"My best friend invited me," I told her.
Skye scoffed at that. "Best friend. Wow. Is that what you call men these days when you want to sleep with them but know that you can't sway them with money anymore?"
I frowned a little, belatedly realising that Skye was referring to the letter which I'd sent to her when Jasper had told me that she hadn't forgiven him for his cheating. I almost laughed at her statement though. I might have thought Jasper was the hottest male I had ever bedded at one time but that was over three fucking years ago. When I looked at his body now, I felt nothing. If he hugged me, it felt like being hugged by a brother. Not that I knew what that felt like but...Jasper came close enough. If only people stopped focusing on the fact that I had liked having his dick inside me at one time.
I said nothing and just bit into a slice of pizza because it was almost two in the afternoon and my stomach was growling.
"I may have forgiven him but I don't think I can ever forgive you, Jasmine, for taking advantage of him like that," she told me. "Can't believe I actually had so much respect for you once. And that you really think being his best friend is okay."
I needed to get out of there. If she wanted to regard my friendship with her ex as something sordid, that was up to her. I didn't have to stand here and listen to this. Turning, I glanced down at the baby who was squinting up at me and smiled a little because he really was beautiful with those green eyes and straight, dark hair. Like baby Harry Potter.
"Congratulations, Skye," I said. "I'm glad you guys were able to get back together as a family. And I still have hope that you and Jasper would find your way back to each other some day. Fall in love all over again." I smiled at her. "It's been known to happen."
Skye pursed her lips at me. "Maybe we will," she replied. "We are spending the rest of our lives together, after all."
I nodded and then started to walk off.
"Jasmine," she called out to me, making me stop and look back.
She narrowed her eyes at me. "Cole might be too trusting but I won't have my husband get hurt again, do you understand? So don't try anything."
I felt like throwing up my hands in exasperation but I know I deserved that. This woman would never like me or trust me around any man that belonged to her and I just had to deal with that.
"I love your house, by the way," was all I said before walking off.
...
He was drying himself off by the poolside, his bronze skin glistening and beautiful body in peak shape. I didn't care who was watching, especially not Jasper's sister whom I had caught eyeing him a few times as they played in the pool. I didn't blame her. I mean, he was so gorgeous, it was painful to look at him sometimes. Because it made you wish he could be yours forever.
I put my arms around him, hugging him from behind and he stilled, lowering his hands.
"You don't think I'm going to sleep with Jasper again, do you?" I asked him softly.
He rubbed his hands over mine and brought them up to kiss them.
"I believe you when you say you don't want to," he answered dryly. "Because if you did want to sleep with a man, Jasmine Khan, I think you'd make it rather obvious instead of keeping your intentions a secret."
I closed my eyes and smiled into his back. There was no one in this world who knew me like he did. I felt my heart bursting with love for him. I didn't know what it was at that moment, maybe after seeing how happy these guys were as a family and how everyone, except Jasper and Armaan, seemed to think I lacked any potential to be more than just the woman who had slept with someone else's boyfriend but...I suddenly wanted to be happy too. Genuinely happy.
I didn't want to be a broken person anymore and drag Armaan with me into this brokenness. I knew now that he would follow me to the moon if I disappeared there, thanks to his world-class surveillance system.
"I'm sorry I make you my bitch all the time," I mumbled into his wet but sun-soaked skin.
"I don't mind being your bitch," Armaan replied affectionately.
I smiled some more. "Mmm. Would you consider being my bitch for life, then?"
He turned around after I said those words and gave me a surprised look. "Wow. Are you proposing to me?" he asked.
I let out a snort. "No. No marriage. I just want to be with you. As more than friends-with-benefits. Like one of those power-couples. I want to make you my full-time lover. For life."
He started to laugh, the sound so rich and warm as he pulled me into his arms. "Anything for you, sweetheart," he promised in a husky voice and kissed me.
It was all I could offer. Marriage and kids weren't for me. I might never be able to get rid of all my issues but if he could be okay with that, I knew that I would love to spend the rest of my life with him and only him.
There was a little toast later where we all gathered around the pool to officially welcome Jasper's family to Pavia and in their new home. Everybody posed for
