friends, like the time I got a phone call in the middle of the night from Laura.
We hadn't spoken much in the eight years since high school, though we'd stayed in touch through email and such. She'd been dumped at the altar by Lars, and she was heartbroken. I could have told her about that night on the merry-go-round, and how she deserved better than a player like him, but that wasn't what she needed to hear. So, I listened as she cried and ranted and sobbed and swore, and then when she asked if she should go on her honeymoon alone, I told her she should.
After that phone call, the memory became another charm on the precious bracelet of life—something beautiful that made me who I am.
I regretted not being able to say goodbye to Smith. He went on to become Mr. Big Shot Billionaire Novelist, and there was no way I was going to stand in line at a book signing to see him. The Smith in my memory was the perfect version of him, anyway. For a few days, I worried I might be growing a little Smith inside me, but a week after losing my virginity, I got The Greatest Period Ever. Ladies, if you've been there, you know what I mean.
I'm glad I had two first times (or three, if you count other things), because each one was special in its own way—as special and unique as the people I experienced them with. Even Lars. Who was pretty amazing with his tongue. I still think about that night on the merry-go-round, in the summer rain, and the memory gives me a Mona Lisa smile.
For more of this story's heroine, Lexie Ross, check out the 5-part series with Luthor Thorne, Borrowed Billionaire .
For more of Smith Wittingham, check out the Billionaire Novelist series, where Smith tangles with a sexy redhead.