Happy Toby and Leilani Day!
One long overdue destination wedding, a petty prank by his scheming ex, and a little flirting turns into one incredible night. It was a mistake. And it definitely…probably…won’t happen again.
👩🏿❤️👨🏾 Best friends-to-lovers
💙♥️ Second-chance romance
👰🏾🤵🏾♂️ Destination wedding, only one bed 🛏
🍩 Cinnamon roll
🧠🌈♾ FMC has undiagnosed ADHD
🫢 MMC has a huge secret
Get MORE THAN FRIENDS in e-book, paperback, or read in Kindle Unlimited.
I can’t wait for you to meet these long-time best friends who discover there is far more than just friendship between them. And if you’ve been keeping up with the Love & Music Suite series, you’ll get a chance to catch up with Ward, Karris, Ced, and Nikki, too.
Yesterday, I shared a sneak peek of Chapter One. Keep scrolling for a preview of Chapter Two. Then click below to get your copy in e-book, paperback, or through Kindle Unlimited.
Best friends. Only one bed. What’s the worst that could happen?
Leilani
Toby and I dated in high school. The romance didn’t last, but I got a friend for life. I’m a session singer, he’s an A&R rep, and we live on opposite coasts. Still, we’ve been best friends since high school. Okay, yes there’s occasionally some innocent flirting, but nothing serious. Neither of us would risk our friendship by getting involved again. But one long overdue destination wedding, a petty prank by his scheming ex, and a little flirting turns into one incredible night. It was a mistake. And it definitely…probably…won’t happen again.
Toby
For a long time, I accepted that Leilani and I were better as friends than lovers. But lately, our “innocent” flirtations incite the filthiest thoughts, and I can’t stop wanting her. When playful teasing turns to a heated kiss, it ends in a night neither of us will ever forget. Leilani declares it a mistake, but I propose friendship with benefits, and she agrees. But the truth is I can’t ignore my growing feelings for her anymore. I’m determined to prove that we could be so much more than friends and that taking a chance on finding forever is worth the risk.
Content Notes
MORE THAN FRIENDS deals with a variety of issues that may be difficult for some readers. Please note that this story deals with the following:
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- ADHD
- Prison / Justice system
- Physical abuse discussed
- Explicit language
- Explicit love scenes
Each of these topics is dealt with in an informed and deliberate manner. However, some readers may prefer not to read a romance that deals with such heavy, real-life issues.
“Brunch with your parents today was a little intense,” I say as we make our way to her car after we say goodbye to her parents.
“You’re always so diplomatic.” Leilani frowns. “You can just say what we both already know. It was a complete shit show. My mother was in rare form today.”
“Why?” I don’t bother disagreeing.
“I don’t know.” Lei shrugs, going for the passenger door of the black BMW X1 hybrid SUV her parents gifted her. “But would you mind driving?”
“Something must’ve triggered her.” I hop into the driver’s seat, start the engine, and back out of the parking space. “That was a lot, even for her.”
“Daddy is always making excuses for her,” Leilani gripes. “But he says she’s super stressed at her job these days. Personally, I think what triggered the whole ‘you need to do something with your life, Leilani’ conversation was me going on and on about Ced and Nikki getting married and about how both of their careers have blown up.”
Leilani shakes her head and groans.
“Here I was all excited about the amazing things happening for our friends. Instead of being happy for them, too, my mother uses it as ammunition against me. To remind me of how much better my life could and should be right now.” Leilani sighs heavily as she stares out the window, the back of her head facing me. “When am I going to learn?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Lei. You should be able to share things like that with your mom. Maybe your dad is right about the job getting to her.”
We’ve got a few hours before our next scheduled event of the day—Cedrick and Nikki’s engagement party. So I’m headed toward the luxury condo in Midtown that Lei’s parents gifted her a few months ago, insisting it’s an investment property they’ll rent out when Lei’s in New York. So far, Leilani and I are the only people who’ve ever stayed there.
“All the more reason why I’m conflicted about the idea of moving back to Atlanta.” She huffs, turning toward me again. “You know I love my parents. I am the ultimate daddy’s girl. But I just don’t know if I want to live in the same city with them again. I can’t take the judgment and constant feeling of being a disappointment. The pressure…” She turns almost fully sideways in her seat now. “You realize that the truck, the condo, they’re gifts meant to A: guilt me into moving back to Atlanta and B: make me less likely to push back on all of my mother’s pressure to be or do something else with my life.”
“You could’ve turned them down.” I play Devil’s advocate.
“Then I would’ve been the bratty, ungrateful daughter who doesn’t appreciate that my parents are self-made millionaires who both came from nothing and fought and scraped for every penny they have now.” She sighs heavily. “My mother is still mad I didn’t want to get matching fur coats from Konstantine.”
“I remember that.” I scratch my beard. “It wasn’t pretty.”
“That’s an understatement.” She laughs bitterly.
Leilani didn’t feel comfortable wearing a fur. Mrs. Stephens proceeded to drag her like she was her opponent in a courtroom, insisting she was being a hypocrite because she owned leather bags and shoes and still ate meat.
Leilani went vegan for about three months. Then she couldn’t take it anymore. One weekend she came to visit me in LA, and I swear the girl ate every box of chicken and plate of ribs she could find.
“You know what, I’m being ridiculous whining about my rich girl problems right now.” She takes a deep breath and tries to shake off the conversation. “I’m just glad we get some time to hang out before the engagement party tonight. I haven’t seen you much since you and Renita got together, so I’m glad you’re here. But I’m surprised she didn’t come with you to Ced and Nikki’s engagement party. And that she signed off on you staying at my place for the weekend.”
