by Marie Force
Lucy let out a scream of her own when she apparently realized her best friend was now in the room staring at her, not to mention that her best friend’s boyfriend—who also happened to be Lucy’s boyfriend’s brother—had gotten a good look at her breasts. What a mess. “What’re you doing here?” she asked Cameron.
“Oh no, no,” Cameron said with a pointed finger. “We all know what I’m doing here. The question is what’re you doing here? Someone has some rather significant explaining to do.” Cameron crossed her arms and looked between Colton and Lucy. “Well?”
Colton sent his brother an imploring look, which Will thankfully understood.
“Cam, honey, let’s give Lucy a chance to get herself together, and then we’ll talk.” He took her by the arm as he gave Colton a scorching look. “We’ll have a good long talk.”
Colton slammed the door shut behind them and turned to face Lucy, fearful of how she would react to what’d just happened. “I’m so sorry. I have no idea what they’re doing here.”
“He . . . Your brother . . . He saw my . . .” She gestured to her chest.
“You couldn’t see much of anything. Don’t worry.” He told himself the lie didn’t really count as a lie because he was trying to protect her.
“Nice try, but I was out and proud, and he saw everything.”
“Then he knows I’m a lucky man.” He crawled onto the bed and leaned in to kiss her.
She turned her face away.
Colton dropped his head to her shoulder. “Don’t.”
“What?”
“Don’t turn away from me, Lucy. We’re in this together. We decided together to keep our friendship private, so let’s face the music together, too.”
“I don’t know what to say to her. Cameron was so shocked. And hurt.”
“Tell her the truth.”
“The whole truth?”
He tried again and this time she let him kiss her. “And nothing but the truth.”
Her hand curled around his neck as she leaned her forehead against his.
“Shower?”
“Yes, please.”
He got up and reached out to her.
She wrapped herself in the blanket and took his hand. “We’re not showering together when they’re out there waiting for us.”
Colton led her into the spacious master bathroom and turned on the water. “It’ll be quicker that way. We can talk to them, get rid of them and get back to our weekend already in progress.”
“It’s not going to be that simple.”
“It is going to be that simple.” He tugged on the tight grip she had on the blanket. “We’re both adults—consenting adults. We chose to take some time to ourselves before we told the world we were seeing each other. We’ve done nothing wrong, so please, don’t ruin this for either of us by trying to convince yourself that we owe anyone explanations.”
“You don’t understand,” she said softly.
The shine of tears in her eyes infuriated him. She’d been so happy earlier and now it had all gone to shit. “Make me understand.”
“Cameron and I . . . We rely on each other. We talk to each other about things. Important things.”
“So you’re saying this is an important thing?” he asked with a cheeky grin.
As he eased her under the warm water, Lucy rolled her eyes, which was a relief. That was better than tears. Anything was better than that. “She’s going to be mad at me for keeping this from her. Especially because of who you are. To Will.”
“Will’s my brother, not my keeper. We’re family, and we’re close, but we’re not up each other’s asses.”
Her button nose wrinkled adorably. “That’s a hideous visual.”
“But you get my point. Despite all our ball busting, my business is my business. I leave him alone, for the most part, and I expect the same from him. From all of them.” As he worked shampoo into her hair, he planted strategic kisses on her neck, hoping to remind her of the connection they’d shared before they were so rudely interrupted.
“Thank God they didn’t get here a little earlier.”
“That’s the way. Let’s be thankful for small favors.”
“That’s a very big favor.”
He pushed his erection against her back. “Why thank you, darlin’. That’s really kind of you to say.”
“Colton! Not with my best friend and your brother waiting for us. Knock it off!” She moved away from him to finish her shower. “Stay over there, and get rid of that thing.”
Colton laughed at the disdainful gesture she directed at his poor, misunderstood penis. How was he supposed to control him when she was standing naked and soapy and close to him? He was only human, after all. Resigned to the condition remaining until she was no longer naked, he washed up and got out to grab towels for both of them.
Lucy combed her hair and secured it in a ponytail.
They got dressed in silence. Colton wished there was something he could say that would make her laugh the way she had last night. He wanted to let her know everything was going to be okay, but he wasn’t sure of that himself. They’d been living in their own little bubble, going from weekend to weekend and holding the outside world at arm’s length.
Now their bubble had burst and they were forced to confront realities they weren’t quite ready to face. He took her hand and gripped it tightly. “It’s all good, okay?”
“Sure,” she said with a distinct lack of conviction. “Let’s get this over with.”
They opened the bedroom door and were hit with an ambush. Cameron stepped between them, edging Colton aside with scary agility. He had no choice but to release Lucy’s hand or risk losing his own hand as the door slammed in his face and the lock clicked into place.
What. The. Fuck? He turned to find Will leaning against the wall, arms folded and lips tight with displeasure and maybe pride at what his girlfriend had managed to accomplish.
“You’ve got some serious explaining to do, little brother. And there’s no time like the present.”
