Leah and Connor came from baggage claim waving and shouting my name as if I should be happy to see them. Honestly, I was. But I was determined to be mad at them at least long enough to scold them for their behavior in not warning me of their visit. Though, in reality, it couldn't have come at a better time. Things had never been so confusing between Lucas and I and I needed my friends here to help me parse through all the drama.

So I pushed off their hugs and crossed my arms.

"You're both crazy inconsiderate," I snapped. Leah's face fell. Connor raised a brow. "You didn't even warn me! I had to tell Lucas just an hour ago that your plane was landing and you were staying with us."

"It's not our fault you were on his fancy ass yacht in the middle of the Pacific without cell service," Connor clapped back. My gaze shot to Leah.

"Of course you told him," I rolled my eyes, dropping my hands to my side, somewhat deflated.

"Honey, I had to," she assured me. "We were both so worried about you. And then we got drunk and Connor started to convince me that the murder you and throw you overboard plan might not have actually been a joke so I booked a plane ticket high on post alcohol paranoia and woke up with a flight notification."

"Besides, you need us," Connor added. "Less than a week in and you've got yourself stranded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a perfect stranger."

"I wouldn't call my husband a perfect stranger," I argued.

"You wouldn't?" Connor asked, loudly. I looked around. People were looking at us now. "I would!"

"Okay, let's go," I said, lowering my voice so he would get the hint to lower his too. "The limo is waiting and Kevin doesn't have all day—"

"Limo?" Leah asked, excitedly.

"Kevin?" Connor echoed.

I just rolled my eyes and smiled, opening my arms and pulling them both into an embrace.

"Okay, I'll admit it. I've missed you," I said.

"Good. So we're done with the whole you pretending to be mad at us thing?" Leah asked.

I snorted and nodded before answering, "Yeah. We're done with that."

"Good. That was a rough thirty seconds."

"Darkest thirty seconds of our friendship," Connor added as I led them out of the airport and to the arrivals lane where Kevin was waiting.

"Um, darker than the time you drank my kale smoothie?" Leah questioned. "And then immediately spit it all out in the sink?"

"It was disgusting."

"Maybe you shouldn't take other people's snacks then."

"That wasn't a snack. It was garbage water."

Leah opened her mouth to retort but I interrupted.

"Guys," I said, gesturing to where Kevin was holding the door open for us. He tipped his hat as I entered and Leah and Connor exchanged a can-you-believe-this glance before sliding into the backseat after me.

We rode all the way back to Lucas' mansion catching up on our time apart. Leah told me about taking on two more yoga classes a week. Connor informed me that things with Vince were going well and his job had finally allowed him to start working partially remote. I was just thrilled to see them and hear all about their normal lives again. Living so outside of the bubble of normal for a week now, it was nice to be firmly grounded in reality again. That is, until the limo pulled up in front of Lucas' mansion and my friends' jaws dropped in the same way mine had when I'd first arrived.

"Holy shit," Leah spat once we were standing in the driveway in front of it.

"Yeah," I said, walking off toward the door. "That's what I said."

They followed after me as Kevin unloaded their bags. Luisa opened the door and Maria came scurrying into the room a moment later. I turned my attention to her as Leah and Connor took in the elaborate foyer and elegant rooms just off of it.

"Maria, our guests are here. If you could take their bags to their rooms," I ordered kindly. She smiled and nodded and bounded off to assist Kevin.

"Would your guests like a snack, Señora Vega?" Luisa asked with a smile. I shook my head and sent her off.

"That's alright, Luisa. We can manage ourselves. Thank you."

"Maids?" Leah asked, stunned.

"Señora Vega?" Connor repeated, just as stunned.

"Yeah. It's all... a bit much, I know," I answered.

"Um, I'm moving in," Connor announced as Maria and Kevin passed us on their way to carrying the separate bags toward the rooms down the hall that I had been staying in when I first arrived. Leah took a few steps down the foyer, watching down the hall after them.

"That's a long hallway," she remarked. "Is your room down there too? Because I could totally use some late night, sneaking into bed with you to gush about boys and eat Sour Patch Kids time tonight."

"Um," I started, blushing. "I don't think Lucas would like that very much."

"Why not?" She asked, brow furrowed as she snapped her gaze back to me. "He have something against female friendships?"

"Um, no. But I imagine he has something against an extra woman in his bed."

"Doubt it," Connor joked but then realized what I had just said and he and Leah turned their gazes slowly onto me. "Wait."

"Are you saying... that you two are... sleeping in the same room?" She asked.

"The same bed?" Connor added.

I glanced around to see if Luisa, Maria, or Kevin were nearby.

"Well, you know. Married couples... sleep together," I told them. "And... sleep together."

I pumped my eyebrows and bit my lip to exaggerate my point but they just stared at me in confusion.

"What?" Leah asked.

"Spit it out," Connor demanded at the same time.

"Not here," I said and then pulled them both through the house to the back door.

There was a pool outside that I'd never used and an outdoor seating area that the maids never paid any attention to. It was the only place in the whole mansion to avoid being heard.

"A pool!" Leah exclaimed as soon as she saw it. "See? I told you to pack your swim suit, Connor. You're welcome."

"I packed my swim suit because I thought we were going to be swimming out to see to pull Piper's lifeless body to shore, Leah."

"It's all yours," I waved in the direction of the pool. "Enjoy it. Can we talk about Lucas now?"

