Hollywood Triplets - Layla Valentine Page 0,3

her sex life was too much.

“We just have to stay positive,” Janette decided. “You about men, and me about this baby. We have to keep believing that if we put good intentions out into the universe, good things will come back to us.”

“You’re right,” Annalise said.

She wasn’t sure that was something she actually believed, but anything that raised her sister’s spirits had to be a good thing.

She lifted her glass of wine. “To good intentions and karmic rewards.”

Janette clinked her glass against Annalise’s, and the sisters drank deeply, savoring the taste of the wine and the fact that they were spending the evening together.

I’m going to be an aunt, Annalise thought happily. I can hardly wait.

Chapter 2

Though she had believed her sister’s talk about her love life hadn’t bothered her, Annalise found herself mulling it over as she drove home. By the time she’d parked and ascended the stairs to her apartment, she was nearly obsessing over the fact that she had never had a serious, long-term relationship.

Maybe Janette is right. Just because I can’t have sex, that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be able to find love, right?

After all, people did have abstinent relationships. That was a thing that existed. And as Janette had said, intercourse wasn’t the only thing on the sexual menu. There were other things she and a man might do together, things that plenty of men might be satisfied with.

Maybe I should try the apps again.

She went to the refrigerator and put away the plastic container of macaroni that Raúl had sent home with her. She knew full well that he always made extra on nights she was coming over so that there would be something for her to take home. It was a little touch that made her really appreciate what he brought to Janette’s life.

She’s lucky to have someone like that. I want that.

Her apartment was so empty. She liked the place—she’d decorated it carefully over the years, hand-selecting each piece of furniture to make sure it was exactly what she wanted, painting the walls soothing pastel colors so that she always felt at ease, packing the place with giant plants in urns, some of which were so big that they almost felt like roommates.

But they weren’t roommates. They couldn’t have a conversation with her. They would never make her a pot of macaroni.

Even now, Janette and Raúl were probably talking to each other, going through their evening routine side by side. She could imagine them in front of their bathroom sink, brushing their teeth together. Getting into their bed on opposite sides, then rolling inward to meet in the middle. Maybe staying up reading together until they agreed to turn the light off. Or maybe not reading at all.

After all, they are trying to get pregnant. It’s probably a little more exciting than just reading.

Annalise closed her eyes and leaned back against the refrigerator.

How she longed for the simple trappings of a relationship! Someone to bring her a cup of coffee in the morning. Someone to tell her she looked beautiful when she did her makeup. Someone to rub her back at the end of a long day.

I shouldn’t be letting this diagnosis I got half my lifetime ago control me this much.

After all, she had managed to overcome the sadness of the fact that she would never have a child. Surely she could manage to find love, even with the unusual circumstances that she had been dealt.

Maybe.

She changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth, went to her bed, and grabbed the laptop from her bedside table. It was her habit to scroll through her social media feeds before going to sleep, to see what her friends and loved ones were up to.

I can’t wait until Janette gets to post a pregnancy announcement!

Annalise was determined, when that day came, to be the first commenter, the first to wish her sister well.

She paused.

There was an ad on her feed for LoveFindr, a dating app she’d used in the past.

Are You Searching for the One?

Annalise couldn’t help laughing aloud. “I guess that’s a sign,” she said, marveling at the power of the universe to know exactly when to deliver this ad into her lap.

She picked up her phone and searched for the LoveFindr app on the app store. She’d deleted it months ago, but now she re-downloaded it and opened it up. Her profile was still there, just as she’d left it, and she took a screen shot and texted it to Janette with the