“About that…” I focus on the road ahead, but I can’t help noticing how Lei’s head snaps in my direction.
“I knew it!” She shakes a finger in my direction, like I’ve been holding out on her.
“You knew what?”
“I knew something was up with you and Ren, the psychotic chihuahua,” she says, referencing the classic Nickelodeon cartoon, The Ren & Stimpy Show.
Bingeing classic cartoons and sci-fi shows are Lei’s idea of a comfort watch whenever she’s stressed or in avoidance mode.
Usually, I tell Leilani to back off and give Ren a chance. But right now, I’m not so sure my best friend wasn’t right about her all along.
“The last few times we talked, you just sounded… I don’t know… weird. Like you weren’t happy but you didn’t want me to say…”
“I told you so?” I glance over at her briefly. “Still don’t.”
“Okay, I won’t.” Lei gives me her full attention. “But you have to admit that while I might be absolutely horrible at identifying shitty men, my crazy bitch radar is always on point. Takes one to know one.”
“You are not a crazy bitch,” I say. “Yes, you’re wild as fuck sometimes, but I happen to appreciate that about you.”
“And I appreciate the fact that you always come to my defense. Even if you’re defending me from me.” She grins and I do, too. After a few minutes of silence between us, she says, “Look, maybe I wasn’t a fan of ol’ girl. But I am your biggest fan, and you liked her. So I’m sorry things didn’t work out. What happened exactly? Unless you’d rather not discuss it.”
“Honestly? Everything just started moving way too fast for me. Less than two months in, and she’d pretty much moved herself in.”
“No! You never told me that.”
“Because I knew you’d say I should pump the brakes and you’d be right. But at the time, things were going really well, so I didn’t want to rock the boat. I had a lot of industry events to attend, and Renita loved that. But in the quiet moments when there wasn’t some gala to attend, I started to realize how little we had in common. Things kind of fell off the rails from there. I went from looking forward to coming home to her to avoiding home and looking for reasons to travel for work.”
“So that’s why you’ve been on the road so much.” Leilani places a gentle hand on my shoulder.
I try to ignore the electricity that flows up my arm. I can’t help wondering if she feels it too or if I’m living in this torturous delusion all alone.
She’s looking at me expectantly, so I clear my throat and continue because I know she wants the full tea on the implosion of my relationship.
“We were both miserable. It wasn’t fair to either of us, so I sat her down and stated the obvious. That this wasn’t working. She didn’t appreciate it when I ended it and asked her to move out of my crib. Like she really, really didn’t appreciate it.”
My jaw tenses as I recall the full-on tantrum she threw that became the talk of my usually quiet street in Grenada Hills where the most exciting thing that happens is watching the paint dry on a recent reno. I’m a low-key, no drama kind of guy. So I was pissed when Renita made a scene like she was auditioning for a fucking Tyler Perry movie.
“Do I need to pay ol’ girl a visit?” Leilani punches a fist against her open palm like some bully in an eighties film.
That’s when I realize the way she’s wearing her natural hair pulled into a messy top bun with the loose curls flowing down around the sides looks a lot like how Sho’Nuff, the bully in the campy eighties classic The Last Dragon, wore his. And now I can’t unsee it, and I can’t stop laughing.
“What is it?” she asks.
“I swear, if you ask me if you’re the meanest, prettiest, baddest mofo lowdown around this town, I’m gonna have to pull over.” I’m laughing so hard my cheeks and my stomach hurt.
Not an uncommon occurrence anytime I’m with Leilani.
“Hey, I’m way more Bruce Leroy than I am Sho’Nuff.” She jabs a finger in my bicep and it only makes me laugh more. “But if I’m being honest… I kind of channeled Sho’Nuff today when I got dressed for brunch with my mom.” She indicates the red sundress she’s wearing.
I dissolve into a deep belly laugh and so does she. Somehow, I’m able to keep it together enough to drive, though I’m laughing so hard I’m wiping tears from my eyes. Finally, our laughter dies down and I sigh, getting serious again.
“I appreciate you being ready to suit up for me. But it’s all good. Ending it was the right thing for both of us. Renita probably realizes that now, too. Not everyone gets their happy ending like Ced and Nikki.”
“I’m sorry things didn’t work out this time, Tobe. I know you want to get married and have a family someday.” Lei smiles softly. “And you will. Just because Renita wasn’t the one, it doesn’t mean the girl of your dreams isn’t out there.” She strokes my arm with her thumb. “I know she is.”
I stare at my friend as her car idles at a light. I can’t help thinking about how beautiful and amazing she is. She’s the one person on earth who can always make me laugh, no matter what else might be happening in my life. And she is always ready to ride at dawn for me whenever she feels I’ve been wronged.
There’s no one in the world I love or trust more than Lei.
If I had to sum up in a single sentence why things didn’t work out between Renita and me, it would be because she wasn’t Leilani.
Lei and I have been just friends for nearly two decades. But lately, I find myself comparing every woman I get involved with to her. I’m not even sure when it began, and I’m not doing it consciously. Still, I am doing it. And more often now it’s thoughts of Leilani that fill my head.
I’ll be standing at the office printer grinning like a loon and lost in thought over some crazy shit she did or said a day or two earlier.
“I know she’s out there, too,” I say finally, pulling off when the impatient driver behind me honks her horn.
I know most people don’t get a second chance to get it right, like Ced and Nikki did. But sometimes I wonder if that could ever be us.
