In the middle of it all.

CHAPTER 19

"So, what's the problem?" asked Mikayla. She wasn't following Annabelle's train of thoughts very well.

"The problem is that I found out he was lying!" she yelled. A moan came from behind Mikayla and Annabelle quickly whispered, "shoot," before rushing back to the bed. Mikayla could hear Annabelle pacifying Sofia back to sleep after her loud outburst.

When all was calm in the room again, Mikayla asked her quietly, "lied about what, exactly?"

She sighed. "His whole love confession was rooted on him publishing his paper saying he couldn't prove his theory. I found out this weekend that he lied. He never did publish it."

"Did he say why?"

Annabelle scoffed and said, "he gave some lame excuse. He said technically, what he wrote isn't academic nor is it classified as a research paper so realistically, if he tried to publish it, he'd be laughed at."

Mikayla's brows furrowed. "That makes sense. I always wondered how he could publish something like that."

"I get it too, it's just..." she trailed off.

Mikayla smiled towards her. "You can tell me."

"He said it took him three months to write the paper which is why I had to wait so long for him. If he didn't publish the paper, then..."

"You're wondering why it took so long?" Mikayla finished.

"Yes," whispered Annabelle brokenly. Soon, quiet sobs filled the room. Mikayla moved until she found her friend. She wrapped her in her arms and held her tight as she cried. As Annabelle sobbed in her arms, Mikayla mentally cursed Nick for being so callous with her feelings.

After time had passed, Annabelle pulled away and wiped her tears. "I'm sorry for dropping by unannounced. I didn't know where else to go."

Mikayla shrugged. "It's alright. Things are crazy our side too but, I think we can be a good distraction for each other."

"Why do you need a distraction?" asked Annabelle.

"I almost got attacked by a photographer." Annabelle gasped. "I'm alright," Mikayla said quickly. "He snuck up on me is all, but Daxton is being a real mother hen about it. He's hiring bodyguards for me so I can go to work safely. I appreciate it all, it's just..."

"You didn't realize all of this when you agreed to the plan," finished Annabelle. Mikayla smiled. They were always good at reading each other. She nodded at Annabelle. "What a pair we make huh?" Annabelle laughed. "What are we going to do Mickey?"

Mikayla smiled. "Well, I'm not sure about you but, I think a good girls' day is what we need. None of the men around who mess with our heads."

Annabelle laughed. "I would love that. Maybe then I can forget about my husband." Mikayla heard hear voice drop and she frowned. 

She didn't want Annabelle to feel sad anymore. "Hey, none of that. I'll get us some snacks and we can hide up here all day."

"Thanks Mickey," whispered Annabelle.

"It's what friends are for."

~~***~~

"Dude talk to me," begged Daxton. He was glad Cameron had left to give them some privacy. His little brother wasn't known for having tact or much sympathy, however, he was learning to hold his tongue more. Daxton was happy about that.

Mikayla had disappeared almost an hour ago. She'd only returned once, long enough to tell him that her and Annabelle were having time alone. She was very specific about being left alone. Daxton knew she meant that more for Nick than him. Still, it upset him. He and Mikayla had important things to deal with and instead, they were stuck having to worry about their friends' marriage. It wasn't how he perceived his evening going.

"I honestly don't know," answered Nick.

Daxton snorted. He'd been saying the same thing the past hour. He didn't believe Nick. "Come on, surely you can think of something that caused your wife to fight with you. What happened?"

"I don't know!" he yelled. He jumped from his seat. "You don't think I wish I knew. I'd be groveling right now if I did. All I know is, we were having a nice evening when the stupid theory came up. She asked what my colleagues thought of the paper and I laughed. I told her they'd never seen it. Obviously, they hadn't because it wasn't a scientific or academic paper that could be published. Next thing I know, she's yelling at me. She packed her bag, grabbed Sofia and left. I chased her immediately. I knew she'd come here."

Daxton stared at his friend with his jaw unhinged. Sometimes, his best friend was as idiotic as his brother. Daxton shook his head. "Don't you think she'd be a little hurt to know all that supposed effort you put into the paper was a ruse?"

Daxton watched as his friend frowned. "Why? Surely she knew from the beginning it wasn't real?" asked Nick.

Daxton quirked his brow. "Really? You think someone with no knowledge into the academic institution would know that?"

Daxton watched as his friend thought it over. It was sad to see it take so long for the lightbulb to work. When it did, Nick's face turned ashen. "Dammit. I really messed up."

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has been patiently waiting for updates. Thanks to those who have been hounding me to update. I'm sorry it's taken so long but life gets in the way unfortunately.

While you wait for another update and, if you're looking for something fun to read, why not check out my other stories? You can read my latest novel: Forgetting Prince Charming. Head on over to my profile and give it a shot. It's got all the feels of the Marrying You Series and the humor of a Netflix romcom.