Page 96 of The Best I Never Had

I drop my mouth to her neck, resisting the urge to suck and bite. The idea of sending her back onto that stage with my mark on her neck is almost too tempting, but I won’t back her into a corner, won’t take another choice away from her.

Thea puts the condom package between her teeth, ready to rip it open, when the door behind her swings open. We both freeze, and Thea turns her head, condom still hanging from her mouth. My mother is in the doorway, watching us with a manic look in her eyes. And my dick is still out. Thank god for Thea’s body placement.

“Shit,” Thea says, the condom dropping and landing with a little thwack.

Mom’s eyes home in on the unmistakable foil packet and she titters. “Oh, I didn’t … That is … Excuse me.”

I groan, mortified, as Mom spins and lets the door fall closed behind her. Thea’s immediately off me, straightening her clothes.

“Stop her, Owen. Please.” Thea’s face is terrified as she stares at the closed door. “Please.”

I put my clothes back in order and rush out after my mom, leaving Thea to follow a few steps behind. When we make it to the ballroom, Mom’s already talking to my aunts.

“Mom, can I talk to you?” I ask.

“This is all your grandmother’s manipulation.” She turns to Aunt Dawn. “Did you hear Mom made Camila offer her a job so she’d move here and drag Owen with her?”

“It wasn’t a trick from Nan—”

“And now she has him wrapped around her finger again and is going to steal my son away from me.”

I’m about to scream, or at least drag her away kicking and screaming, when another voice rings through the room. “Thee, I missed you so much.”

Vaughn—whose idea started this mess to begin with—strides across the room before he wraps his arms around her and presses a hard kiss to the top of her head.

My heart stops. I know they’re just friends, but it looks bad, and the last thing we need is an added complication when the walls are falling in on us.

My mom steps forward, pinning Thea with a glare. “So not only are you playing with my son’s heart, but you have a boyfriend?”

The room goes quiet for a few seconds, and then everyone starts talking at once.

Chapter 30

THEA

As much as I want to burrow into the warmth of my best friend’s hug, I force myself to push away and deal with the shit show around me.

“Am I supposed to be your boyfriend?” Vaughn whispers.

“What?” I whisper back. “Of course not.”

He smiles that movie star smile. “Just making sure I’m not supposed to be My Best Friend’s Wedding–ing you.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

“You know, when her queer best friend shows up to pretend to be her boyfriend so people aren’t suspicious of her?”

I can’t stop the short laugh that bursts out of me.

“I’m glad you find this so amusing,” Diana says, her hands anchored on her hips.

“It’s not what it looks like,” I say.

Diana turns her nose up at me. “It looks like you’ve decided one man isn’t enough for you.”

Addy steps forward. “She and Owen aren’t together.”

“She’s right,” Gabriel says from the stage, his voice amplified by the microphone so that everyone straining to hear from the edges of the room can be privy to his part of the conversation. “A couple backslides never hurt anyone.”