“Nothing,” Liam and I say in unison.
“Didn’t look like nothing to me—you looked pretty cozy together.” Nikki pouts. “And here I thought I’d come out and surprise you guys. Looks like I’m the one getting the surprise. You were practically straddling my boyfriend!”
I clamber to my feet. “Nikki, it wasn’t what it looked like,” I say, still reeling from Liam’s words and trying to figure out how Nikki could think crashing my bachelorette party would be a welcome surprise for me. But as I watch Liam’s eyes light up, I decide that as uneasy as she made me, my desire for his happiness outweighs that, despite what I had just blurted out a moment ago. “I was going to go cock block Jules,” I say, nodding across the room, where she’s now sitting in the guy’s lap. “But Liam physically stopped me—pulled me down so I couldn’t walk away,” I say, baiting Nikki to see what she’ll say about it. Maybe she’ll agree that I shouldn’t sit here and let my best friend make a mistake just because it’s apparently her fate to be unfaithful to Ben while she’s drunk. What were the rules there?
A smile spreads across her face. “She’s the boring married one, right?”
Ignoring Nikki, I shoot Liam a sharp look and he looks down. “Married, but never boring,” he says quickly.
“Whatever,” she says. “Marriage is overrated. I’m with Liam on this one. Leave her alone,” she says, and she leans into Liam and kisses him, pushing him down on the couch hard as if I’m not even standing there. He pulls her in by her waist, his hand on the back of her sequined tank top, acting as if this isn’t my party that she’s inserted herself into. I pound the rest of my drink and slam the glass down. My deepest fear had come true—Liam’s new girlfriend has finally infiltrated the inner sanctum of our friendship. I give them one last glance before striding away, Liam’s words from earlier still ringing in my ears. My mind might be blurry with alcohol, but they had still stung sharply.
And another unsettling thought was also gnawing at me. Last time, Jules hadn’t acted like this at my bachelorette party—causing me to think that even though she may have had the same problems with Ben last time, it was the makeover I’d wished for her that had set all this in motion.
I shuffle across the bar and order a glass of water, keeping a close eye on Jules the entire time and glancing occasionally at the crowd that has now gathered around Nikki and Liam. Finally, I make my way to where Jules is sitting, her face dangerously close to that of the man she’s been flirting with, his hand now resting comfortably on her upper thigh, as he rubs it back and forth with the rhythm of the music. I cringe as I get up close—his eyes are glassy and squinting, his brow is covered with a sheen of perspiration, and there are sweat rings around the armpits of his T-shirt. Suddenly, I feel completely sober. “Hey,” I say casually, forcing myself not to rip his hand off her leg and yank her away from him and into my arms.
“Hey!” she exclaims, and engulfs me in a tight hug, swaying so hard that we both almost topple over. “This is my best friend!” she slurs to the man she introduces as Kevin. “She’s getting married!”
I give a nod to Kevin, who holds up his drink while never letting his eyes leave Jules. “Yep, I’m getting married!” I say through the smile I’ve plastered on my face. “Now I’ll be just like you, Jules. Married!”
Snapping her head up, she gives me a look I can’t identify—a cross of anger, sadness, and something else. “Kate,” she says, my name sounding garbled as it comes out of her mouth.
“Jules,” I respond. “I think it’s time to go.”
She falls back onto the couch, Kevin’s hand instantly draping around her shoulder possessively. “I don’t want to go. Join us,” she says, her glassy eyes pleading with me. Hoping I’ll reserve judgment, that I’ll pretend she doesn’t have a husband and two children at home, that I’ll say this is okay. But I can’t. Even after what Liam said to me, I can’t stand by idly and watch her make this mistake. Maybe it’s because of the way Max left me for Courtney or because I’ve had to fight like hell to get him back. Or maybe it’s just the simple fact that I really love Ben and Jules together and could never imagine them apart. No matter what my reason, I know I can’t let her throw everything away on my watch—even if she thinks it’s not a life worth coveting anymore. It’s still a life she’s spent years building.
“I’m sorry,” I say as I perch on the edge of the table in front of them. “Kevin, right?” He nods. “Here’s the thing: Jules is married. She has been for a long time. And as nice as you seem, I can’t let her do this.”