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“Well, maybe it’s time you stopped thinking.” Haylee gave Tori a wink and moved the conversation on as they went to the living room couch to eat the rest of their dessert.

“Thank you.” Tori brushed her lips against Haylee’s cheek when the rideshare showed up outside.

“It’s been a great night.”

“It really has,” Tori said. “And Haylee?”

“Yeah?” Haylee turned back just outside the front door.

“I’d like to stay friends. If you would like that, too.”

“Girl, that was already a given.” Haylee waved and walked toward the idling car at the front of Tori’s apartment.

Tori watched until the car pulled away. She closed the door, leaned her back against it and slid to her bottom, pulling her knees to her chest. As nice as the evening had been, there was something a good cry could do that nothing else compared to.

twenty-nine

Miranda cringed as soon as she pulled into the parking spot. She didn’t want to get out of the car. She certainly didn’t want to talk to her. Grinding her molars together, she slowly got out of her car. What had Tori told her? Because the last thing she wanted was to be reamed out after running into Tori at the grocery store last week.

“Hey there!” Siena called over the roof of her car. “Good timing!”

Good timing? Miranda frowned. What did that mean? She wouldn’t call any of this good timing. In fact, she’d call it awful. Everything in her life had spun out of control since she’d met Tori. Granted, Tori wasn’t the cause, but she’d certainly been along for the ride.

Siena skirted around the back of the car. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“Why?” Miranda bit her tongue. She should be nicer. Siena hadn’t been anything but nice to her.

“Because I thought you might need a friend.”

The skies opened, and a heavier rainfall started. Miranda wrinkled her nose and tightened her jacket around her waist.

“Let’s go in and talk.”

“Perfect,” Miranda mumbled. She didn’t want to be cornered where she couldn’t get out.

They ducked their heads as they ran inside. Siena punched in the code for the door rapidly and held it open for Miranda to step through first. She shivered and brushed her jacket off before straightening her shoulders. She could see what Tori saw in Siena. She was strong, and a calm force of nature to be dealt with. Unlike Tori, her energy was the easy balm that surrounded and consumed whatever was around it. They would make a good match.

“Why did you and Tori get divorced?” The question was out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

Siena froze, her lips parted in surprise. She was just about to speak when Aili’s voice echoed down to them.

“Oh good. You two. Come in here. I need to talk to you both.”

Miranda stared into Siena’s dark eyes. What had Rebel gotten up to now? Siena touched Miranda’s arm and implored her. “Hold on a second, I do actually want to answer your question.”

“What question?” Miranda huffed, like she had forgotten her outburst. So much for Aili’s save on that one.

“Why Tori and I got divorced.”

Miranda pursed her lips and looked directly into Siena’s eyes. She had her whole list of assumptions she’d made about the real reason, but she’d never asked Tori directly.

“Tori is amazing,” Siena started.

Miranda wouldn’t disagree with that.

“But we stopped working on our relationship. Well, I did.” Siena frowned. “It was hard when Harley was little. She didn’t sleep, and we didn’t take the time for each other like we should have. And to be honest, we were having issues before that.”

Miranda said nothing. What was she supposed to say?