Letting My Brother's Best Friend Take My V-Card

PART 6-CHAPTER 197 LUKE

The second I was out of the locker room, I grabbed my phone and scrolled to Josh's number. My fingers were shaking, a leftover from everything that had just unfolded, and it took a second longer than I wanted to hit call. I could still hear Michael's pathetic pleading echoing no, needed-was to find Jess.

The line rang. Once. Twice. I almost hung up and called back, but then Josh picked up, his voice groggy and disinterested. "Yeah?"

"Where is Jess?" I demanded, cutting straight through the tired haze in his voice. My tone left no room for hesitation. "I need to know where she is right now."

There was a pause, then a deep sigh. "What the hell, Luke? What's going on? You need to let Jess go, man. I love you like a brother, but you can't keep giving her hope. She needs a chance to move on,"

I clenched my jaw, my hand squeezing the phone so tightly I could feel the plastic straining. "Josh. Listen. I just ended things with Francesca. She's been cheating on me with some rookie-Michael-and there's no baby. It's not mine. I ended it. It's over."

Silence. I could almost hear the gears turning in his head as he processed that. "Wait. You're serious? You could have led with that, you know, asshole!"

"Completely," I said, my voice a low growl. I didn't have the patience to explain the humiliating details, not right now. "Now, tell me where Jess

DOCK

1. is. I have to see her, Josh. I need to fix this."

a pause, and then he breathed out a relieved, "Fucking

exhaling heavily. "So you'll tell

a spark of excitement I hadn't heard in a while.

time to process that I'd just upended my entire life. It didn't matter. Nothing

single thing I'd

that led me nowhere but here. Josh didn't talk much, and I

Paris the next day, and Josh immediately whipped out his phone, dialing Laura's number. He paced back and forth, muttering impatiently as

at me, his

expect anything, but the second I hit call,

Laura finally picked up, she didn't sound as surprised as

took everything to keep my

PART & CHAPTER 197

just tell us

Luke. It's been a lot for her, and I don't think it's

I interrupted, my tone sharper than I intended. "Please.

her voice cool and firm. "I can't help you,

line clicked off, leaving me staring at

confirmed it by the very fact she'd tried to stonewall me. We kept moving up and down the narrow street, my gaze