Page 66 of Hold Me Tight

Delicious.

There’s a warm hum in my chest I didn’t expect. A feeling of comfort. Of being seen and understood.

Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of girlfriends. Not the kind who showed up for you without being asked, or teased you like this but would also go to war for you if needed. Somehow, without me even realizing it, these three have become exactly that for me.

They’re my people.

As I sit here, laughing with them, a little embarrassed and a lot grateful, I know I wouldn’t trade this for anything.

I wrap my hands around my mug as the warmth steadies me. “Okay, fine.” I meet their eyes one by one. “I’m staying with River.”

Three jaws drop in perfect sync. Sloane’s cruller falls back onto her plate. Lilah jerks forward so fast her elbow nearly knocks over her mug. And Rina just blinks at me, stunned, like her brain is buffering.

Sloane’s the first to recover. “Staying with him… or staying with him?”

I lift a brow. “Is there a difference?”

“Uh, yeah,” Lilah says. “The first one means you’re sleeping under the same roof. The second means you’re sleeping under him.”

Rina lets out a bark of laughter. “You did not just say that.”

Sloane leans in. “We’re gonna need you to start from the very beginning, and don’t you dare leave anything out. And if you skip the spicy parts, I’m quitting on the spot.”

A gurgle of laughter bursts out before I can rein it back in. When my chuckles fade, what’s left feels lighter.

Freer.

Like the weight I’ve been carrying isn’t quite so crushing with these three sitting beside me.

And yeah, maybe nothing about River and me is easy. Maybe it’s messy and complicated and full of things I don’t know how to say out loud. But right now, with their expectant faces and warm drinks and easy camaraderie, I realize that I don’t have to necessarily figure it out alone.

Rina blinks again. Then once more. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her rendered speechless. “I’m sorry, did I just black out? I’m almost positive you just said you’re staying with River Thompson. As in your ex’s best friend. The same guy you refused to make eye contact with a few weeks ago.”

“Although…” Lilah lifts her tea with a knowing smile. “He did watch Nora last week.”

“That’s still a pretty big leap,” Sloane says, arching a brow. “From babysitting duty to living under the same roof.”

With a shrug, I try playing it cool as the corners of my mouth twitch. “You didn’t black out. And if you did, blame Oliver. Not me.”

Rina groans as her head falls back. “The only O word I want to talk about is orgasm. Not Oliver.”

Sloane perks up like she’s been waiting for this exact moment. “Any chance we’ll get to hear those two words used in the same sentence?”

Rina flings a napkin at her, but the flush climbing her cheeks gives her away.

Lilah grins and shifts in her seat, one hand resting lightly on her growing baby bump. “Now that’s definitely a situation we need to circle back to. But right now, I want to hear all about how this whole surprise-roommate thing happened with River.”

I let out a sigh as my brain tumbles back to the weekend. “My landlord taped a notice to my door that the rent would be going up five hundred dollars.”

Lilah’s eyes widen. “Five hundred? That’s?—”

“Insanity,” I finish for her. “With everything else going on, there’s no way I can swing it.”

“And River just offered up his home?” Surprise crosses Sloane’s face “Like, here’s a spare bedroom and built-in support system, no strings attached?”

I nod slowly, omitting the part about sharing his bed. “Yeah. He said he had space. That it wasn’t an issue for Nora and me to stay with him until I figured out my next move.”

There’s a pause and then Lilah lets out a quiet laugh. “Yeah, if you remember correctly, I got the same speech.” She rubs her stomach with a smile so tender it tugs at something deep in my chest. “Now look at me.”