Love My Friends with Benefits novel Chapter 43

I spat out my water.

Disgusted, May shrunk away from me. "Ew, you're gross."

I ignored her and stuffed another bite of food into my mouth.

"Speaking of pregnancies..." May looked at me seriously. "You and Leonard used protection, right?"

...

Startled, I choked on my food.

May patted me on the back, looking dazed. "I even thought that you were all hung up on him because you were pregnant with his child or something."

"What nonsense!"

I caught my breath and glared at her. "He might not be afraid of STDs, but I am!"

May let out a sigh of relief. "That's good to know."

I lowered my head and continued eating. The strong flavours made me tear up.

In fact, I wasn't telling May the truth. It was true that we'd used protection, but it wasn't because I wanted to. Leonard was the one who'd insisted.

In hindsight, right from the start, I'd probably been nothing more than a fling to him.

Moreover, the Nell family probably wouldn't let him off the hook if he'd got himself an illegitimate child.

I felt a little uncomfortable at the thought of this.

...

After dinner, May and I returned to her place.

I gave her a recap of what had happened over the past few days. Of course, I'd omitted my deal with Leonard. I just told her that he'd broken into my house at night and warned me not to disturb him and Phoebe.

When I was done, she asked impatiently, "Don't tell me the dude's really in love with your stepsister?"

I shook my head without hesitation. "How's that possible?"

"Why not?" May's eyes shone with excitement. "Think about it, Queena! He's repeatedly warned you off of causing trouble for the two of them. Don't you think that he really wants to marry her?"

I didn't know how to answer her. Perhaps Leonard really did love Phoebe.

I probably looked like I'd swallowed a fly. May watched me for a while, then changed the topic and said, "How'd Leonard get into your house?"

I shook my head. "Beats me."

May gave it some thought and said, "You need to change your locks. The ones you have now are obviously not doing the job."

Under May's urging, I borrowed her computer and spent a few thousand dollars on an electronic lock. If not for the commission I'd got from the deal with Austin's company, this would've been a severe blow to my wallet.

I stayed at May's place until the lock was delivered and installed.

Over the next few days, none of the Jones family showed up at the hospital. I took the chance to spend my time with Grandma.

Aunt Nancy didn't bring up my relationship with Leonard, but there was something that I couldn't discern in her eyes whenever she looked at me.

On the sixth day, the lock was finally delivered.

I brought it to the hospital with me. I'd just stepped into the ICU when someone ran into me.

They ran right into my shoulder wound and I almost blacked out from the pain. It took all of my willpower not to cry out.

"Oh, my god!"

That person let out a dainty cry and fell to the floor exaggeratedly.

It was Phoebe.

Leonard stepped forward and helped her up. "Are you okay?"

He didn't even look at me.