hasn’t woken up yet. They repaired her lung, but they couldn’t save her spleen.”
She noticed that he’d failed to say she’d make it. “Who called you?”
“Her mother. You just missed her and Hannah’s father. They went home to catch some rest. I told them I’d stay until they get back.” He stood and dragged over a chair from the corner. “I’m used to running on no sleep. You know, doctor’s hours and all.”
She settled in the chair beside him. “So they know about you?”
“Yeah, Hannah brought me over a few days ago to meet the folks.”
“Wow. That was fast.” She watched the tears well in his eyes. “Or maybe . . . not.”
He kissed Hannah’s hand. “I love her. I thought I loved you, and I’ll always care for you, but with Hannah, it’s different. I don’t have to pretend to be perfect.”
“You didn’t need to pretend with me.”
“Of course I did. You’re so good. So innocent. You needed a boyfriend like you. Someone who doesn’t make mistakes.”
His words drove home how little he’d known her. God, what would he think if he saw Jaxon’s teeth marks on her thighs or the bruises left by the flogger? “That’s not true. Whatever gave you that idea?”
“The day I finally got the nerve to talk to you, you said something I’ve never forgotten. You said you didn’t have time to date because relationships took work. So I decided the way to convince you to date me would be by not causing any waves. If I didn’t complain or ask for anything, you’d see how good we could be together.”
Her heart ached for what she’d stolen from him. “All this time you kept that inside?”
“Until Hannah. You have to believe me—we didn’t intend to fall in love. What I told you before was true. It started when we ran into each other at the bar. We both missed you. As it turned out, she felt the same as me. That in order to be your friend, she had to be perfect.”
Hannah perfect?
“She really looks up to you,” he added.
To keep her voice from rising, she took a deep breath and pressed her hand to one of the bruises covered by her jeans. “Really? Then why did she sleep with my boyfriend? Why did she make a point of bragging about the secret man she was banging? Why did she call me frigid?”
He flinched. “I know you don’t understand it, but it’s not easy being your friend. You’re beautiful, intelligent, confident . . . it made it difficult for her to compete with you.”
“We didn’t compete.” How had she ended up on the defensive?
“Didn’t you?”
“No. I mean, we were in the same prelaw program in undergrad and went to law school together—”
“And you both interned for Nicholas Trenton and wanted a junior associate position at Joseph and Long after graduation. Can you imagine what that must be like for her? To know Trenton will likely recommend only one of you?” He smoothed his hand over Hannah’s arm. “Then he picks you as his second chair on the murder case of the decade.”
“Don’t blame that on me. She’d already started sleeping with you by then,” she said in a voice louder than she would’ve preferred.
He sighed. “I know you hate her right now, but—”
“I’m angry at her for lying to me and I’m hurt by her actions, but I don’t hate her.” She shifted her gaze between Tom and Hannah, observing firsthand how much he loved her friend. He’d never looked at her that way. She’d never get over how they’d deceived her, but she couldn’t deny they belonged together. She stood and held her purse against her chest. “Will you tell her that when she wakes up?”
He rose from his chair. “Maybe you could tell her yourself.”
“Maybe.” She gave into her urge and hugged him. “You know, Tom, I’m far from perfect. Both you and I spent so much time trying to hide our real selves that we never gave each other a shot. I’m sorry I kept you from finding someone who would love you for you. Someone like
She noticed that he’d failed to say she’d make it. “Who called you?”
“Her mother. You just missed her and Hannah’s father. They went home to catch some rest. I told them I’d stay until they get back.” He stood and dragged over a chair from the corner. “I’m used to running on no sleep. You know, doctor’s hours and all.”
She settled in the chair beside him. “So they know about you?”
“Yeah, Hannah brought me over a few days ago to meet the folks.”
“Wow. That was fast.” She watched the tears well in his eyes. “Or maybe . . . not.”
He kissed Hannah’s hand. “I love her. I thought I loved you, and I’ll always care for you, but with Hannah, it’s different. I don’t have to pretend to be perfect.”
“You didn’t need to pretend with me.”
“Of course I did. You’re so good. So innocent. You needed a boyfriend like you. Someone who doesn’t make mistakes.”
His words drove home how little he’d known her. God, what would he think if he saw Jaxon’s teeth marks on her thighs or the bruises left by the flogger? “That’s not true. Whatever gave you that idea?”
“The day I finally got the nerve to talk to you, you said something I’ve never forgotten. You said you didn’t have time to date because relationships took work. So I decided the way to convince you to date me would be by not causing any waves. If I didn’t complain or ask for anything, you’d see how good we could be together.”
Her heart ached for what she’d stolen from him. “All this time you kept that inside?”
“Until Hannah. You have to believe me—we didn’t intend to fall in love. What I told you before was true. It started when we ran into each other at the bar. We both missed you. As it turned out, she felt the same as me. That in order to be your friend, she had to be perfect.”
Hannah perfect?
“She really looks up to you,” he added.
To keep her voice from rising, she took a deep breath and pressed her hand to one of the bruises covered by her jeans. “Really? Then why did she sleep with my boyfriend? Why did she make a point of bragging about the secret man she was banging? Why did she call me frigid?”
He flinched. “I know you don’t understand it, but it’s not easy being your friend. You’re beautiful, intelligent, confident . . . it made it difficult for her to compete with you.”
“We didn’t compete.” How had she ended up on the defensive?
“Didn’t you?”
“No. I mean, we were in the same prelaw program in undergrad and went to law school together—”
“And you both interned for Nicholas Trenton and wanted a junior associate position at Joseph and Long after graduation. Can you imagine what that must be like for her? To know Trenton will likely recommend only one of you?” He smoothed his hand over Hannah’s arm. “Then he picks you as his second chair on the murder case of the decade.”
“Don’t blame that on me. She’d already started sleeping with you by then,” she said in a voice louder than she would’ve preferred.
He sighed. “I know you hate her right now, but—”
“I’m angry at her for lying to me and I’m hurt by her actions, but I don’t hate her.” She shifted her gaze between Tom and Hannah, observing firsthand how much he loved her friend. He’d never looked at her that way. She’d never get over how they’d deceived her, but she couldn’t deny they belonged together. She stood and held her purse against her chest. “Will you tell her that when she wakes up?”
He rose from his chair. “Maybe you could tell her yourself.”
“Maybe.” She gave into her urge and hugged him. “You know, Tom, I’m far from perfect. Both you and I spent so much time trying to hide our real selves that we never gave each other a shot. I’m sorry I kept you from finding someone who would love you for you. Someone like
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