With one arm, Derek dragged me up against him and crushed me to his side before placing a kiss on my temple. He was like the big brother I always wanted. I was so happy for Mia for finding such an amazing guy. She deserved to be treated like a princess every day. Despite his faults and twisted ways, when it came to Mia, Derek didn’t hesitate in stepping into the leading role of her very own Prince Charming.
“Thanks. I’ll have my mobile if you need me…”
“We won’t.”
“But if you do…”
“If we do, we’ll call. But Josie, don’t hold your breath.”
After kissing Matilda good night, I shrugged out of Derek’s grasp and picked up my phone and purse, tucking them in the inside pocket of my jacket. I almost made it to the front door before breathing became a challenge. Wiping my clammy palms on the butt of my jeans, I tugged on my knee high black boots and tried to calm my rapidly beating heart. I wasn’t having much luck, but I had to try.
When Mia appeared beside me, her small hand on my back, I instantly felt better. “You got this.”
“This is a disaster waiting to happen.”
“No, Josie. It’s not. I know what happened is shitty, but Nate seems like a nice guy. It’s not like you’ve never met him before. You know he’s a good guy. Deep down you know.”
“Yeah. I do.”
“But?”
“But what if I can’t do this? What if I’m meant to be alone forever? What if he doesn’t like me?” All my fears were coming out of me now, thick and fast.
“He wouldn’t have asked you out if he didn’t like you. And he’d be crazy not to. You’re an incredible woman, Josie. Sure, you’ve been dealt a shitty hand, and some asshole’s hurt you before, but Nate won’t.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“Yeah, I can.” I must have looked at him strangely. Derek, seemingly unfazed, just continued. “’Cause if he’s not, I promise I’ll kick his ass.” The look in Derek’s eye revealed that everything he was saying was one hundred and ten percent true. I didn’t doubt it for a moment.
A sharp rap on the door brought us back to reality. My time was up. It was now or never. Mentally pulling up my big girl panties, I straightened my spine and squared my shoulders. Sucking in a deep breath, I opened the door.
If I was struggling to breathe before I saw him, then now I was absolutely shitting myself. He looked better than I remembered, and that was saying something. I’d played those memories over and over and over again and he still outdid them. From the crooked grin and the stubble that covered his jaw, to the way his chocolate eyes looked back at me. Dressed casually in jeans, boots, and a grey shirt peeping out from beneath a black leather jacket, this guy was every woman’s wet dream. I wasn’t entirely sure I wasn’t having one right now. God knows he was hot enough.
“Hey Josie.”
“H-hi.”
“You ready?”
“S-sure.”
I wasn’t exactly sure when I’d developed a stutter, but it was as embarrassing as hell. Flanked on either side by Mia and Derek, they marched me through the front door and out onto the veranda.
“Have fun you two,” Derek called.
When I turned and saw him, he still cradled a squirming Matilda in his arms. He had the widest smile as he attempted to keep hold of her. The moment I caught Nate’s eye, I realised this was the first time he’d seen Matilda. Every other time I’d seen him, she’d been asleep or with Jenna while I worked. I wasn’t purposefully hiding her from him, they’d just never crossed paths before.
Nate reached out his hand, and I placed my trembling one in his huge paw. It was calloused, and I noticed a few band-aids wrapped around injured fingers. Mia and Derek had already complained about the back-breaking work they’d endured today, so I knew what caused it. I could only hope it wouldn’t affect his ability to hold tight to the handle bars and keep us upright on the bike. Nate seemed like a pretty capable guy, though. I’m sure he wouldn’t let a few little cuts and bruises stop him from anything.
The moment we reached the bike, Nate silently handed me a helmet before picking up his own. After quickly adjusting the strap and triple checking that there was no way it was going to come off, I threw my leg over the seat and settled myself against him. Despite the layers of denim and leather between us, the moment I pressed up close to him I was overwhelmed by his warmth.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Mia sung out evilly. Bitch would pay for that later.
“What’s that rule out?” Nate surprised me asking in his deep, husky voice that I felt down to my core.
“Not a lot,” I grumbled.
I should have prepared myself for Mia to do something. How could she not? She was my sister and this is what sisters did. Revenge would be sweet. After all, I had a bachelorette party to plan. Maybe a stripper or two would teach her a lesson. Probably not, but seeing her face while some guy bumped and grinded up on her wearing nothing but a piece of dental floss between his butt cheeks could be worth the investment.