* * *
Lucy had never been scared of Cameron before. She’d never had reason to be. Until now. Her best friend was probably furious—and with good reason.
“So,” Cameron said.
Lucy sat on the edge of the bed. “So.”
“Were you going to tell me?”
“Eventually.”
“When? And how long has this been going on?”
Lucy wished she could find a way out of this mess of her own making. If only she’d shown some restraint where Colton was concerned none of this would be happening. “Um, since the night I met him.”
Cameron’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “The night you went to dinner with him and his parents?”
“That would be the one.”
Cameron came and sat next to her. “Tell me everything. Don’t leave out a single detail.”
Lucy sighed and tried to figure out how to explain something she didn’t quite understand herself. “As you know, he’d come down from the mountain to hear the website proposal,” she began haltingly. A big part of her wanted to tell Cameron to go to hell. It was none of her business. Except . . . She would never say that to Cameron, of all people. They’d been through everything together, and she owed her best friend the truth.
“Right . . . And?”
“We went to a place in St. Johnsbury.”
“The locals call it St. J. I just heard that. If you’re going to hang with the locals, you should speak the lingo.”
“I’m not going to hang with the locals. I’m not you, Cameron. I’m not uprooting myself. I’m simply enjoying some fun. It’s nothing like you and Will.”
Cameron swept that comment away with her hand. “Back to the night you met. You went to dinner and then what?”
“We had a lot of fun. He’s funny, as you’ve probably noticed, and his parents are . . . Well, I don’t need to tell you.”
“No, you certainly don’t. They’re amazing.”
&n
bsp; “Yes. There was a lot of laughter at dinner. I can’t remember the last time I had that much fun with people who’d been strangers a few hours earlier.”
“They have that effect. I’ve experienced it myself.”
“When we got back to Butler, Colton told his parents he’d see me back to the inn, so they dropped us off in town and headed home.”
“They just dropped you off. They didn’t say anything?”
“No, not really.”
Cameron tapped her forefinger against her lip. “That’s surprising.”
“Why?”
“Never mind. Keep talking. You went back to the inn, and then what?”
“There was a guy playing the piano in the lounge, so we went in and had a drink. Well, a couple of drinks actually . . . Too many for him to drive home, so he came upstairs with me.”
“Did you sleep with him?” Cameron asked, scandalized.
“He slept next to me, if that’s what you’re asking. But mostly we talked. And it was nice. Really nice. He makes me laugh and he makes me feel . . .”
“What? What does he make you feel?”
Lucy shook her head. How could she explain what she didn’t understand? “I don’t know, but I like him. A lot.”
“He must like you, too. He shaved off the beard he’s had since high school.”
“He did that because I told him I wondered what he looked like under all that fur, so he bought clippers and shaved it off.”
“And?”
“Obviously I liked what I saw. I’ve spent six weekends with him.”
Cameron fell back on the bed. “I can’t believe this! You’ve been sleeping with him for six weeks and I’m just now finding out about it?”
“I haven’t been sleeping with him sleeping with him. Until well, yesterday.” Lucy had no idea what brought on the flood of tears that suddenly streamed down her cheeks. God, she was such a basket case, and she absolutely hated feeling so out of control.
Cameron sat up. “What? Was it bad?”
Lucy snorted out a laugh and shook her head. “Hardly. What’s the exact opposite of bad, and don’t say good, because that’s not adequate enough.”
“I know,” Cam said with a sigh. “I get it.”
Lucy nudged her friend with her shoulder. “It’s really good to see you. I’ve missed you so much.”
Cameron hugged her tightly. “I’ve missed you, too.”
“So you’re not mad at me for keeping such a big secret?”
“I’m furious! All this time I could’ve been getting the juicy details!” She tucked a strand of escaped hair behind Lucy’s ear, letting Lucy know she still loved her despite the deception she’d perpetrated. “Why did you feel the need to keep it a secret?”
“I’m not sure exactly. Maybe because it’s not going anywhere. It’s just a fling, so why bring everyone else in on it?”
“Just a fling?”
“Of course it is. What else could it be?”
“Call me crazy, but six weekends sounds like more than a fling.”
“It’s not more. It can’t be more.”
Cameron studied her in a way that made Lucy feel raw and exposed. Few people knew her better than Cameron did. “Oh, shit, Luce.”
“What?”
“You’re falling for him, aren’t you?”
“No! Have you heard anything I’ve said? It’s a fling. That’s all. Stop trying to make it into a big bloody deal. Just because that’s what happened for you doesn’t mean it’s going to happen for me. It can’t happen. There’s no way I’m moving up here, and he knows that.” Lucy wiped the tears from her face. “I’m sorry I kept it from you. One week became two and then two became almost two months and the next thing I knew, it was a big secret. It just sort of . . . happened.”
“You have to give me some of the juicy details . . . He’s got that whole brawny sexy thing going on.”
Lucy giggled at Cameron’s description of Colton. “So I’ve noticed.”
“And?”
