Page 68 of Wild Card

“I submit to the court a near confession,” I say as I look up at Colt, and he looks between us.

“Remember when I said that someday I would get payback for this?” He points between the three of us.

“Payback for what? Making sure you got engaged and didn’t fuck things up here?”

“The torture that came before that, if you remember.”

“Oh, it was just some minor torture. And you’re so hot when you’re jealous.” Joss grins at Colt.

He grunts in response and then turns back to me as he takes a bite of his food.

“If you’re fucking her, then why are they setting her up?”

“Because she wants more than that.”

“And you don’t?”

“I’m a fucking mess she doesn’t need.”

“Except when you’re fucking her, apparently,” Joss interjects.

“I never said I wasn’t selfish.”

“That didn’t answer my question,” Colt counters, giving me a meaningful look.

“I don’t know. I don’t know how to be that guy. That was part of the reason I wanted to talk to you two. If you made it work, then…”

“Why not just ask Xander? Given Harper is her best friend and you’re Xander’s… seems like it would be a better line of correlation.”

“Because Xander was always in love with Harper,” I answer.

“Andyouturned a hoe into a housewife.” Joss grins. “So now he wants to know if he can turn into a househusband.” They both laugh, and he kisses her before he turns his attention back on me.

“I’m glad my suffering is a source of amusement for both of you,” I grumble and take a bite of my food.

“So how do we help?” Colt asks leaning back in his chair. “That’s assuming I want to help and not just watch you struggle after all the shit you pulled.”

THIRTY-SEVEN

Scarlett

Harper and Iare sitting at a quaint little bistro near her office downtown, the one she shares with Joss and her photography studio, eating our lunches and people-watching out the window. She’s been telling me about the plans she and Xander have to walk the Camino in the spring and all the walking she’s been doing lately to prepare for it. I love how animated she is when talking about him. How much her eyes light up and how often she smiles when she mentions his name. It’s so different from her ex, and it makes me so incredibly happy for her.

It also makes me realize that I really want to be able to talk to her about my own situation. I guess that’s what I can call it. Whatever is evolving between Tobias and me, and the fresh hope I have for it after we were both iced in together.

“Harper, I need to tell you something. Come clean about it, I guess. I feel bad it’s gone on this long without telling you.”

“Okay.” Her brow furrows. “Is everything okay?”

“It’s nothing bad. It’s just… I wish I’d told you sooner, but then I didn’t. Then it felt like it went on so long with me not telling you that I felt like I couldn’t.” I take a sip of water, buying time and trying to stop talking in circles about it.

“Is this about Tobias? Because if it is. I know…”

I nearly choke on my water.

“You know?”

“That you guys slept together. I suspected. And then I told Xander I had my suspicions. He made a face, and I badgered him into telling me. Tobias swore him to secrecy, but you know… I can be persuasive. I just didn’t want to put you on the spot if you weren’t ready to talk about it. I figured you’d bring it up if and when you were.” She gives me a sympathetic look.