What was the big deal if we did? Really? I was the one who’d screwed things up by catching feelings, but she didn’t know that, and that was a long time ago.
Granted, I’d been so into her tonight that I hadn’t moved more than a few inches away from her, but I wasn’t that kid again. I could handle myself this time.
I was sure of it. Or mostly sure. Like, maybe seventy-five percent sure. Three-quarters certain that I could handle being with Sabrina without becoming a love-sick idiot again.
If we gave in, I was an adult now and could manage to keep it purely physical this time. We’d be consenting, unattached adults, free to do whatever we wanted.
“Oh, hey. Caden, right?”
Our heads whipped to what appeared to be a total stranger standing next to our table.
“Yeah, hey,” I said, searching his face as I tried to remember who he was. He looked sort of familiar, but his name eluded me, especially since all my brain cells and the blood south of my waist were focused on the woman sitting across from me.
“Dale. We ran track together. You and your tall friend, Jake?”
“Jesse,” Sabrina answered him, biting her bottom lip as if she were holding back a laugh, but I wasn’t laughing.
I was turned on and pissed off that Dale from track couldn’t tell that he may have been interrupting something.
What that something was, I wasn’t sure, but I had wanted to find out.
“Hi, Dale. Good to see you,” I lied. “Hope you enjoyed the reunion.”
He lifted a shoulder.
“It was fine, pushing it a little by having it in the same place as our prom. Especially since everyone I talked to tonight is divorced like me.”
“That’s exactly what I said,” Sabrina agreed and started to slip her hand away, quirking a brow when I tightened my grip.
“This is nice,” Dale said, looking between us. “You guys ending up together. I saw your friend leave with that soccer player he was with back in school. I guess you were the lucky ones.”
The sad smile on his face brought on a twinge of guilt for wanting to shoo him away. It had been a long time since I’d considered myself a lucky one. The only time in recent memory that I’d come close to feeling that way was when I’d spotted Sabrina tonight.
“Oh.” Sabrina’s brow crinkled as she glanced over at me. “We aren’t…”
“Thank you,” I said, bringing Sabrina’s hand to my lips and pressing a light kiss to her wrist. “We like to think so.”
Her face twisted in confusion, but if I wasn’t mistaken, I spotted some heat in her eyes.
“I remember when they caught you both under the bleachers,” he said, snickering as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I thought Peter Hastings was going to kill you that day.”
I snuck a smile to Sabrina as I recalled that day with surprising clarity. She’d broken up with Peter after she’d found him making out with a cheerleader, and he’d found her with me a week later.
How I’d managed to get through high school with my nose and jaw intact was a lucky mystery.
“All’s well in love and war, right? Good to see you, Dale. Hope you find some luck, too.”
Sabrina pulled her hands away after Dale shifted to leave.
“What was that?”
“Oh, come on. I figured why not have a little fun, and look at the hope we gave the poor guy.”
“Hope?” She narrowed her eyes before her gaze drifted back to the bar. “I feel for him, though. Toni is getting married next month, and it’s my first big family event since Austin and I split up.”
My jaw dropped. “Your niece is getting married? That’s impossible. She’s just a little kid.”
“She’s actually twenty-five. She grew up smart and beautiful, and I’m so happy for her. But I’d rather get a root canal than go to this wedding.” She cupped her forehead. “My sister keeps asking if I’ve changed my mind about bringing a plus-one after I’ve told her no a million times.”
