered away from her probing gaze. There’s really not much to tell.”

I told her how Damian’s friends welcomed me to their group, how Matt was grumpy, and how Savannah subtly bit ched out on me, curving the topic away from Damian and me.

“Matt recently broke up with his fiancee,” she explained. They were together for four years, engaged for two. Then, one day, Matt woke up alone, only a letter from Monique saying she had a change of heart.”

“That’s gotta hurt. No wonder he’s a bitter a ss.” I nodded, pursing my l*ps. I knew the feeling all too well, so all is forgiven.

“When a player gets his heart broken, it’s hard for them to bounce back on their feet.”

“But Savannah, though, I supplied. “I think she hates my guts.”

Candice crossed a leg over the other. “That girl has a thing for Damian.”

“What?”

“Uh-huh, she nodded. “Madeline is like a locket full of gossip, you know. One push, and she’ll spill everything she knows. She told me about Savannah when we were planning the reunion Savannah wanted to snare Damian, but he turned her down with her every attempt. That’s when Luke came in and made a move on her.”

“That’s cruel. I stared at her, feeling a bit bad for Luke. He might have been a player in high school, but I saw at Savannah. There were stars in his eyes every time he stared at her.

ked

Candice shrugged. “It’s pretty f ucked up if she did that to you last night. It only meant she was still trying to c attention, even when she was already with Luke. And speaking of Madeline…. The probing pitch in her voice pr ickle. “She sent me a photo of you and Damian.”

My eyes widened. “What photo?”

Candice giggled “Tasked her how things are going, and she kindly gave me hard evidence of you two smooching in middle of the dance floor”

1 dropped my face onto my palms, taking a m ental note to drop milk into Madeline’s drink the next time we met. She lactose intolerant, and that would be the meanest payback I could get

“It was only for a show,” I grunted, trying to explain myself

“Yeah? What I saw over dinner looked da mn real to me. M” I lifted my face and stared at her “Damian can swoon a tree wit his charm,” she murmured, a wicked smile playing on her l*ps. “I wasn’t surprised that you were ogling him like he’s a rockstar and you’re a die-hard fan.”

“I did not!” I retort defensively.Chapter 201

“Yes, you did,” she insisted. At first, I was worried he wouldn’t be able to sell he was in love with you, but he did. That’s what Mom and Lenny saw. Hell, that’s what I saw. They can’t help gushing about your engagement party.”

“Oh my Go d,” I groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

Candice giggled. It was a witch-like, menacing laugh. I frowned at her, but she threw her head back, laughing.

“This turned out to be the best show I’ve ever seen,” she couldn’t keep the grin off her face. “And Mom’s attention will be solely focused on you and Damian. Which means I can finally have peace.”

I slapped her shoulder hard enough to leave palm prints on her skin. She hissed, glaring at me. “Aw! Why do you have to be so brute? You have to win over my approval as your boyfriend’s step-sister.”

“I hate you.” I groaned.

“No, you don’t she leaned over and pinched my cheeks. “We’re finally gonna be sisters!”

“Candice!”

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