Gwen rested her arms on the table with a teasing smile. “Relax. I’m just kidding.”

Jill’s shoulders slumped and she let out a nervous chuckle. “Oh, good.”

“Don’t mind this one. She’s always been the protector of us,” Carly said, slinging an arm around Gwen’s shoulder and pulling her in for a half-hug.

Gwen shrugged and gave Jill a pointed look. “No one messes with my best friends.”

Jill took the warning to heart. Gwen didn’t say it with much force but Jill knew she meant it. “Understood.”

“But I do want to ask you one question,” Gwen said, her severe stare softening to a look of interest.

“Go ahead,” Jill replied, squaring her shoulders, ready for whatever she had to ask.

“What do you like about Reagan?”

Jill released a slow breath and softly smiled. That was an easy one. “She’s smart and funny and determined and absolutely beautiful. But I’m not saying anything that you both don’t already know.” She twirled her empty glass as she considered her next words. “I know I’m not easy to get to know. I can be closed off and abrupt and abrasive, even in the best of times. You both know that.” Gwen and Carly nodded. Jill couldn’t read their expressions but she knew she had their attention. “But Reagan…She’s the first person to see who I am and wants to know what’s behind it. She wants to know me and why I am the way that I am. She makes me feel safe and right and whole. No one I’ve ever dated has wanted to know me like Reagan does. And I never want to let her go.”

Carly looked as if she was on the verge of tears and Gwen cleared her throat and said, “Good answer.” She leaned forward again with arms resting on the table. “When was your last relationship?”

Carly opened her mouth to interrupt, but Jill held up a hand to stop her. “It’s okay. It was a few years ago, and I was with the guy for a couple months. It just fizzled out. Nothing earth-shattering there.”

“Boyfriend?” Gwen asked, her eyebrows lifted.

Jill’s hackles raised and she straightened her shoulders. Great. Here we go. “Yes, Gwen. I’m bi.”

“Me too!” Carly held her hand in the air for a high-five, which Jill tentatively slapped.

“We celebrating something?” Reagan asked as she reclaimed her seat.

“I didn’t know your girl was bi,” Carly replied.

Reagan opened her mouth to speak, but Gwen got in first. “And by the look on your face, you didn’t either.”

“That’s true. It’s not like I know everything about her yet,” Reagan replied with a small laugh. She kissed Jill’s hand. “But I have zero issues with it.”