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SHE KNEW

BELLA

A year and four months ago

April

“Happy birthday, Izzy!”

The second I pull the door open, Meg jumps on me, almost knocking me over.

“Love you, love you, love you!”

“I…love…you…too,” I mumble, trying to breathe. Her grip is suffocating.

When she finally releases me, Meg leans away, a tender smile stretching across her lips. “You’re so beautiful, birthday girl.”

“Thank you,” I murmur, my heart melting as I pull her inside the house. “I’m so glad you came.”

She chuckles as she slips her shoes off. “You’re my best friend. Where else would I be?”

Xander and I spent the morning together, but he’s dedicated to keeping himself in shape during the offseason, so when Drew and Marco insisted they meet at the gym, he agreed.

That means Meg and I have the whole house to ourselves for a few hours. I can’t complain. A low-key birthday with my best friend is exactly what I need. I plan to celebrate with my boyfriend later…in our bedroom. I have a very special wish this year.

“What do you want to do?” she asks, nose scrunching. “You were so cryptic when we talked last time.”

“I ordered pizza, bought two bottles of wine.” I grin at her. “And we’re going to watch our favorite movies.”

“ The Devil Wears Prada ?” She arches a brow, her eyes glimmering.

I nod. “And, if we have time…” I trail off, leaving her in suspense. “We are going to watch…”

“Oh, don’t tell me—I want to guess it myself.” She nibbles on her bottom lip. “Is it Crazy, Stupid, Love ?”

“Yes,” I confirm, and she bursts out laughing.

After two hours of giggling continuously, reliving memories that span a lifetime, and a bottle and a half of wine, Meg and I are extremely tipsy.

I can’t stop blabbering about the vacation Xander and I are taking in two weeks. We’re still not sure where we’ll go, but honestly, it doesn’t matter. We just want to get away from Boston and our families. May feels like a good time to do it.

“Has Xander’s sister moved back yet?” Meg asks.

“Yeah, they’ve been here for about a week.” I take a sip of my wine, hiding behind my glass, trying to ignore the heaviness in my chest.

“And?” Lips pressed together, she lifts both brows in question, clearly picking up on the change in my mood.

Sighing, I set my wineglass on the table. “And nothing.”

“What’s wrong?” Meg shifts on the couch so she’s facing me. “I couldn’t shut you up for even a second just a moment ago, and now you’re clamming up on me. Why?”

With a shrug, I run a hand over Milo’s head. “They found a rental fifteen minutes from here.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

The heaviness only grows, making it hard to breathe. “I dunno.”

Pauline wished me a happy birthday, along with Greg. They invited Xander and me to their place for dinner next week. Ryan texted well-wishes too, while Audrey…

“She doesn’t really like me,” I say.

“What? Why?” Meg pulls her legs up under her, her eyes never leaving mine.

“She liked me at first, but that changed pretty quickly after all the crap with Jake. She doesn’t like the negative press Xander has gotten. She feels like I took her place in his life—that’s what their mom told me.”

“I’m a little drunk, so maybe I can’t grasp the concept,” she says, blinking like she’s trying to clear her brain, “but that doesn’t make any sense. Being jealous of your brother’s girlfriend is creepy.” She shudders.

“Before me, Audrey was the only girl he really cared about. He would’ve done anything for her.” I swallow past the lump in my throat. “Now that he cares about me as well, she doesn’t like it.”

“Excuse me,” my best friend says, a little too loudly, “but her brother is twenty-six. She can’t possibly expect him to love his sister more than he loves his girlfriend.”

“He won’t be twenty-six until August,” I correct her.

“Bah.” She waves wildly. “It doesn’t matter whether he’s twenty-five or twenty-six. He could even be thirty! That lady needs to get lost.”

“No,” I say, my voice weaker than I’d like. “They’re close; they always have been.” I run my fingers through Milo’s fur. “I don’t know what it’s like to have a real family. I never had siblings, so what Audrey and Xander have is precious to me. I don’t want to get in the way.”

“You’re too nice.” Meg studies me, her brow wrinkled. “It won’t end well if you continue to stay quiet about your feelings. You should create boundaries, talk to him about creating them too. I agree, it’s great for siblings to be close. But if she’s constantly undermining you, that’s a problem.”

