Five Years of Secret Love, He Married My Best Friend Chapter 01

Five Years of Secret Love, He Married My Best Friend Chapter 01

Year five of our secret relationship.

Third time he’s bailed on driving back to Ohio with me for Thanksgiving.

Too much work, he said.

So I went alone. Figured I’d help my mom Brenda celebrate her fifty-fifth.

I pushed open the front door.

A wedding invitation sat on the kitchen island. Heavy linen cardstock. Gold lettering that burned against the cream paper.

Curiosity tugged at me. I stepped closer.

Connor’s lazy drawl drifted from the entryway. “Brenda, don’t tell Harper I’m getting married. She’s been clingy since we were kids. If she finds out, she’ll throw a fit.”

He stopped mid-sentence.

His eyes landed on me in the living room. The smile on his face turned to stone.

My mom didn’t catch the shift in the air.

She wiped her hands on a dish towel, beaming. “Harper, Connor and Maddie are getting married next month. When are you bringing that mystery boyfriend of yours home? If things work out, you two could get married next year. Your kids could go to the same public elementary school. Stay best friends.”

I let her words hang there.

Then I smiled. It tasted like rust.

“He’s dead.”

“Car accident on I-90. Yesterday.”

***

My mom froze.

She gasped. “Oh, sweet Jesus. How? You drove back from Chicago yesterday. You told me he just closed some huge venture capital deal. Said he couldn’t get away. Sent me that birthday gift from Amazon.”

That.

A sharp, dense ache spread through my chest.

My mom had known for years I had a boyfriend in Chicago. She just never knew who.

In this kind of town, where everyone knows whose lawn went unmowed, she’d spent every year hoping I’d bring him to the Memorial Day barbecue. Show him off. Get serious.

Connor never wanted that. His startup hadn’t rung the bell on NASDAQ yet. Going public with a girlfriend would mess with his image. That’s what he told me.

So I did what I had to.

Every Christmas. Every Mother’s Day. I sent my parents expensive gifts. Signed them from my mystery boyfriend. The man they’d never met.

I swallowed my pride and kept the secret alive.

Connor never knew.

He never cared.

Now.

Connor raised an eyebrow at what I’d said.

My mom disappeared into the kitchen for tissues. Dabbing at her eyes.

He stepped closer. His voice dropped low.

“Maddie’s dad had a massive stroke. He needs surgery at the Cleveland Clinic.”

“Top cardiac center in the country. You know what those bills look like. She’s facing medical bankruptcy.”

“Her pride’s too big to take a check. So I married her. She’s on my company’s top-tier PPO now. I’ll pay the bills through our joint account.”

“Don’t stab me with that look. If Brenda ever finds out about us, you’ll give her a heart attack.”

“She won’t find out.”

My voice came out cold.

She would never know. Not ever. That I’d lived with Connor for five years in a high-rise apartment in Chicago.

Something flickered behind Connor’s eyes. Irritation. Something messier.

“Whatever.”

“My wedding’s next week. The country club. Maddie’s dreamed of being the most beautiful bride that day. You’re her best friend. You’ve been tight since elementary school. You’ll be her maid of honor. Right?”

He smiled at me.

That same warm, all-American confidence. Soft eyes.

Like we’d never tangled together on those wine-drunk weekends.

Like he’d never held me on the Lakeshore wind and whispered he loved me.

“Harper. Connor.”

Maddie’s voice floated in from the porch.

She walked in holding a fresh-baked apple pie. Smiling sweet. Like nothing had ever happened. Her arm slipped through mine like it belonged there.

“My mom made way too many barbecue ribs. Sent me to grab you two for dinner.”

Our three families had been neighbors on this block for over thirty years. Tight as blood. Every Thanksgiving. Every Super Bowl Sunday. Everyone brought a dish to someone’s backyard.

To me.

Maddie wasn’t just my cheer squad teammate from high school.

She was the sister I’d never had.

Now she looked at me with those same pure, easy eyes.

But I caught it. That tiny flicker. Something careful. Hiding just beneath the surface.

“You’ve always known I loved Connor.”

“And you’ve known for a long time. He was my boyfriend in Chicago.”

“Maddie. Our friendship. Over ten years. What was it worth to you?”

She stood close.

So my voice stayed soft. Trembling.

Soft enough that only she could hear it. Here in the butter-scented kitchen.

Prom night senior year. She’d slept over.

She found my diary under the mattress. Pages filled with my secret crush on Connor.

She rolled on my bed laughing. Reading every word.

Then she elbowed me. “Oh my God, you’re in love with that nerd Connor? Why haven’t you told him?”

“If you’re too chicken, I’ll wingman you tonight at the party.”

“When you two get married, I’d better be your one and only maid of honor.”

Now.

Those pretty green eyes held no guilt at all.

She bit her bottom lip. Her voice dropped so only I could hear.

“Harper, I love him. He chose me.”

“When you two were living together in Chicago, I was genuinely happy for you.”

“But I’m the one standing in front of the priest next week. Ring on my finger. You’re my best friend. I know you’ll be generous enough to wish us well. Right?”