Jake:I’m an ass.
I admitted feeling like a dick. As much as I wanted to claim her as mine and wanted her to spend her Friday night tangled in my sheets, right now, I had no claim to her. I had no rights and no reason to expect anything from her. Three years was a long time, and a lot can change in that time. I didn’t even know if she had a boyfriend or, God forbid, a husband. Just because she didn’t have a ring on her finger, something I’d checked the moment she’d reappeared in my life, didn’t mean there wasn’t a man in her life. Someone waiting for her at home. Someone who got to hold her, love her, and feel like he was a king because she was in his life. Someone who wasn’t me.
Kellie:Girls’ night if you must know.
That made me grin. Girls’ night meant no men, just a lot of gossip and wine from what I heard.
JakePillow fights?
Kellie:What are we fourteen?
Jake:So that’s a no then?
Kellie:Good night Jake.
Jake:Wait!
Jake:Go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?
Those dreaded dots appeared, then disappeared, then appeared again. For five minutes, I sat on the edge of my bed, waiting for her reply. It was a new concept for me, one I didn’t entirely hate.
When I’d been in California, life had been easier somehow. Maybe because I wasn’t invested. Maybe because I always knew at some point, I’d come home, and the party would be over. Out there, I didn’t have to ask for a girl's number or invite them out for dinner. Being a firefighter in a small town meant everyone knew me and knew what I was about. I’d order coffee from the local café only to find the server’s number scrawled on the cup. I’d order a beer at the local pub, only for the coaster to come with an offer to meet in the bathrooms. Rarely did I take them up on their offers, but on occasion, I flirted and hooked up, but I’d never gone back for round two. The women I hooked up with never made it into my home or into my bed, and I never promised more. Mostly they seemed okay with it, and if they didn’t, that was their problem. I was clear with what was on offer and what wasn’t. If they had a problem with that, then they shouldn’t have climbed on my cock.
After what seemed like an eternity, the only woman capable of taking everything from me replied. Hearing my phone chirp, I held my breath.
Kellie:Where am I meeting you?
“Fuck yeah,” I exclaimed, fist-pumping the air.
Feeling on top of the world, I bounced back downstairs and found Mom in the kitchen.
“What’s got you smiling like the cat that got the cream?” she asked as she stirred the bubbling pot on the stove.
“I convinced Kellie to have dinner with me tomorrow night.”
“You did?”
“You sound surprised.”
“Sweetheart, I am.”
“Yeah, well, so am I if I’m being honest. But I’m not about to fuck this up.”
“Jake!”
“Sorry, but come on, Mom. This is Kellie we’re talking about.”
“I know, sweetheart. I just don’t want to see you get your hopes up.”
“Too late, Mom. Kellie’s it for me. You know that, and I know that. Now all I have to do is convince her.”
“Well, be patient. A lot’s changed since you left. I doubt she’s the same starry-eyed girl she once was.”
“And that’s my fault?” I snarled, hating that Mom was putting the blame on me. Not that it was misplaced. This whole shitshow was my fault. No question. I just didn’t like being reminded of it.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