Unwelcome tears brim my eyelashes. “You’re right. Thank you for helping me see it.”

“Stop it. If you cry, I’ll cry—and you know I’m an ugly crier!” Meg whines, pulling me in for a hug.

As we sit side by side, watching the end of The Devil Wears Prada , a peacefulness washes over me. I feel safe with Meg. Her energy refuels me, gives me strength and confidence. I should be more like her instead of going back to my old pushover habits. That’s a road to nowhere.

When the movie is over, I head to the kitchen for a refill and more snacks. When I step back into the living room, Meg is on the phone with Marco.

Is he home from the gym already?

I strain to hear his side of the conversation as I sit on the couch. No luck.

If he’s home, then where’s Xander?

“Me too, babe,” Meg purrs tenderly. “It’d be nice if you could wait for me, but don’t feel obliged… Of course. Uh-huh. Love you.”

She tosses her phone on the table, a playful smile twitching at her lips. “Marco is too sweet. He’s home, but he tried to insist he’d leave again so he could come pick me up. I told him there’s no need; Uber is always an option.”

Despite the frisson of disappointment over Xander’s absence, my heart warms. “I’m so happy for you. Marco is a great guy.”

“He’s still surprised I’m more talkative than he is.” She bursts into laughter. “He was impressed that I hid the truth about your relationship with Xander for so long. He said he never could’ve done that.”

We talk for a few minutes, but I’m eager to start the next movie, hoping it’ll help clear my head of thoughts about Xander’s whereabouts.

Should I call him? Is he stuck in traffic? What if?—

“Izzy, you’re spacing out.” A warm palm on my bare knee startles me.

“Sorry, I’m?—”

Milo’s bark stops me midsentence. He lifts his head but doesn’t leave the couch.

I, however, stand and head for the door.

Could it be the surprise Xander promised? Honestly, I’m most excited to see my man, to be in his arms, to kiss his lips.

I inhale, ready to call out to him. But instead, Audrey walks through the door. She steps inside, talking nonstop, peering over her shoulder.

“Did you know she was coming over?” Meg asks quietly, suddenly at my side.

My stomach sinks. “No.”

“Can you believe it?” Audrey stops in the middle of the hallway, turning to face Xander behind her. “That rare bookstore I always loved? It’s closed! Two years ago! Ugh.” She tosses her arms out and lets them fall to her sides. “It feels like everything changed while I was gone.”

“That’s not true,” he says, though all I can see is the top of his head behind her. “A few things are different, sure, but it’s not the end of the world.”

“Maybe you’re right. I don’t know. I don’t like such drastic changes,” Audrey huffs.

“She’s kinda over-the-top,” Meg whispers. “Though I remember that from the Warriors game.”

“Where’s Milo? He’s usually waiting for me at the door.” Audrey spins around and finally notices me, her face lighting up in feigned excitement. “Oh, Isabella! I didn’t know you were home.”

“Hey, Audrey.” I smile at her despite the uneasy feeling in my chest. She looks cute; she’s four months along, and her baby bump is already visible. “Milo, come here,” I call.

Only then does he jump off the couch and pad to the hallway. He stops in his tracks once he sees Audrey.

“Hey, boy! Didn’t you miss me?” she murmurs sweetly, tilting her head to the side. Milo hesitates, and Audrey’s face clouds. “Another change,” she mutters, her eyes narrowing.

“The dog is totally smitten with Bella.” Xander walks around his sister, meeting my eye. His lips stretch into that boyish grin I love so much. “As long as he has her, he’s happy. Hell, he doesn’t even need me anymore.”

“I see.” Audrey purses her lips.

“Hey, Xander.” Meg’s voice cuts through the tension.

“Hey.” He gives her a friendly smile, then casts a quick look at his sister. “Audrey, this is Meghan, Bella’s best friend. Meghan, this is Audrey, my sister.”

“We’ve met,” Meg says sweetly, hands stuck in her back pockets. “At the Warriors game.”

“Yeah, I remember you.” Audrey assesses Meg. Her expression isn’t exactly cold, but it’s not warm either. Then she turns to her brother. “How much time do you need?”

My chest gets tight as I look from her to Xander and back again. Do they have plans I don’t know about?

