He’s right.
Carlie does deserve the truth.
All of it.
I need to explain the situation and show her that she’s more than just a headline to me.
“Thanks, Brian. I’ll head over to St. Mary’s now. And I’ll call Carlie afterward.”
“Good luck, Adam. Call me if you need me,” he says before hanging up.
Armed with a plan, I feel a surge of determination.
I’m going to put an end to Jillian’s antics once and for all. And then, I’ll do everything in my power to make things right with Carlie.
CHAPTER28
Carlie
The moment I step into Lily’s living room, my stomach is doing somersaults—and not the good kind. The kind that screams,“Carlie, you colossal idiot!”
I’m about two seconds away from a full-blown panic attack, and my brain is stuck on repeat: I used Adam for sex.
I used Adam for sex!
God, that sounds so bad, even in my head.
What is wrong with me?
Lily tilts her head, concern etching her features as she waits for me to explain my reason for barging in so early in the morning.
“Lily, I’m the worst human being on the planet,” I blurt out, collapsing onto her sofa like it’s my personal fainting couch. I’m half-expecting it to swallow me whole, which, frankly, wouldn’t be the worst thing right now.
Lily, ever the calm one, puts down her coffee mug and sits beside me, her eyebrows knitted in concern. “I’m going to need a little more to go on here. What’s happened, Carlie?”
Here goes nothing.Or everything.
“I slept with Adam,” I blurt out, and it feels like confessing to a crime.
She huffs a laugh and shakes her head. “Was it terrible or something?” Lily leans forward, her eyes sparkling with a mix of amusement and curiosity.
“God no,” I say, fanning myself. Definitelynot.He was hot with a capital H. In a bizarre twist, my brain decides this is a good time to replay every steamy detail of last night, like a highlight reel nobody asked for. “I’mterrible.”
“At sex?” Lily counters with a soft laugh.
I level her with a glare. “Look, here’s the thing. What I’m about to tell you—you can’t tell anyone.Not even Tasia or Quinn. Especially not London.”
Lily’s face shifts from gentle amusement to serious attentiveness, her eyes locking onto mine. She sets her coffee mug down, giving me her full attention.
I itch the side of my eye, trying to find the right words. It shouldn’t be so damn hard. I’m an author, for crying out loud.
“I’ve had sex with him before,” I continue, my voice a little more than a whisper, as if saying it louder might make it more real.
Well, there goes my shot at the‘Most Transparent Friend of the Year’award.
Lily narrows her gaze. “I’m confused.”
“That makes two of us,” I mutter, trying to steel myself. If I can’t even tell one of my closest friends, what chance do I have with Adam?