All Chapters of In Love With My Son's Best Friend: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

JUNE’S POVMy heart wasn't just beating; it was trying to break out of my chest. Honestly, it was a miracle Luca couldn't hear it over the bar noise. His hand was right there on the small of my back, warm and steady, and the feeling was a crazy mix of thrilling and absolutely terrifying.And that was the problem. This guy guiding me through the crowd? He was twenty-two, twenty-three tops. My son Adrian’s age. Let that sink in for a minute. Meanwhile, I’m a forty-year-old woman whose entire life had just been vaporized a few hours ago.I had no business being here. None. This boy with the intense blue eyes and all those tattoos was basically a walking red flag, and I was following him like I’d never seen the color red before. But the way he looked at me… God, it had been twenty years since a man looked at me like that. Like I was something to see. After the night I’d had, I was all out of reasons to play it safe.You see, just a few hours ago, I was a completely different person. I was

JUNE’S POVThe drive home that morning felt heavier than usual. My little sedan seemed to drag itself forward, carrying not only me but the mess of what I had done. Luca’s touch still clung to my skin, a heat I could not wash off, and the thought of stepping into Franklin’s house, my husband’s house, made my stomach twist with knots.I barely cut the engine before I saw him waiting at the door. Arms crossed, face drawn and pale. Not smug, not casual like I had half expected. He looked wrecked. Like he had not closed his eyes once all night.The second I walked in, his voice cracked. “June… wait. Please. Do not shut me out. I need to explain.”I froze, my purse still on my shoulder. The audacity of him. “Explain? What is there to explain, Franklin? I fucking saw you.” My voice shook, not from fear but from the kind of disbelief that cuts deeper than rage.He reached for me, hands trembling. “It was a mistake. God, June, it was the first time. I swear on everything, I have never touched

JUNE’S POV“No,” I said too fast, way too sharp. “I can handle it.”He ignored me. He moved in close, took a plate from my hand as if it were his to take, and turned on the tap.I stood there, hovering, not sure what to do with myself. Watching him load dishes into the washer as if he had always belonged in that spot. And I caught myself thinking how natural he looked there… which made me wonder how long he had been around, really around, without me noticing.“So, you’re Adrian’s mom,” he said, breaking the silence first.“You didn’t tell me you were Adrian’s friend.” The words came out clipped, harsher than I meant. I hated myself for snapping at him. I hated that he had forced this moment when we could have kept pretending. Pretending was easier.“And I suppose that is my fault, isn’t it?” His smirk cut into me, warming my cheeks. “Funny thing, I was going to find you. But here you are.” His eyes flicked down, then up again, and I knew he was looking too closely.I had nothing on wo

JUNE’S POVBy the time the sky started softening at the edges, I wasn’t sure if I’d slept at all. The hard part wasn’t last night anymore. It was the morning. Dragging myself out of bed. Walking into the same house and pretending nothing was strange.I sat up with a low sound in my throat. Hiding forever wasn’t possible. Running wasn’t either. At some point I would have to draw a line, some kind of boundary, though I didn’t know where it went or if I even had the courage to hold it.The shower helped a little. I stood under the hot water until it almost hurt, until my thoughts blurred and I felt more like steam than skin. When I stepped into the closet, the clothes hung there like strangers. For a moment I stared at them as if one might offer me an answer.My hand reached for a polka-dot dress without thinking. It wrapped close to my waist. The neckline dipped lower than I’d usually wear at breakfast. I caught myself smoothing the fabric over my hips and froze. Since when was I worryi

JUNE’S POVLater, at breakfast, Franklin’s chair stayed empty. I said lightly that he’d left early for work and wouldn’t be back until evening. Adrian and Marlene barely reacted as they were already used to his absence at breakfast.I tried to focus on my plate. Then Luca sat beside me. Too close. His fork moved slowly. My skin prickled.Then, under the table, I felt it. His hand on my thigh.My breath caught. A small gasp escaped before I could swallow it, and to cover the sound I coughed, reaching for water as if the food had gone wrong.“Mom?” Marlene’s eyes widened. “Are you okay?”I nodded, quick, forcing a smile. “I’m fine.”But his hand stayed. Warm. Firm. Claiming me in plain sight. I darted a glance at him, begging silently. He only smirked and kept eating.Breakfast became a kind of slow torture. Adrian’s laughter. Marlene’s questions. Cutlery on china. All of it drowned under the thud of my heart and the weight of his hand.When the plates were cleared I stood up fast. “I’l