I smacked his ridiculously hard shoulder and shook out my hand. “Holy boulder shoulders. What do you have in there?”
He chuckled and flexed. “I don’t skip arm day. And you’re avoiding the question, Goldilocks.”
“Well, sexist much? My best friend is a man. Andheis marrying another woman.”
“You thought he should marry you?”
“Well—”
“Did he ask?”
A pain stabbed me in the heart. “Ah. No. But I had a plan.”
“A plan.”
“Yes! A plan! His divorce recently became finalized?—”
Raff shook his head and shot back his drink. “The man was married once before?”
“Yes. To the wrong woman.”
“The right woman being you.”
Why was this guy busting my lady balls so much? They’ve had enough abuse today.“Why do you care?”
“You’re chasing after this man.” Raff ignored my question.
“I’m not chasing after him,” I huffed. “I was finally going to tell him how I felt.”
“How long have you been friends?”
“Thirty years.”
“And he didn’t know how you felt already?” Raff narrowed his eyes that, somehow, focused electric blue lasers of judgment at me.
“I don’t know.”
Raff turned on his rickety bar stool, the creaking wood echoing in the dimly lit room, somehow managing a smooth move, and squared up to me. The glowing light from a neon sign cast a highlighter-pink glow on his attractive face. He lifted an eyebrow. “Goldilocks, that man is a bloody idiot if he didn’t see that you’re the best thing that ever happened to him.”
“You can’t know that.”
“Can’t I? I just met you and know it.” Raff turned back to his drink and grunted.
My stomach dropped like a stone in water.Well, dang. My plan started sounding even stupider, and a wave of regret washed over me. Not that it mattered anymore, with Jesse getting married again. I waited so long to tell him how I felt. Maybe too long.
Why did I wait?Why didn’t I say something that night before he left for college? The weight of my regret tugged on me.
I often found myself lost in dreams of that night, yearning for a different outcome. I imagined summoning the courage to say something that would draw him into a kiss, a moment where we both would finally understand that we were meant to be together. Then, he wouldn’t have gone to the frat party his first month in college and knocked up some rando woman who he had to marry.
Ugh. I know. Iknowhe didn’t have to marry her. This was the 21st century, but he did the right thing. And I respected his marriage by keeping silent. I thought my chance was coming.
If I could go back in time and change that moment, I would. Everything would have been different if I said something. Ordidsomething. Like, kiss him.
Raff waved his hand in front of my face. “Earth to Goldilocks. You seem to be stuck in your head about this. How can I get your mind off this bloke who doesn’t know a good thing when it’s right in front of his face?”
I blinked a few times and zeroed in on Raff’s lips. I slowly perused his muscular arms and the large-and-in-charge dick that his expertly-pressed khaki pants were barely holding back.
What could he do to get my mind off things?
