“Oh, come on,” David moaned. “Are you guys for real?”
“I’m sorry,” she said, blowing her nose into a napkin. “I was worried you’d never meet the girl.”
“And she’s a Leprechaun to boot,” Gerard put in, puffing up in his Notre Dame jacket. “Good game last night, huh?”
As Jessa had instructed, I smiled and nodded—then laughed because my mood had gone from stressed and upset to absolutely giddy.
“Mom,” Alex said with a groan. “Why’re you crying?”
“Don’t worry, sweetie.” She hugged him sideways on the bench, pulling him close. “They’re happy tears.”
“Women,” he said, rolling his eyes and returning to his video game.
We laughed, and Judy asked us for more details. Given that David and I had only had a weekend together, there wasn’t much to tell when we removed sex from the equation. His family was excited nonetheless.
10
As David and I walked hand in hand from the train to his apartment, our warm November day at the park turned into a typical November evening. I burrowed my nose into a scarf David had bought earlier and wrapped carefully around my neck.
“You’re quiet,” he said, squeezing my hand in his.
Since leaving Bill days earlier—a stressful event in itself—so much had happened. Shopping for and attending a large event. Witnessing a fistfight between my husband and my boyfriend. Facing fears as I’d confronted David’s past during the hottest sex of my life. Meeting my new boyfriend’s family. I tugged down the scarf. “It’s been a long weekend. I’m tired. And sore.”
“Sore, huh?” he asked, bumping me with his shoulder.
“Sore,” I said with the most serious face I could muster. “Like, I might have to start yoga to keep up with you.”
“Yes,” he said immediately. “The more ways I can bend you, the better.”
I grinned. “You’re such a hornball.”
“You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.”
He stopped and drove my back up against a brick wall. “Think I’m kidding?” he asked, clasping our linked hands together behind his back. “I had the best time today,” he said quietly, kissing his way along my jaw until he found my lips.
I’d had a great day, too—getting to know his family, helping out the shelter, spending time with someone who, frankly, I never wanted to be away from. But as our blissful weekend came to an end, thoughts I’d been suppressing began to demand my attention.
It was clear how much David enjoyed being with family, specifically Alex. Did David envision a family of his own? Like Bill, did he just expect I’d get on board? Was it too soon to ask? Was it toolate?
And tomorrow, we’d be back to reality. My things were at David’s place, and he’d asked me to move in. If I was honest with myself, I wanted that, too. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with David. But we were moving at lightning speed, and that scared me. I hadn’t thought of Bill much all day, at least not to wonder how he was doing, and that made me feel like an asshole.
“Earth to Olivia,” David said.
“Sorry,” I murmured against his lips.
“Where’d you go just now?”
“Nowhere,” I said. “I’m here.”
“Are you sure?”
I’d promised to try not to hide anything from him, and I didn’t want to. But as the sun disappeared behind the buildings around us, and David’s body warmed mine, there was no sense in ruining a perfect moment. I smiled and touched his cheek. “I had the best time, too. I’m good.”
He pulled me from the wall, and we continued to the apartment. When we’d arrived at the hotel, he cursed to himself as we boarded the elevator.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I just realized something that doesnotmake me happy,” he said as he swiped his card to the penthouse.
