Page 211 of The Friends and Rivals Collection

The clock keeps ticking closer to Mia’s flight back to the West Coast tonight. She won’t return to New York for a month, she said, since she has business to attend to in San Francisco, prepping for her relocation. I won’t be counting the days till she returns.

The thirty-four days, that is. Fine, the thirty-four days and six hours.

Max and Henley stayed at a hotel last night, so after I make sure my hungry Mia eats breakfast, she heads upstairs to his apartment to tackle work for the day.

I leave for a run and a bike ride, then I upload some of Zeus’s shots from a recent hike to his Instagram account and respond to a ton of replies the popular fur ball received in the last few days.

Later, Max texts to invite me to an impromptu dinner. Chase and Josie leave for their honeymoon tomorrow, and he’s having them over before they go. Since it’s no longer technically Chase’s day, that makes tonight the night to tell Max.

I head upstairs with a bottle of wine and join my buddy, his fiancée, the newlyweds, Henley’s best friend, Olivia, and the woman I screwed senseless last night to the tune of four orgasms, with two more this morning.

Yes, folks, I’m sending her to San Francisco with a half dozen orgasms in less than twenty-four hours to remember me by. I’d say that’s a good showing. I’ll need to pull off a victory in the all-around, too, but I’m awarding myself a gold medal in Making Mia Meow.

At dinner, Henley serves her now-famous homemade mac and cheese as we recap the best and goofiest moments from the wedding.

As Olivia recounts Harper’s cake shout-out, I catch Mia’s eye, and the second I do, she blushes.

I can’t help but smile because I love that all it takes to turn her cheeks rosy is one knowing look.

I wiggle an eyebrow as I drink the wine.

She nibbles on the corner of her lip then casts her eyes down.

“Just a heads-up. I do plan to scream when it’s cake time at your wedding, too,” Josie says to Max and Henley, prompting Henley to show off her ring.

“Speaking of our wedding, check out my ring for the thirtieth time.”

“It’s like looking at the sun,” Olivia declares.

Henley glances from her ring to Josie’s. “The Summers men do have most excellent taste.”

Mia clears her throat. “Ahem. Where do you think they learned how to pick out rings?”

I laugh and raise a glass. “To the happy couple, and the secret weapon of a sister who helped choose the most beautiful diamonds for both her brothers.”

When dinner is over, Max and Henley clean up, shooing us to the pool table. After a quick round, Chase and Josie take off, and Olivia leaves, too. The hosts join us at the table as Mia peers at the time on the wall. “I better make sure I have everything for my flight.”

“I’ll help you check,” Henley says, and the women head to the guest room. A few seconds later, they’re listening to the Go-Go’s as Mia packs.

I take a deep, fueling breath. As Max grabs a stick and Belinda Carlisle gives us some privacy, I say what I’ve wanted to say for months.

“This seems as good a time as any to let you know something that’s been on my mind.”

Max stares as he lines up his shot. “You want me to fix your car for free?” He heaves an over-the-top sigh. “Fine, if I must. But I insist on you hooking me up with your dealer for that kick-ass ride of yours. I need one of Carlos’s custom-made bikes.”

I smile. “Consider it done.” Then I clear my throat. “What I wanted to say, though, is I’m falling in love with your sister.”

His spine straightens, and he blinks. “Excuse me?”

“I think you understood me.” I smile.

“You’re in love with my sister?”

There’s no question in my mind. That’s where I am on the map with Mia. I’m falling headfirst and fast. “It was pretty instant when I met her here several months ago. We’ve had a connection from day one.”

He draws a deep breath. “You two have always gotten along,” Max concedes. “Are you guys together now?”

“It only started last night for real. I wanted to let you know as soon as I had a chance, and today seemed the best time, now that the wedding is over.”

He nods slowly. Rubbing a hand across the back of his neck, he says, “I appreciate you telling me.”

“And listen, you know I’ll be good to her. I’ll treat her so damn well.”

“I have no doubt.”

“And since she’s moving to New York, we’re going to make a real go of it.”

“And she’s down with this?” He sounds skeptical. Way more skeptical than I thought he’d be.

“Yeah. She is.”

“Are you sure?”

I scoff. “I know the score, and I get it.”

“Okay, then.” He resumes his pace around the table, looking for the right shot. But something about the turn this conversation has taken bugs me.

“I’m not going to be like that other guy. I’m not going to hurt her, so you don’t have to worry.”

Max scratches his jaw. “It’s not her I worry about, buddy.” He claps my shoulder and pins me with his dark gaze. “It’s you.”

Tension bolts through me. “What does that mean?”

Max tips his forehead to the kitchen. “When Henley and I were cleaning up, she said she thought you had it bad for Mia, and it seems you do. In my humble opinion, when a man feels that way about a woman, he opens himself up for a world of hurt if it goes south.”

It won’t go south, I want to say. It’s all looking up. I keep my mouth shut, though, as Max continues.

“I have no doubt you’ll be good to her. Hell, I’m sure you’ll be great to her. But Eric was good to her, too. Trouble was, she wasn’t in love with him, and he didn’t get over her when they broke up. That’s why we’re not friends.”

With brutal clarity, I understand what I’m up against. When Mia said she feared this not ending well, it was a warning. She might not feel the same way I do.