“That’s brilliantly devious. Since it appears you’re a long-run sort of addition to our group, I suppose you should hang out with us more. On Sunday we do a big meal at my sister’s house. You should come with Royal.”

“We have plans, but in the future? I’d love to be included.”

“All right. Well you should come along on Wednesday night. No bowling this coming week, but we get together, drink beer and eat too much while we talk over movies to agitate my brother Nathan.”

“All right. I think I can do that. Thanks.”

“So, you’re in love with him.”

Caroline nodded. “I am.”

“All right. Well, be careful with him.”

“Yeah, I can manage that.”

Royal, feeling very smug about how smart the comment about the chocolate cake and then all sorts of itchy to watch her eat it while he f**ked her, keyed off the truck, and they headed inside.

He allowed her to pause to put her stuff down before he began to tug her toward his bedroom. First he’d get her naked and then he’d make her come. Then he could relax, they could have cake and champagne and way more sex.

Only to walk into his bedroom and find his ex naked in his bed.

Caroline was pissed off. He got off, just a little, okay a lot, with the way she’d taken control and staked her claim on him.

Spike remained at the far end of the hallway. He didn’t blame the cat at all. Royal wanted to run and hide too. But he stayed close. Pretending he wasn’t eavesdropping when he totally was.

Caroline could have ripped Anne to shreds. It was her job, after all, and one she was obviously very good at. But she didn’t.

Oh she didn’t exactly go easy on Anne. No, Caroline held a mirror right up to her and made her take a long, honest look at herself.

She wasn’t petty, or cruel.

But she marked her territory in no uncertain terms, and he liked that a whole lot. He planned to tell her exactly that as soon as he got the chance. Caroline had told Anne he was Caroline’s man.

And then she’d given Anne just the smallest of openings, and thank goodness Anne had come to her senses and took it, making a genuine overture of friendship.

It would take Caroline a while before she truly trusted Anne. Or hell, maybe everyone else too because of how everyone had been holding their breath to see what Anne was going to do.

Finally Caroline opened the door and he didn’t spare a glance for Anne, instead moving to Caroline. “Everything all right?”

“Yeah. I think so. How about I go get beers while you two talk.”

He pulled Caroline up to her tiptoes to kiss her before she moved down the hall, talking to Spike, who followed her.

Anne put a hand out to stay his words. “Before you say anything, let me first tell you I am so sorry. I was such a dick to Caroline, who probably needed a friend more than she needed me to be a bitch.”

He leaned against the doorjamb. Things had shifted between them, but he still cared about her.

“And I was a dick to you too. Putting you between us all the time. Playing with your feelings about me. I’m truly sorry for that too. Because you were never anything but honest and forthright with me. You still are. Maybe I was testing to see if you’d choose because I just wanted someone to look at me like that. But the thing is, it’s so special because she looks back at you the same way. You two click, and I got scared and sad and mean. I felt like she was stealing you away. That’s not the case, I know.”

“You’re important to me. I love you. I always will. But she’s someone to me now. My future, I think. It’s early days yet, yes. But whatever anyone thinks, it’s different. I know it. She knows it. I don’t want anyone getting hurt. Her feelings matter and I’m putting them first. You had no right to do this tonight. I’m really angry you’d try to cause a rift between me and Caroline. It’s f**king shitty. I didn’t resent you. All those years when I worked so hard to make you love me and you just never quite could. Not enough. And I never resented you. I understood what it was. And when we finally broke up, and you said, essentially, that you couldn’t commit yourself to me permanently. And at last I was like, okay then, so this is never going to happen. Our relationship didn’t change that much except the sex we were having was with other people. We stayed friends. We stayed connected to one another’s lives and I truly appreciate that. But this was so rude of you. Cruel and hurtful. Imagine if I had said, oh my God, I love Anne, it’s over, Caroline. Huh? Imagine I’d said that and how she would have felt. And for what? The outcome of this stunt could have done her damage, and I don’t know, it makes me feel like I have to be extra protective around you now. She didn’t change how I felt about you. But you changed the way I feel about you.”

“Ouch.”

“I know your parents were shit at being parents. And they’re shit at being married. And they’re shit at being human beings too. I know growing up like that gave you some pretty strong ideas about marriage, and I respect that. But I want a wife and I want kids and I want to go camping and go to daddy/daughter dances and all that stuff. I wanted that with you once. But then I didn’t. And fine, you didn’t want that. I respect your opinion and your choice not to commit to anyone. I need reciprocity here. I let go. Because that’s what you wanted. And now I’ve found someone who might be the person I make babies and go camping with. I need you to understand that. And I need you to respect and accept that.”