Addie and Eli instantly decide to make their presence known as they both begin to wail.
“She’s probably hungry,” Walker announces casually. “I’m going to go in and feed her.”
Roman stands and takes Addie from Eva. “I’ll give her one of the bottles you pumped in the fridge. You enjoy yourself out here. We’ll call you in when dinner is ready.”
Eva hands over Addie, then turns to me and winks. As soon as Roman is out of earshot, she whispers, “Odds are in his favor so far. I think he might be getting lucky tonight.”
I chuckle, then reach for my glass on the coffee table. “Cheers. To at least one of us getting lucky tonight.”
She laughs. “You don’t have anybody you’re … interested in?”
The way she says it, it’s like she knows something that I don’t. She looks over her shoulder at the guys, then back at me.
“Umm,” I drawl, not sure how to answer. I can’t tell her I’ve been pining for her brother since I was a teenager. “Not really. Same old boring dating life.”
“Hmm,” she hums, “that’s too bad.”
I get the feeling that she’s trying to push me to talk. She can’t possibly know that there’s something simmering between Walker and me. I haven’t told her anything. Walker definitely wouldn’t say anything.
Thankfully, she lets the subject go, and we start jabbering about celebrity gossip—a favorite pastime of ours.
Roman eventually calls us in for dinner. We walk into a perfectly set dinner table. I take a seat at the round table.
“Where are the girls?” Eva asks.
The guys point toward the family room, where one is on a mat and the other is in a swing, both seeming perfectly content for the moment.
“It’s a ticking time bomb over there. I don’t know how long we have before one of them loses it,” Roman says.
I’m impressed. The guys have everything under control.
We all plate our food quickly, knowing we don’t have much time. About halfway through the meal, things take a turn.
“Jessie”—Roman looks at Eva and winks—“how do you feel about blind dates?”
Walker coughs, choking a bit on his wine before recovering. I’m thrown off by his question. It feels completely out of left field.
“Uh, I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it. Why?”
He lifts a shoulder nonchalantly. “I’ve got a friend I think you’d hit it off with.”
“Oh, interesting. Um …” I stall as I try to find the right words.
No, I’m not interested. Not when the only man I’ve ever burned for is sitting to my left, occupying every space in my mind.
“Oh, Drew is very attractive. You definitely should meet him,” Eva interjects enthusiastically.
Roman side-eyes her. “Easy there. Don’t go drooling over my friend.”
Eva rolls her eyes. “Chill yourself. I only have eyes for you. I’m just telling my friend here that she should consider it.”
Walker drops his fork on the plate, and a loud clatter echoes around us. He seems visibly agitated. I peek over at him, then back at Roman.
Walker sighs but doesn’t say anything. He has some nerve, getting upset over me being set up. He doesn’t get to push me away and tell me he can’t be with me, then get angry at the idea of me being with someone else.
“You know what? I’dloveto,” I reply confidently. “You can give him my number.”
I look over at Walker, who is now staring daggers at Roman. Roman smiles triumphantly back at him while I try to figure out if there’s some kind of game being played here that I’m not aware of.
