Real Love by Bethany Monaco Smith

Author:Bethany Monaco Smith [Monaco Smith, Bethany]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2022-04-21T16:00:00+00:00

Maia

I crash through the apartment door like a wild animal.

Jenna steps into the living room and looks at me. “Are you okay?”

Nope. I’m not okay. I am not okay at all.

“No. I’m a mess. I’m stressed. Confused. Tired. I haven’t slept in three days.” I haven’t. After singing that song together, I was excited about the possibility that Vince might have feelings for me too, but then I really started thinking about it. And I am freaked the hell out. Hence no sleep.

Jenna hurries over and takes the bags off my shoulders as I unzip my coat. I pull Harper from her car seat as Jenna asks, “Has Harper kept you up?”

“No. Vince!”

Brilliant.

“Vince? Is he okay?”

“He’s—” Hot. Incredible. Sexy. The guy of my dreams. In love with me? “He’s fine,” I manage to get out.

“Then please explain.”

I walk over to the couch, Harper in my arms, and dramatically drop onto it. “I think I have feelings for Vince.” Lie. I know I do.

Her eyebrows shoot up. “Feelings?”

“Mhmm.”

“What kind of feelings? Does he have feelings for you, too?”

I force out an exhale as Harper bounces on my lap. “Nick says he does.”

“Then I don’t understand the problem.”

“It’s too much. It’s too big. It’s too soon. It’s too everything. I can’t handle this!” I’m panting, eyes wide, panic mode engaged.

Jenna’s staring at me in confusion until some sort of realization hits and she points at me. “Oh, shit. You mean you’re in love with him?”

I stare at her for a beat then shift in my seat. “He’s my best friend. I can’t be in love with him.”

“Why not?”

“Because I already dated my best friend once and look how it turned out!” I spit out, surprising myself. Is that really the thing holding me back the most?

She trills her lips and waves her hand. “That’s bullshit. What happened with you and Braden had nothing to do with you being friends first.”

“No, but the scorched earth from it did,” I say quietly.

“No. That’s because Braden was an asshole.”

I swallow hard and stare at her. “I’m scared. Vince is my best friend. I’m terrified to risk our friendship. Everything with Braden is still messed up. I don’t know if we’ll ever have the closeness we once did. I don’t ever want to risk losing Vince. I wouldn’t survive it.”

She nods softly, then stands up. “Then let me tell you two things. One, Vince isn’t Braden. Two, you’re strong enough to handle this—to overcome your fear. You’re Maia Barone, remember? Tough as nails.”

She smiles and lifts Harper off my lap. “Come on, let’s go change that diaper and get you cozy,” she baby-talks to Harper. Then she walks out of the room after casually dropping Vince’s words in my lap. My mouth is still open, staring at her room in disbelief.

What the hell do I do now?

Woman up, I guess. And figure out what the hell I actually want.

My heart warms. No. I don’t need to figure anything out. I already know. Vince. The same thing I’ve been thinking since this all started back in October.

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