Page 31 of More Than Friends

Charlotte stares at me. I wish I could get into her mind and figure out what she’s thinking. Now that I’ve asked, I’m desperate for her to say yes. It seems like the most logical solution for her to stay here instead of anywhere else.

“You have so much going on right now. All of this with Ava is so new. I promise I can find somewhere else to live. You don’t have to take me in.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose as I think about how to convey to her that I want her here without making it seem like I expect her to help with Ava. I can do everything with Ava on my own, but knowing she’s here just in case is enough to help put my mind at ease.

“I’m not asking you because I feel like I have to. I want you here. I think it makes sense.” I give her what I hope is aconvincing smile. After what happened last night, it might not be the best idea to ask her to live here, but I can’t find the will to care about that right now. I’ve put up my own mental boundaries when it comes to her. I plan on sticking to those boundaries. I know I need to keep her as a friend and not let my attraction get in the way. I believe I can do that. I just want her here with us for the summer. Nothing more.

I run my fingers through my hair and take a step closer to her. There’s still a safe distance between us, but I want to make sure she can see me clearly with my next words. “Just say yes, Char.”

NINETEEN

CHARLOTTE

Jude’s eyesscan my face. He’s so close that I can see the muscle ticking in his jaw. He seems to be forcing himself to keep his mouth shut, something that isn’t like Jude at all.

I sigh, wondering why I want to tell him yes. I was already feeling guilty about asking Lucy for a place to stay for the summer. Staying with Jude would make it so I don’t have to ask the favor from Lucy at all. I could leave her to enjoy the summer with Cal alone as they get ready to tie the knot.

But it’s Jude.

I can’t live with Jude.

He needs a friend right now, and more than anything, I want to be a friend he can lean on. Because of that, I don’t know if moving in with him is a good idea. Not when we’ve already blurred the lines after last night.

“I want to say yes,” I begin, pausing for a moment as I try to choose my words carefully. “I want to be there for you and for Ava, but I don’t know if it’s a good idea for me to move in for the summer.”

Jude’s face falls just a fraction. “Why?”

I pull my bottom lip between my teeth. If he wasn’t going to bring up last night, I wasn’t going to either. But I didn’t expecthim to ask me to stay with him and mean it. His puppy-dog eyes and lopsided grin make me want to fold though. Maybe if I do bring attention to what happened between us last night, it’ll speak some reason into his mind.

“I think we kissed last night.”

Wedidkiss, however brief it actually was. I know things are different now that he has Ava, but that doesn’t erase what happened between us.

Jude’s smile doesn’t falter. If anything, it gets wider, which makes my head spin with questions. “My memory is a little fuzzy, but I know wedidkiss.”

A choking sound leaves my throat. “Okay, so…” I pause, wondering how to even respond to his remark. “We drank a lot and kissed and almost made things way more complicated than they need to be. We’re friends and need to stay friends. I don’t know if living together is a good idea.”

Jude nods. I expect the smile to leave his face, but it doesn’t. “You’re thinking you won’t be able to keep your hands off me.” He winks, and I can’t help but roll my eyes at him.

I’m sure he’s got to be exhausted and overwhelmed after the day he’s had, yet somehow, he’s still giving me a casual grin as if it was all totally normal. “Jude,” I scold.

“What?”

“Are you even sure you’re going to stay in the Hamptons? What if you decided you wanted to go back to Manhattan to be near your family?”

A crease forms between his eyebrows. “I haven’t told them yet. Ava got dropped off, and you showed up shortly after. But I don’t know if I want to take her back to Manhattan right away. I’d rather figure things out here, where it’s more quiet and peaceful.” He taps his knuckles against the counter as his eyes scan my face. “I’d rather figure it out here…where you are.” The words are said quietly, and he swallows immediately after,making me wonder if he didn’t mean to say them at all. Before I can respond, he’s running his hand through his hair and opening his mouth to speak again. “Plus, my family can be a lot. I need to get my feet under me first before I take Ava to them. I don’t plan on keeping Ava from them for long. I just want to have some footing before I tell them about her.”

I nod as I process everything he’s saying. I haven’t ever met his family. I was out of town last year when they all came to visit, but he talks about them a lot. They seem to be really involved in his life. It’s a shock to find out I knew about Ava before they did, but it makes sense. We’ve fit so much into today that it’s easy to forget that it was only this morning that Ava’s mother dropped her off with Jude.

“I still don’t think I should live here.” I chew on my lip, hoping he doesn’t keep pushing. I’m running out of reasons to tell him no. I need a place, and he has more than enough room. I’m just terrified of what being around his charm day and night will be like.

Jude looks at the monitor for a moment when Ava lets out a little noise. We both freeze, waiting to see if the transfer wasn’t as successful as we originally thought. She wiggles a little but ultimately stays fast asleep.

“I see no reason for you to live anywhere else,” Jude responds. I pull my gaze from the baby monitor and already find his eyes on mine.

“I’ve already given you a reason.”

“Look, Charlotte, I’m not going to lie to you. Last night, I did want to kiss you. I even woke up this morning thinking maybe things would be different for us. Maybe we could figure it out. But after Ava, I’m not in a place to start anything. I’ve got to figure out how to be a good dad before anything else. I promise I don’t have any ulterior motives for asking you to stay. I’ll allowyou to keep me in the friend zone. Scout’s honor.” He kisses his fingertips before holding three of them in the air.