"No," Leah said with the shake of her head, crossing her arms in the way she always did when she meant business. My brow furrowed in confusion as I looked at her. Even Connor turned her way, surprised. "All you've done for a week now is worry yourself sick over that man. Connor and I just flew all the way across the country on a rescue mission turned extravagant vacation. What we're going to do now is slip into our bikinis, yours is optional, Connor, obviously, make some pina coladas, and float our asses in that pool until you're calm enough to talk about this without going all Piper over it."

"Going all Piper?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, that's a good idea," Connor agreed, already heading back to the mansion. "And I didn't pack a bikini. Sad face. But will a speedo work?"

Leah whooped and danced her way back to the mansion, pulling me along with her.

Connor went off to his room while Leah pulled me into hers. I helped her pick out a bikini, she always packed multiple, and then she demanded to be led off to my room to help me select mine. Not that I had many options. Only the fuchsia triangle one that Maria had bought and another she'd selected in case I didn't like the first. It was cherry red and covered a bit more on top but much less on bottom. It's was one of those bottoms that was basically a thong which, of course, was why Leah picked it.

"You have a fabulous ass, girl," she told me as I stood in front of the mirror in Lucas' room. "Show it off."

I just shook my head and tossed my clothes into the hamper. She strode around the room while I did, taking in the silk sheets and the mahogany closet filled to the brim with suits and my limited belongings.

"You need more clothes," she remarked, turning away from the closet as I headed for the door.

"I don't live here, Leah," I told her.

"Not yet," she answered, pumping her brows before running off for the pool. I hesitated but followed after her.

Connor had already brought his portable speaker outside and was blasting music by the time we came out.

"I didn't find any Pina Colada mix," Connor explained, handing us each a minty drink. "But I found Mojito."

"Mmm, gimme!" Leah squealed, taking hers.

I couldn't help but smile. My friends, at least, knew how to have a good time. A moment later, Leah was stepping into the water, promising it wasn't too cold and begging Connor and I to join her. I did. Connor remained poolside, sipping his drink and sunbathing in a lounger.

We laughed and joked and splashed each other while we drank too many mojitos to count. And finally, when Leah had finished recounting her escapades with the drummer from a Dave Matthews cover band that she'd been foolish and young enough to follow around for a whole summer, they both turned to me. Connor was laying on his stomach now, head propped up on his arms, watching us over his sunglasses. Leah and I were standing nearby in the pool, bending our knees so that our shoulders remained underwater but holding our drinks aloft at the same time.

"So," Leah said with a smile as my giggles subsided. "Now, it's time."

Connor sat up a bit. I looked between them, biting my lip.

"Okay," I replied, walking to the edge of the pool and standing, setting my mojito on the edge and pulling up my bikini bottoms. "We had sex."

Leah spat her mojito into her hand. Connor nearly fell off of his chair.

"What?" Leah cried out, choking.

"Tell us everything," Connor plead. "Literally, every single detail. Do not leave anything out. How was it? How was he? How big is he?"

"Connor!" I exclaimed.

"Inquiring minds want to know!"

"What would Vince think?"

"He's the inquiring mind."

Leah and I laughed at that.

"Seriously, though," she said walking toward me. "How was it?"

"It was the best sex I've ever had in my life," I confessed and both of their jaws dropped in an overly happy for me way. I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I shook my head at the ridiculousness of the conversation we were having. "He was... wow. And I know I'm not incredibly experienced in that area but even I can tell when a man's good, okay? And he was... yeah. He was good."

"So you... you know—" Leah started.

"Oh yeah," I replied before she could finish, nodding emphatically.

Her lips parted in an over enthusiastic smile. "Alright! Go girl!"

"Go Lucas," Connor added.

"Where should I go?" A voice asked then. I recognized it in an instant and all of the blood drained from my face the second I did. I would recognize that deep, amused tone anywhere.

I whirled around, mortified, to see Lucas Vega strolling towards us, hands in his pockets and amused grin on his lips. Connor and Leah's eyes both grew wide in horror as they, I assumed, wondered exactly what I was wondering. How much of that had he heard?

"Lucas," I said, my voice stunned and about two octaves higher than usual.

"Lovely wife," he replied in greeting and then turned to the other two occupying his pool space. "And lovely wife's friends, I presume?"

"Leah," Leah rushed to introduce herself, elbowing Connor when he didn't offer his own name because he was too busy drooling over my husband.

"C-Connor," he added.

"Well, Leah and Connor, a delight to meet you. Any friend of Piper's is welcome here, of course," he was circling the pool now, hands still in his pockets, watching us all with obvious amusement. He stopped in front of my mojito, still half full and sweating in the sun. "I'm thrilled to see you've made yourselves at home."

He squatted in front of me, lifted my drink to his gorgeous lips, and wrapped them around the straw. He took a sip, keeping his eyes firmly planted on mine. I knew that look. I'd only given into it once but I'd become accustomed to seeing it all the same.

"Mmm," he moaned in a way that was just barely acceptable in public, a way that might convince anyone who didn't know that it was truly about the drink, "delicious."

Then he pumped a brow, gave me a wink, and stood.

"Enjoy the pool," he called out to Leah and Connor as he turned back for the house. "And do tell Luisa if you have any requests for dinner. The woman can make anything and she'll be disappointed if you don't tell her what you want."

I pulled myself out of the pool, grabbing my towel and drying off. Connor and Leah were still staring after where Lucas had disappeared into the house, both of their mouths hanging open.

"I— um, I'll be right back," I told them.

"No you won't," Connor said, shaking his head. "That was the hottest eye-fucking I've ever seen."

"You'll be a while," Leah replied, waving a hand and shooting me a smile. "We get it."

Without another word, I dashed away from the pool and toward the house, trying my best not to laugh at Connor's assertion that "straight girls have all the luck", from behind me as I went.