Kate waved the question off. “We took care of them. Most of them are trying to find you in Nashville.”
“Huh?”
“Kate led them on a false trail. Alexa backed us up. Said you had a dream to be a country star and you had texted us you were on the road toward Tennessee. They’re probably still waiting for you to show up.”
A laugh escaped her lips. “Thanks. It’ll buy me more time.”
“Where’d you and Wolfe stay?” Arilyn asked.
“Sawyer has a cabin in Saratoga. It was good. I forgot what it felt like to have fun without worrying I’d do something wrong. He took me to the racetrack. I won a lot of money.”
Kennedy gave her a high five. “Nice. I think Wolfe’s missed you.”
“Yeah, David gave me a hard time about our friendship. I realized I began avoiding him, so we talked a lot this weekend.”
Kennedy and Kate shared a look. “Just talked?” Ken asked.
The memory of their kiss seared into her brain. The heat of his mouth, the softness of his lips, the decadence of his tongue. “Of course. I just ran away from my wedding. I’m not the type to jump into bed with my best friend. There’s nothing like that between us.”
“So you’ve said for a long time,” Kate commented.
“Because it’s the truth.”
Arilyn tapped her finger against her lips. “Hmm.”
“Guys! There is nothing going on with Wolfe and me. Never has. Never will. Got it?”
The door opened. “I got breakfast, sweetheart. Time to get up. Oh. Shit.”
He stared at the group of females for a moment. Then shrugged and dropped the bags on the table. “Hello, ladies. Kate, I’m surprised you waited till morning. Figure you’d be guarding the door when we got here last night.”
Kate crossed her arms and glared. “You turned off your phone. I’m pissed you didn’t give me full disclosure.”
Wolfe grinned and began unpacking. The scent of eggs and bacon drifted through the room. “You’re scary when you’re being protective. I took good care of her. Right, Gen?”
When she woke in the middle of the night, her head rested on his chest and his thigh lay heavily over hers. His breathing and heartbeat soothed her. The delicious scent of washed cotton and male skin surrounded her. She knew she should untangle herself but he felt so good, so solid, she went right back to sleep.
“Right.”
“You just come over now, Wolfe?” Kate asked.
Uh-oh. “Umm, he—”
“Nah, we slept together last night.”
Crap.
Arilyn cocked her head. “Hmmm.”
Kennedy grinned. “About time. You know what I say about getting over a guy?”
Wolfe rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I heard, get under another. You share that theory with Nate?”
Kennedy flushed. “I plan on being under Nate for a damn long time.”
“Still no wedding date yet?”
Her friend gave a long-suffering sigh. “Soon. Why mess with perfection? Now, stay out of my love life or I won’t let him play with you on the golf course again.”
Wolfe laughed. “Trust me, Ken, you’re the one whipped in this relationship.”
“Screw you.”
Gen burst out laughing. God, she’d missed this. Missed them. The back-and-forth banter, insults, and love shining underneath. How had she made it this long without her friends?
Arilyn, always the peacemaker, spoke up. “What can we do to help? Are you talking to David today?”
“I left him a message, he wouldn’t pick up. I’m heading over to my mom’s house to talk. I asked for everyone to be there. They deserve an explanation.”
“We’ll go with you,” Kate stated.
“No. I think it’s time I’m honest with them and myself about what type of relationship I was in. I need to do this on my own.”
Arilyn nodded. “We understand. Listen, we’ll be at Kinnections all day. Why don’t you come by and we’ll have a girl’s night? You can come to my place.”
Gen smiled. “Thanks, but I don’t know if I’m up to it right now. I need some time to think. Deal with David. How about I let you know?”
Kate looked worried, but finally agreed. Wolfe broke off pieces of the breakfast sandwiches and handed out coffee, and her friends finally left. Odd, she felt different already. As if a piece of her had flared to life, reminding her there were plenty of people who loved her for who she was and never asked for changes. Isn’t that love, like Wolfe had said? Had David ever really loved her? Had she ever loved him?
“What time are you heading out?”
She shook off her thoughts and put the dishes in the sink. “Now.”