Page 17 of Saving His Heart

“Listen, if it makes you feel any better, Julia is the only one who had a normal childhood. Lexi grew up with our grandmother, and my mother was an alcoholic, abusive mess. I only recently came to terms with what that meant and how it has affected me into adulthood,” Lanie confesses.

I’m shocked by her open confession and angry with myself for making assumptions I had no business making.

“My father is an alcoholic, too,” I tell her, for once not feeling the shame that generally accompanies that statement.

Nodding her head in understanding, Lanie takes my hand in hers. “Well, then, I guess you have some catching up to do. Tonight will be all about filling in the experiences you missed,” she says excitedly.

“Lanie,” Julia warns.

“What?” I ask, glancing around.

Julia and Lexi have concerned expressions on their faces while Lanie is positively exploding with happiness.

“Nothing,” Lexi replies. “Lanie just has a tendency to go overboard, and she looks like she has a plan formulating in her head.”

Clapping her hands and bouncing in her seat, she admits, “I do, I do! We can do girls’ night once a week. It’ll give us a break from all the wedding stuff that is all-consuming, and we can use that time to help Emory have the experiences she missed out on.”

She looks so excited I hate to burst her bubble, but this sounds like trouble in the making.

“How about if we see how tonight goes first?” I offer.

“That sounds good,” Julia agrees. “So, Never Have I Ever. The rules are easy. We each take turns saying something we have never done. Everyone else will drink if they haven’t done it either. If no one drinks, then the person asking has to. Got it?”

“I think so.” Feeling nervous, I take a drink from the bottle. Each of them also takes a sip straight from theirs.These girls just might be my kind of people.

“Good, I’ll start,” Lexi tells us. “Never have I ever been on a dating website.”

I look around the room. “So, if I have never been on a dating website, do I drink?”

“Yes,” all three girls say, so I lift the bottle to my mouth, as does Lanie.

“Julia! When did you go on a dating website?” Lanie screeches.

“Ah, I don’t know. I guess before your attack. Remember? I was horny as hell. I was ready to try anything at that point,” she tells us honestly, and I can’t help but giggle.

“Okay, my turn,” Lanie says. “Never have I ever tried a keg stand.”

Everyone but Lexi takes a drink.

“What? I played basketball in college, remember? House parties are like Beer-Olympic training grounds.”

These girls each have fascinating stories.I hope I get to know them one day.

Julia goes next. “Never have I ever given a lap dance.”

Lanie and I both drink.

“Who the hell were you giving lap dances to, Lexi?” Julia asks, and I notice we all lean in for the answer.

“Oh, one of my boyfriends in college. I was awesome at lap dances, by the way, right up until he puked all down my back,” Lexi says, cringing.

“Ugh,” I say, but we’re all laughing. I’m surprised to find that I’m having a lot of fun.

“Your turn, Emory,” Lanie says while adjusting herself on the floor, so she is sitting crisscross.

“Okay, um. Never have I ever …” Shit, I really have done nothing, so this shouldn’t be so hard. “Okay, never have I ever had sex outside.”

I glance around the room, and no one takes a drink.