Page 61 of Aiden & Lily

“As if,” Lily said with a laugh. “Jasmine will never be serious with anyone. Not even someone as amazing as you.”

“Alas, if only I were available to fill that role, I’m certain I could have changed your mind.”

This he directed at Jasmine, but it caught the attention of both of them. They stood before him with wide eyes and mouths agape.

His focus bounced from one to the other. “What? Why do I feel like you’re both going to eat me alive?”

“Reese Crawley!” Lily crowed. “Are you seeing someone?”

His eyes widened, and he let out a laugh. “What? No. You and I both know that’s not going to happen in the near future. I can’t offer a woman what she needs. Not with my travel schedule.” Then he seemed to realize what he’d said. “And no, I’m not dating.”

He made a show of pouting like he was auditioning for a role in a new drama. “But I’ve already punched that ticket, Jazz. Sorry.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jasmine asked, curious more than anything.

“It means, dear Jazzy,” he said as he draped his arm around her shoulder, “I can’t date you because you’re never supposed to date your ex’s sister. And it goes both ways. I’d never date my best friend’s ex, either.”

“Ahh.” Lily nodded. “He’s got a good point.”

Jasmine pulled out from under Reese’s arm, probably in case her date returned. She wouldn’t want him thinking she was flirting with another guy. Reese was more like a brother to her, anyway.

Still, she planted her hands on her hips and cocked her head. “And why not? What’s so wrong with dating me?”

“It’s not you, sweetheart,” Reese insisted. He glanced at Lily. “Back me up here, Lils.”

“It’s…” Lily looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “Messy. Think about it. If he asked you out and things got serious, then you might wonder if he was comparing you to me. Or what if your self-confidence took a hit anytime we hung out?”

Jasmine’s expression shifted.

“Same sort of situation with the whole dating-a-best-friend’s-ex thing,” Lily continued. “Can you say you’d be okay if Isabelle or Sophia dated someone you were serious with?”

Jasmine held up her hand. “Okay, okay, I get it. Yeah, I suppose that would get messy. Because if I wasn’t over said ex, then it would be hard to see them together all the time.”

“Exactly.”

“And even if everyone was over it,” Lily added, “I’d still want the people involved to be honest. Otherwise, someone is bound to feel betrayed.”

Reese nodded. “That’s the bigger issue.”

The conversation had gotten a little too serious for Lily’s liking, but thankfully, they didn’t linger on it for long.

And Lily didn’t have to worry about catching the attention of other men because Reese remained a decent buffer.

When he went off to dance with a girl who had arrived with her friends, Lily checked her phone. She’d expected to see a message or two from Aiden since he liked to touch base with her from work.

But fate must have been smiling on her because at that moment, her phone rang.

She slipped outside and answered. “Hey, there.”

“Hey, beautiful.”

She grinned and leaned against the balcony rail so she could keep an eye on the door and make sure she didn’t say anything she didn’t want overheard.

“Is that music I hear? What are you up to?”

“I went out with Jasmine. We’re a tricycle tonight.”

“A tricycle?” Aiden laughed. Then he grunted with amusement. “You must be the third wheel in that scenario?”