He Gave His Female Best Friend My 5th Anniversary Trip, Then Bet I Wouldn't Leave novel · Chapter 2 of 24

Chapter 2: Yellow Lilies

Derek comes home with flowers and a story about Taryn's breakup, and the next morning Taryn walks off with Leah's new suitcase until Leah says "Leave it." Derek tells her to have the SUV warmed up by six and leave the resort on her card.

Derek came home a few minutes before midnight with a small bunch of yellow lilies.

I was sitting at the dining table with our printed trip schedule in front of me.

The clinic report and the baby socks were in my study, locked in the desk drawer.

He put the flowers on the counter and kissed my forehead.

"Sorry I'm late," he said. "You should be asleep, Leah. You've been working too hard this week."

It was the same warm voice that had talked me into staying last year.

If I hadn't stood outside that patio door two hours earlier, I would have believed he cared.

"Did you see my text about the hotel confirmation?" he asked, opening the fridge for a water.

"I saw it," I said. "Why does Taryn need our anniversary reservation, Derek?"

His hand stopped on the bottle cap.

Then he sighed, sat down across from me and put on a look of patient concern.

"Levi moved out yesterday," he said. "She's in a really bad place. Mitch and the guys decided we should all go to Cabo this weekend and keep an eye on her."

"And our fifth anniversary?"

"We have the rest of our lives to celebrate," he said easily. "Right now she only has us."

He reached across the table and covered my hand with his.

"Honestly, with the guys along, you wouldn't have any fun anyway. I already put your plane ticket in her name."

I looked at the schedule between us.

Every dinner and every sunset tour on it was booked for two.

"You didn't ask me," I said. "You just gave my seat away."

"I knew you'd understand once I explained it." He squeezed my fingers. "We'll take a quiet trip next month, just the two of us."

Then he added, "Don't make this harder than it needs to be, okay?"

He stood up and went upstairs to shower, sure the conversation was finished.

That night he slept with one arm across my waist.

I lay awake beside him until the window turned gray.

In the morning he kissed my cheek and left early for his office.

At ten o'clock the doorbell rang.

Taryn stood on the porch in a cropped sweatshirt and running shorts, holding an iced coffee.

She didn't look like a woman whose boyfriend had just left her.

She walked into my living room without waiting to be asked and dropped onto the sofa.

"Morning, Leah. Derek said to swing by and grab the trip folder. He says you know every detail."

She picked up the schedule from the coffee table and flipped through the pages I had spent weeks building.

"For that cliffside restaurant on Sunday night," she said, "do we have to pick the menu ahead of time? Derek says you're better at that stuff."

She wasn't even trying to hurt me, which was worse.

Of course I would stay home and handle the details while she took my vacation.

The front door opened.

Derek walked in, home between meetings for his sunglasses and a bar of surf wax.

"Good, you're already here," he told Taryn with a smile. "Did Leah give you the folder?"

"Got it." She stood up.

On her way to the foyer, she stopped beside a silver suitcase standing next to the coat rack.

I had bought that suitcase the week before, with my own bonus, for our anniversary trip.

"Nice bag," Taryn said, and tapped the handle. "Mine has a broken wheel."

Derek barely looked at it. "Take that one. Leah isn't using it this weekend."

Taryn wrapped her hand around the handle and pulled the suitcase toward the door.

I stepped into the hallway and put my hand flat on the top bar.

The suitcase stopped.

"Leave it," I said.

"Derek said I could borrow it," Taryn said.

"Derek didn't buy it." I pulled it back to my side. "It's mine. If you need luggage, ask him to buy you some."

The foyer went quiet.

Taryn's smile dropped, and she looked at Derek and waited for him to fix it.

"It's fine," she said, stepping back toward the porch, her voice suddenly small. "I didn't mean to cause drama. I'll use my old duffel. See you tomorrow, Derek."

The door closed behind her.

Derek turned on me, his jaw tight.

"What was that? It's a suitcase, Leah. Why did you have to embarrass both of us?"

I looked at my husband standing in our hallway, angry on another woman's behalf.

"Are you sure you're taking her tomorrow?" I asked quietly.

"Yes, I'm sure. It's already arranged."

He took the keys to my SUV out of his pocket and set them on the entry table.

"Our flight boards at eight. I'll walk over to Taryn's at five-thirty to help carry her boards. Have the SUV warmed up in the driveway by six. You're taking us to the airport."

"And the resort charges stay on my credit card?" I asked.

He didn't even pause.

"Leave them on your card for now. I'll pay you back next month."

He walked out the door without looking back.

They hadn't just planned my anniversary trip without me.

They still expected me to pay for it.

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