“Do you realize how much better friends we are now than we were when we were married?”
He sighed. “I know.” He gave her a subtle once-over. “We’re going to stay friends. Not just for Emily, but for me. I need you in my life in some capacity.” He paused, opened his mouth to speak, then snapped it closed. “So, ready for lunch?”
She didn’t know what he’d meant to say, but she didn’t need to be a mind reader to realize it was probably best left unspoken. “I’m hungry. What do you have?”
“Your favorite. Chicken salad from Trader Joe’s.”
“Aw, you didn’t cook. You really do care.”
Stephen laughed. Emily and Frank joined them, and they enjoyed a family lunch together, just the four of them. And Reggie, tucked into the back of her mind, he was there too.
***
Reggie drove to Maggie’s Sunday morning, a little tired yet revved at the thought of seeing his girl again. As much as he tried to deny their attachment as serious, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
He’d revealed to the guys what a great time he’d had at dinner and that he’d met her neighbors right after, totally bypassing his sexual encounter with Maggie. Not that he normally kissed and told, but he and the guys had been known to make veiled references to their sex lives.
Reggie himself had ribbed both Brad and Tex about their girlfriends, so he tried to give them less ammunition to fire his way. However, he had no problem sharing that he’d mettheBear Destruction, going so far as to share his selfie.
Now Reggie had to get Benny to meet the guys. The topic of Benny had overshadowed their interest in Maggie, which was a huge bonus. It also helped that Reggie hadn’t begged off the guy stuff they’d planned for their time off. Working out Monday morning at the station and a baseball game Wednesday evening.
He figured to fit those in easily, in between spending all his time with Maggie.
He shifted in his seat, erect since he’d left the station, all thoughts centered on free time with the sexiest woman he knew.
Reggie didn’t want to act so sex starved, but he couldn’t help it. She got to him on a primal level. And then he’d see her smile, hear her laugh, and hold her hand, and all those sweet, soppy emotions would swarm him. A plague of love and desire stabbing him in the heart.
He called his dad to try to distract himself, hitting a button on the wheel. His father’s voice soon came through the car speaker.
“Hello, Son. Your sisters and I were just talking about you.”
I’ll bet.“Hey, Dad. I’m letting you know right now that I’m not doing brunch. I’m not sick, but I am tired. It was a long twenty-four hours.”
“No problem. What? Hold on.”
The phone changed hands because Nadia came on. “Hey. Where are you?”
“Driving home. My shift just ended.”
“Are you going to Maggie’s?”
Fucking Nadia. “It’s none of your business where I’m going.”
“He’s going to Maggie’s,” she told the others.
“Damn it. I’m going to get some sleep. We had to deal with a battered wife who tried to set her spouse on fire and an explosive DUI. It was a long night.”
“Sorry, bro,” Nadia apologized. “I was just teasing. We’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye, Reggie,” Lisa yelled from behind her.
Then all of them said, “Tell Maggie we said hi.” They disconnected on laughter.
He groaned. Well, at least they weren’t on his ass about her. Not now, but later…
He really needed to figure out what he was doing with Maggie. The sex was off the charts. That made sense. Feeling for her so soon after meeting her, fantasizing about being with her all the time, that didn’t. Hell, maybe heshouldtalk to Brad and Tex about her. They knew him better than Doug and Benny did.
What if Doug and Benny had told Maggie what he’d told them? He cringed. Would she think he wanted more? Did he? He kept thinking of her as his girlfriend, but neither had made a commitment to each other.
