Defining Love: Volume 3 (Defining Love #3) Read Online Free Page B

risk. But all bullshitting aside, given how incapable
I’d been at hiding my feelings for her so far—so much so that after a single
conversation Mia had witnessed between us she’d nailed it—Henrietta very likely
already knew how I felt. Yet she was still here with me and was talking as if
she weren’t going anywhere.
    As much as I was trying not to get my hopes up, it was impossible
not to. But it was one of those decisions I knew I’d wait until the last minute
to make. I could only hope now it wouldn’t be one I’d regret.
     

 
     
     
    Chapter 13
    Henri
    My conversation with Edi when I got back to my room was
a sad confirmation of how things would never go back to being as they once were
when we were just best friends.
    It started off fine with her gushing about her new niece. She’d
gone on and on, and I let her, preferring she talked rather than saying too
much about how my day had gone. Then suddenly she gasped. “Oh, my God, babe,
I’m sorry I haven’t even asked you how the trade show went.”
    My first thoughts should’ve been to assure her that it was fine.
A new baby in the family was far more exciting than a boring safety trade show.
Instead, I worried about who might be within hearing distance. She’d mentioned
earlier that Gemma had stopped by with homemade baked goods and muffins. I
still hadn’t told Gemma about Edi and me.
    But I didn’t ask. I started to tell her about my presentations.
It was one of our normal conversations where, like her with the baby, I began
getting excited. I gushed about the adrenaline rush, what Aaron had said about
my performance, and how already he mentioned on our way back to the hotel that
there was an even bigger show in a few weeks in New York!
    Instead of sounding excited for me as she would’ve back when she
was just my bestie, she was noticeably quiet. The idea of me going away with
Aaron again so soon was not an exciting one for her. For a moment, I actually
felt resentful. She should be excited for me, but I got it. This wasn’t
any different from how Mia was feeling about this.
    “You still there?”
    I tried not to sound annoyed that, after I’d aahed wistfully with
her about all the things she gushed about, she wasn’t even going to comment on
how well my presentation had gone. I understood why she might not be thrilled
about me already planning another trip with Aaron, but she knew how nervous and
excited I was about the presentation.
    “Yeah,” she said, nowhere near as excited as she’d been earlier.
“That’s great, Henri. I knew you’d be good. You’ve always been good at that
stuff. Sounds like you really enjoyed it.”
    “I did,” I admitted, but my own excitement had deflated.
    “What’s wrong,” she asked, suddenly sounding a little chipper as
if maybe she’d caught herself.
    “Nothing.” I, too, did my best to hide my annoyance with her
reaction. “I think I’m just tired. It’s been a long day.”
    “You did toss and turn a lot last night.”
    I was quiet for a moment. She’d noticed. Had she mentioned it
because she was making it a point that she knew I had a lot going on in my
head—the only time she knew I didn’t sleep like a rock.
    “I’m like a little kid, I guess,” I said with a soft laugh. “I
never get much sleep when I have something big going on the next day. This was
also the first time I’ve ever been on a plane, remember? I was nervous about
that too.”
    Her laugh was as unconvincing as mine. We spoke a bit more with
her asking me about first class and Milwaukee, and then finally she asked, “So,
are you going to bed now or . . .?”
    The question felt heavy with unspoken qualms. Aaron had asked if
I was too tired to do dinner when we got out of the car tonight. He also
offered to order us a pizza or room service if I didn’t feel up to going out,
which meant he was suggesting we could eat together in one of our rooms. I’d
told him I’d let him know in a bit then called Edi as soon as I