“What do you want me to say? It was amazing. Best sex I’ve ever had, but you already know that because you’re having the best sex of your life with his brother. What’s the deal with the Abbott men and their magic . . . wands?”
Cameron dissolved into a fit of laughter that took Lucy down with her. “Did you really just say that?”
Lucy fell back on the bed next to her friend and joined in the laughter. How could she resist? It was kind of funny. Well, sort of . . . Laughing with Cameron gave her something else to think about besides the mixed-up mess that was her “relationship” or whatever you’d call it with Colton.
“I can’t deny that Will does, indeed, have a magic wand.”
That set them off all over again, and Lucy laughed until her sides ached. She looked over at Cameron, who was breathing hard and wiping tears from her eyes. “I’m really glad you know. I hated keeping it from you.”
“You still haven’t told me why you did.”
“Everything with you and Will was still so new. I didn’t want you to think I was butting in on your scene. And I felt like a cliché sometimes. Taking up with the brother of my best friend’s boyfriend. It felt sort of tawdry.”
“Mmm, tawdry. I love when things get tawdry.”
“Stop. I’m trying to be serious here.”
Cameron turned her head so she could see Lucy’s face. “You know that one has absolutely nothing to do with the other, don’t you? Me and Will. You and Colton. Two totally separate and unrelated things.”
“Not entirely unrelated.”
“You know what I mean.”
“It didn’t feel unrelated to me.”
“Well, it is. Whatever happens with you guys has nothing to do with us, beyond both of us wanting both of you to be happy.”
Cameron’s sweet words brought new tears to Lucy’s eyes. “I feel like such a shit for keeping this from you. I’ve felt bad all along. I hope you know that.”
“Now that you’re out and proud, maybe you can relax and try to enjoy whatever time you get with him without feeling like it needs to be a big secret.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t sound convinced.”
“I think I’m going to end it with him.”
Cameron sat up abruptly. “What? Why? Didn’t you just say you’re having the best sex of your life with him? And I know for a fact he’s a really good guy. Just like his brother.”
“I know all that,” Lucy said, unprepared for the sharp stab of pain that hit her in the chest when she contemplated ending things with him. The thought of never seeing Colton again was just that painful. “But every time I see him, we get in deeper and deeper, and really, what’s the point?”
“The point,” Cameron said, “is you’ve found a connection with him that doesn’t come along every day. You can either see what becomes of it or spend the rest of your life wondering what might’ve been.”
“Why do you have to put it like that?”
“Because it’s true! You just told me it’s nothing more than a fling, and now you’re saying the fling has to end because it’s becoming more than a fling. Which is it, Luce? A fling or more than that?”
“I don’t know! I’m so confused and the more time I spend with him the more confused I seem to get. It’s a mess!”
“Do me a favor, okay? Don’t make any rash decisions. Let it ride for a while and see what happens.”
“If I do that, it’s only going to be harder to end it later.”
“Maybe you won’t have to end it. Maybe you can figure out something that works for both of you.”
“Why are you fighting so hard to make this work when I don’t even know if I want it to work?”
“I like you two together. It works for me.”
“Well, as long as it works for you . . .”
“Shut up,” Cameron said with a laugh. “You know what I mean.”
“You know what the scariest part is?”
“What’s that?”
“Yeah . . .”
“It’s not happening this time. I’m not getting bored and easily distracted. Most of the days I spend with him are weekend days so I don’t take my meds, and I’m never bored or distracted with him. I keep thinking it’s because we only get the weekends, so I don’t spend enough time with him to let the ADD sidetrack me.”
“What about when you’re not with him? Do you think about him?”
“Um, yeah . . . A lot.”
“Shit, Luce. You’ve found the ADD antidote.”
“Don’t make jokes! I’m being serious.”
“So am I. It’s the same for me with Will. I’m always interested in him. I’m never scatterbrained or forgetful or easily distracted when it comes to him. My focus has never been so laser sharp, and no meds are required to make that happen.”
Lucy groaned. “That’s not helping!”
Cameron took her hand. “Don’t do anything you might regret, Luce. I’d hate to see that happen to you.”
Lucy would hate it, too, but more than that, she’d hate to have her heart broken or be responsible for breaking his.
CHAPTER 9
Today is the first Tuesday in March, the day designated as Town Meeting Day across Vermont. Traditionally, sugarmakers consider this day their deadline for being tapped out. This year, for us in our little microclimate, all we know so far is it isn’t an early season for us.
—Colton Abbott’s sugaring journal, March 5
“What’ve you got to say for yourself?” Will asked Colton as he made coffee in the kitchen.
“You’re not my father, Will. Stop acting like Lincoln.”
“I’m not acting like Lincoln. I’m trying to find out when you started messing around with my girlfriend’s best friend and why you felt like you had to keep it a big secret.”
Colton raised an eyebrow in the direction of his older brother. “Really? You’re actually standing in the middle of my weekend with the woman I don’t spend enough time with as it is asking me why I felt the need to keep it a secret? Gee, I wonder. And P.S. I’m not messing around with her.”