“Fifteen minutes, tops.” He strolls toward me, his gait easy, comfortable. “I need to change my clothes and have a moment alone with my girl.”

He holds out a hand to me, and I take it without hesitation. The warmth of his body makes my muscles relax. The love, happiness, and joy I always feel around him rush back through me.

He never fails to notice even the slightest change in my mood. At first, it was disorienting. I’ve never been with someone who’s so attentive to my needs, so attentive to me overall. For most of my life, I felt like a burden, so it was hard to accept his nurturing and respect.

“How was the gym?” I ask the moment we step into our bedroom.

“It was fine.” He shuts the door, then twirls me around and makes me look at him. “Happy birthday, Bella.”

“Thank you, but you’ve already said that to me at least a dozen times,” I murmur, drinking him in.

He’s so handsome. He recently got a haircut, so his hair is a little shorter than I’m used to but still a bit messy on top.

I’m pretty sure he’d cut it even shorter if not for me.

He loves when I run my fingers through his hair and scratch his scalp.

“Audrey kinda messed with my plans. She showed up at the gym.” He cups my cheek and ducks so he’s eye level with me. “I’ll fix it. I promise.”

I shrug. “You don’t need to do anything else for me. The flowers and the special edition of Howl’s Moving Castle were more than enough.”

“But I want to do more.” He caresses my cheek and briefly presses his lips to mine. “You taste like alcohol.”

“Meg and I had a girl’s afternoon.” I beam at him. “We ate pizza, drank wine, and watched our favorite movies.”

“No gossiping?” He taps my nose and takes a step back.

“Maybe a little.”

He takes off his T-shirt, steps into the closet, and comes out with a fresh one.

“Where are you going?”

“Audrey has an appointment with an interior designer to talk about decorating the nursery. Ryan has a late meeting, so she asked me to go with her. To keep her company.”

Seriously? She’s a grown woman. She couldn’t go on her own? Or ask one of their parents to go with her? My unease grows. I have a feeling this has less to do with needing company and more to do with proving that she’ll always be Xander’s first choice.

“She says it’ll only take an hour. I’ll be home as soon as possible…with my other gift.”

“Okay.” I fake a smile and head to the door, needing to find Meg. With each passing second, my despair grows.

“Bella.” He catches my arm as I pass him. “I know it’s not how we planned to spend your birthday, but I’ll make it up to you. I just don’t want to give you my surprise in a rush. I want to see your face when you open it.”

“I’m really excited,” I say, failing to sound enthusiastic. “Whenever you have time to give it to me is great.”

He inches closer, holding my gaze. “Ugh, I hate this, but Audrey wouldn’t take no for an answer. This is the only time the designer had availability.”

“It’s fine. She’s your sister, and she needs you. I can wait. We already spent the whole morning together.”

“Thank you for being so understanding.” He gives me a peck on the lips and puts a hand on the small of my back, ushering me into the living room.

We stop at the threshold. Audrey and Meg sit on the couch, talking. The atmosphere between them is light and casual.

“Ready to go?” Xander asks his sister.

“Yeah.” She stands from the couch and casually walks over to him.

“Great. The sooner we go, the sooner I’ll be home.”

Audrey frowns. “Why are you in such a hurry?”

“It’s Bella’s birthday.” His eyebrows hit his hairline. “I told you that.”

“Oh my!” Audrey whirls around, her mouth hanging open. She’s a terrible actress. “I’m so sorry—I totally forgot about that. Blame my pregnancy brain. It’s so embarrassing. Isabella, happy birthday. I hope you aren’t mad at me for stealing Alex tonight? It’s only for an hour or so.”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry.” I fake another smile.

“In that case, let’s hurry up, Alex. I don’t want to be on your girlfriend’s shit list.” She flashes me a radiant smile, then floats to the front door. “Bye, Isabella. Bye, Meghan.”

“Bye.” Meg joins me in the foyer.

“Bye.”

With a heavy heart, I watch Xander walk out of the house with Audrey.

When it’s just the two of us, Meg wraps her arm around my waist and puts her head on my shoulder. “I don’t really want to cause you any extra stress, but I told her I was here to celebrate your birthday, and it didn’t surprise her.”

“Yeah…” I muse in a barely audible voice. “She knew all along.”