Page 86 of Filthy Rich Brother's Best Friends

Miles: Hope you’re okay. I’m around if you want company.

Another message comes through from Reid. This one doesn’t have any pretty words or promises. It does, however, have a link to a playlist. I tap it and listen to the first track.

I sink deeper into the mattress and let it wash over me. The vocals have a raw edge I feel all the way through me. It’s exactly the kind of music I like.

I’m not used to this kind of peace. It feels fragile. And I am scared that if I move too quickly it could disappear. But I want to stop self-sabotaging. I want to let this in and hold onto it for as long as I can.

I read their messages again and smile.

My fingers hover over the keyboard for longer than I want to admit before I finally type out the words I’ve been thinking about since I woke up.

Lola: Dinner tonight? I think we need to talk about everything.

They respond immediately.

I let my phone fall to the mattress beside me and close my eyes. I know we still have a lot to figure out. None of this is going to be simple. But I want this more than I’ve wanted anything and I’m willing to put in the work if they are.

Reid stabs a fork into one of the cartons and leans back against the counter. Jude pulls plates down from the cabinet. Miles sets a glass of water beside my seat and brushes his fingers across my shoulder before he sits down.

The table is full: dumplings, noodles, sticky rice, spring rolls. I ordered too much, but I’m sure these three will finish it off.

I sit between Jude and Miles. Reid’s across from me. He keeps looking at me with his super-intense stare.

We eat for a few minutes without saying anything important. A few mumbled comments about how good everything tastes. Jude asks Reid to pass the sauce. Miles starts to hand me a napkin, then changes his mind and dabs a spot off my cheek instead.

My heart feels almost as full as my stomach.

Eventually, I push my plate back and rest my hands in my lap.

“We need to talk,” I say stiffly, even though they already know that.

They all offer me their full attention.

“I don’t want to pretend this is simple,” I continue. “It’s not.”

Jude’s hand finds mine under the table. He doesn’t interrupt, which I’m thankful for. I want to get this all out before I lose my nerve.

“I care about each of you. I don’t have an easy way to explain how or why, but I do.” I exhale slowly. “I just need to know where we stand.”

Miles speaks first. “I’m in.”

Jude nods beside me. “Me too.”

“I don’t know what it’s supposed to look like yet, which is not easy for me,” Miles says. “But I do know I want this.”

Jude tilts his head and gives me a big smile. “I’ve never done anything like this before, but I’m not going to run from it just because it’s new. I’m here. All in. I’ve known from the moment I met you that you were meant to be mine. I can see now that you’re meant to be theirs, too.”

My gaze moves to Reid. He meets it without blinking.

“I meant what I said earlier,” he tells me. “I don’t know how to do this. But I know I’m not walking away.”

There’s a pause before he adds, “I’m not—I know I haven’t always been easy. You and I have always clashed. And I have apast that isn't exactly sunshine and rainbows. But I’ve wanted you for as long as I’ve known you, Lola. I want to try.”

My throat is too tight to speak for a second.

“Okay,” I say, once I trust my voice. “So we figure it out together. We check in. We talk when things get hard. No one gets to shut down or pull away without explanation.”

“Open honesty,” Miles says. “Even when it sucks.”