Page 127 of All the Forbidden Things

“I’m all about the angst and emotion,” I admit.

I watch as Marnie does something on her phone that turns the music down.

“That’s cool,” I tell her.

“Yeah, it’s all hooked up to some kind of Bluetooth system. Jay likes to know what the girls are listening to or watching, so everything can be controlled from our phones.”

We’re both quiet again as we sip our tea.

“Are you seeing anyone?” Marnie’s pale blue eyes sparkle from across the table as she asks. “What happened with the hunky ex-marine, did that all end when you left Los Angeles?”

“It never really got started. One hot and heavy make-out session on the sofa in my apartment, and I decided it just wasn’t worth the hassle if things didn’t work out and we still had to work together.”

“Damn, that’s a shame, all that ink, and abs . . .” She trails off, shaking her head.

Jay isn’t exactly buff, more tall and lean, but he’s covered in ink and drop-dead gorgeous in a pretty-boy, Christopher-Mason kind of way. Jake has a similar kind of blue-eyed, blond-haired surfer look, except he’s younger and a little more ripped. My brother is shorter, totally ripped, with darker, dirty blond hair and grey-blue eyes. And then there’s Max. My Max. Tall, dark, inked and those eyes . . .

“So, there’s no one else on your radar?”

“Max,” I tell her quietly.

If I’m gonna sit at the woman’s table, sip green tea, and accept her hospitality for the next month or so, then I’m not gonna do it bare-faced lying to her.

“Excuse me?”

“On my radar, there’s Max.”

“Max? Our Max? Max Young?”

“That Max, yes.”

Her cup hovers in front of her face a while before she places it on the saucer, picks it up, takes a sip, and places it back down.

“But how? When? Holy shit does your brother know?”

“It just happened, and, no, Cal doesn’t know, hence the reason both Max and I are still breathing.”

“I honestly don’t know what to say . . . I . . . shit, I mean, wow.”

“It is. It’s very wow,” I tell her. “And it’s loud, passionate, and amazing. It was instant, and it’s so quiet and comfortable and just so there. Unavoidable. It smacked us both in the face, hooked us, and reeled us in. We’ve managed to keep our heads enough to know what’s at stake. We’re going to keep this as quiet as we can until after Max can file for divorce. The fall out from that alone is going to be bad, and once we go public, I honestly have no clue what’s going to happen.”

“All hell’s gonna break loose, that’s what’s gonna happen. I can tell you right now, your world is about to ride the crazy train.”

“So I keep being told.”

I watch as Marnie shakes her head. “Damn, girl, I need something stronger than green tea right now.”

She stands, goes to the massive fridge freezer, and pulls out a bottle of Grey Goose. “You want one?”

“No thanks, after what’s gone on today, I might just become a lifelong teetotal.”

“Ha, yeah, just wait till you have more kids. We’ll see how long that lasts.” She fills a shot glass with vodka, knocks it back, and pours another.

“Just so I’ve got this straight, no one knows about this?” Marnie questions.

“Mel kinda knows, and Cal is a little suspect but has no firm evidence. Aaron knows, Micky knows, Jake knows.”

I’m hit with a wave of tiredness as I talk and attempt to stifle a yawn.