Before I knew what I was doing, I found myself standing behind her and breathing in her light floral scent. It reminds me of the plumeria trees I have in my backyard, like a light floral with a hint of sweet peaches.
When she dissed me at the bar and walked back to her booth, nothing could have stopped me from following her. I’m going to let myself have a little bit more time with her, and then I’ll walk away and forget about her.
“Well, we met in the bathroom hallway at this bar. She had someone following her, and I didn’t like the vibe he was giving off, so I stayed around to make sure he left her alone. And I’m glad I did because she let her friends leave without walking herto her car, and this asshole cornered her.” I decide to keep the hot-as-fuck kiss out of it. I’m pretty sure her brother doesn’t need to know that if she hadn’t broken away, I probably would have hauled her into the closest bathroom and locked the door.
“Wait, what? Who was following you? Why didn’t I know about this?” Her brother sits up straight and looks at her.
“It was nothing, Mav. I went on one date with the guy, and he wouldn’t quit texting or calling me, so I blocked him. When I saw him at the bar, I freaked out and let my imagination get the best of me, thinking he might be stalking me, and I darted to the bathrooms. He followed me, and uh,” she glances over at me and nervously fidgets with her beer bottle, “and I ran into, uh, Travis. Nathan must have assumed we were together because he left. I didn’t feel the need to be walked to my car because I thought he was gone, but he must have been waiting for me in the parking lot.”
“What the hell, Soph. Why the fuck am I just now hearing about this? You should have come to me the minute he kept texting you.” I know exactly how her brother is feeling, which is why I had to come back and make sure she was safe. I wasn’t there for my sister but I could be there for her.
“I didn’t think it was a big deal. You guys had just got engaged, and I wasn’t about to worry you over something that was probably nothing.”
“Seriously? How could you not tell us or even think for one minute that it would matter to us if you made us worry right after getting engaged? Thank God, Travis was there.” Her friend looks at her with hurt in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, okay? I should have told you guys whether it turned out to be serious or not. I won’t keep things from you again. If someone so much as farts in my direction, you will be the first to know.” A smile plays on my lips as she tries to lighten up the mood with a joke.
“Very funny. I’m still pissed at you for not telling me. Promise me if he shows up where you are again or tries to contact you in any way, you will immediately let me know. I’m serious, Soph.” Her brother stares her down. If it weren’t for the same intense green eyes, you would never know they were related with her jet-black hair and his dark blonde. But the eyes, the eyes are the same. A man can find themselves getting lost in them.
“I promise,” she sighs.
“You won’t have to worry about him bothering her again. I made it perfectly clear that he wouldn’t like what would happen if he did,” I say to her brother.
“Good. Thank you, Travis, for looking out for her. God knows I’ve had my hands full with both of these girls my whole life.” Maverick laughs as Bella playfully elbows him in the stomach. “I’m Maverick, Sophia’s older brother, by the way, and this is my fiancé, Bella.” He smiles at the beautiful blonde beside him.
“It’s nice to meet you both.”
“So if he saved your ass, why do we thinkhe’s an ass?” Bella looks between the two of us.
“I’d like the answer to that one as well.” I laugh and look over at her just as she rolls her eyes at me. My dick stirs in my pants as the little wildcat comes out to play.
“After Nathan left, I thanked Travis for stepping in, and all I’m met with is anger. He was so furious with me, and then he had the nerve to say I was helpless even though I had my mace out and have taken self-defense classes. I was perfectly capable of handling him on my own. To try and prove his point, he caged me in and grabbed my mace.”
“Oh, shit. You caged her inandtold her she was helpless?” Bella starts laughing, and Sophia grins at her. “That’s the worst thing you could have said.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured that out on my own when she kneed me in the balls and left me in her dust as she peeled out of the parking lot.” I look over at Sophia and feel my heart speed up. That smile. I’ve never truly seen her smile until now. Something tells me I won’t ever be the same. I look away and take a sip of my bourbon, enjoying the burn as it goes down. Something…anything to focus on instead of the woman beside me.
“Geez, sis. That must have hurt like a motherfucker, and he still wanted to buy you a drink after that?”
“Yeah, I’m questioning my sanity right about now, too.” I give a small laugh. WhatamI doing here? I should be doing what I always do on my nights out when my brothers watch Max for me. I should be finding company for the night that doesn’t make me feel anything other than a good time in the moment. I can’t sit here and pretend that I don’t have someone else in this whole equation. Someone who is my whole life. I can’t afford to let anyone else in that could hurt him in any way. I down the rest of my drink and stand up.
“It was nice meeting you guys. I’ve got to head out. I’m supposed to meet someone in a few,” I lie. I glance down at Sophia, and for a brief moment, I see disappointment on her face. I hold her stare and start to feel myself get lost in those beautiful greens. I tear my gaze away before I do something stupid like sit back down just to be near her again. I give a quick smile to Bella and Maverick before I turn and walk out the door, feeling a lot less unsure of what it is that I want than I did when I first walked in here.
“Daddy! Guess what?”Max comes running over to me as school is being let out. I scoop him up in my arms andruffle his soft hair, causing it to stick up. He’s so darn cute that it makes my heart burst wide open every time I look at him. I never thought I could love someone this much, but the moment the nurse laid him in my arms and his tiny fingers wrapped around mine, I was a goner.
“What’s that buddy?” I carry him to my truck and buckle him in the backseat as he excitedly talks my ear off about his teacher. Ever since he came home from his first day of kindergarten, he’s been talking nonstop about Miss Lane. I toured the school this summer and loved what I saw, so I didn’t think it was a big deal when I had to miss orientation because of work. I’ve been meaning to stop by and introduce myself but I got busy with the opening of Inked.
“Miss Lane let me be the teacher’s helper today, and I got to have my desk next to hers all day long. I helped her hand out our workbook papers, and she let me write on the chalkboard. I even got to eat with her at lunch, and she shared her brownie with me.” He stops to catch his breath, and I grin at him in the rearview mirror as we pull out of the school parking lot.
“It sounds like you had a good day.”
“The best. Miss Lane says that I was the best helper she’s ever had.”
“I’m proud of you, buddy. I bet she was happy you were there to help her.”
“Oh, she was. She told me so herself. I’m going to be a teacher someday, just like Miss Lane.”
“I’m sure you will be the best teacher in the whole school.” I pull into our driveway and park in the garage before helping him out of his seatbelt.
