Page 78 of The Best Friend Problem
She shushed Mo, waiting, silent, hoping…there! It happened. A small kick followed by another. Her babies. They were in there. Growing, healthy, filling her heart with so much love she could barely contain it. Tears ran a warm path down her cheek, but this time they were happy tears. She loved her babies, and she loved their father. Had for years, probably, but she’d been too stubborn to see it. Too scared.
She wasn’t afraid anymore.
Liar.
Okay, she was terrified, but love was more powerful than fear. She knew there were risks, life was a big ol’ ball of risk, but what kind of life would she have if she never went for what she truly wanted? What kind of example would she set for her babies if she didn’t try to gain her heart’s desire? They were her first step toward finding her true happiness, and their father was now her second.
But she’d hurt her best friend.
Badly.
She hadn’t believed in them, in him. And he said they couldn’t be an “us” anymore. Had she ruined her chances with Finn, or would he be willing to give her a second chance?
She would have to grovel, prove his words got through to her and that she could conquer her fear, allowing them to be together. And she had to do it in a way that he knew she was serious.
“Mo…” She turned to her roommate, a huge grin widening her lips. “Get me some paper. I need to write up a plan.”
“I’d go for the running dramatically to his side and declaring my love in the pouring rain, but since it’s not raining and it’s you, I’d say a precise plan is the perfect way to go.”
As Mo hopped up to grab the requested paper, Lilly handed her a pen from the coffee table with a knowing smile. “I think we’re going to need some cheesecake.”
The only thing Pru needed was Finn, but a plan and a little more cheesecake couldn’t hurt.
Chapter Nineteen
Finn finished his fifth set of pushups, collapsing and rolling over to his back. Maybe he’d overdone it on the workout, but he needed to blow off all this dark energy clouding him. He’d returned to the firehouse after leaving Pru at urgent care in the capable hands of her roommates. Then he’d cut short his days off and picked up an extra shift for one of the crew who came down with the flu, because what the hell else was he supposed to do? Go home and sit there, worrying he’d made a giant-ass mistake by pushing the woman he loved into something she wasn’t ready for?
Unless she doesn’t love me.
The terrifying thought sank into his psyche, making his bleak mood even darker. It was entirely possible that Pru didn’t feel the way he did. To her, this whole thing might just be a case of long suppressed lust. Just because he felt something deeper, didn’t mean she did.
No. He didn’t believe that. Pru wouldn’t have slept with him if she didn’t feel something. Even the tiniest bit of caring. Maybe it hadn’t started out as love, but it sure had grown into it. He knew it. How could they not love each other? They were best friends, dynamite in bed, loved hanging out with each other. Were they perfect? Hell no. No relationship was perfect, but they respected each other, trusted each other, and worked out their issues together.
Wasn’t that love?
He had no idea. All he knew was ever since he told Pru how he felt and witnessed sheer panic fill her eyes, he’d begun to have doubts. Not about his feelings. He loved Pru. Nothing could ever convince him he didn’t. He knew his heart, and right now, the thought of not being with her had it splintering, a physical ache spreading out into every inch of his body, weighing him down with the gloom of what his life would be like without her in it.
He knew what he wanted. Unfortunately, there was no way for him to know what Pru wanted. Not until she figured it out for herself and shared it with him.
If that ever came. It had been days since they’d talked or even texted. He couldn’t remember the last time they’d gone this long without contact. He felt like he was missing a limb.
Or his heart.
“Hey, dude-bro.” Díaz tossed Finn a bottle of water. “Might want to take a break from working out before you snap a muscle.”
He snatched the bottle out of the air, twisting off the cap and gulping down the entire thing. The cool liquid did nothing to quench his thirst for an answer, but it did solve his dehydration problem. His fellow firefighter was right. He needed to cool it on the fitness. He’d be no use to his crew or the people who needed their help if he got a muscle tear from over exercising. Time to find a new distraction.
“Thanks.” He tossed the empty bottle into the recycling bin. “I’m going to hit the shower then make dinner.”
“It’s Ward’s night to cook.”
Sure, but cooking would occupy his hands and brain so he didn’t think about Pru, worry about Pru, miss Pru.
“Do we want dinner or food poisoning?”
“Hey!” Ward yelled from outside the workout area. Popping his head in the small room, the man scowled. “I’m not that bad of a cook, and I’m making spaghetti tonight. Not even I can mess up pasta.”
He begged to differ. Last time Ward made pasta, it was so al dente Finn damn near chipped a tooth. The man was a badass firefighter, but he couldn’t cook worth shit.
