You haven’t replied, so I’m taking it as a good sign. I hope she’s every bit as amazing as you are.
But just in case you need a confidence boost, allow me to remind you that you are a really, really good kisser. Don’t second-guess yourself, dude. Close the deal.
And by close the deal, I don’t mean ask her to marry you.
Okay, I’ll leave you alone now. As long as you promise to wake me up when you get here and tell me all about it.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
claire
I leapfrom the couch and bolt to the window the second I hear tires crunching over the gravel driveway.
“It’s him,” I announce to Oscar and Frankie when I see Rowan through the blinds. He’s smiling to himself as he goes into the back seat for his overnight bag, and I feel my shoulders drooping. “I shouldn’t be this sad because he had a good time, should I?” I turn to ask my dogs.
Oscar yips and wags his tail, and Frankie’s tongue flops out as he pants and vibrates with excitement. I sigh, because the sight of Rowan makes me lose control of my tongue, too.
He makes it to the front door faster than I expect, and I scramble to fix the blinds and return to my place on the sofa when I hear him unlocking the door.
“Hey,” he greets me warmly while I adjust my position and try to look aloof.
“Oh, hey. You’re back,” I say, keeping my tone even. I yawn and toss the remote away as if I’ve just been surfing through the channels. “I guess your date went well?”
He shrugs and crouches down to pet the dogs. “What makes you think that?”
“Well, you’re smiling for starters. And you never checked any of my texts, so you must have been enjoying her company.”
His lips lift higher on one side, making him look more smug than smitten. “Maybe I’m just amused because I caught you peeking at me through the blinds. It’s almost as if you’ve been waiting for me to come home.”
I ignore the way he’s referring to my house as “home” in lieu of watching him take off his jacket.
“Are you wearing scrubs?” I blurt out. Becauseholyshitdoes he look hot.
“Yes, and I did read your texts, but I couldn’t exactly make her wait on me while I stopped to answer you.”
“Duh,” I say, scoffing. “And that wasn’t even me in the window, just so you know. It was Oscar,” I lie, pointing to the disordered blinds.
He purses his lips. “So … Oscar’s the one who’s jealous of my big date?”
I gulp and look away as he moves to sit next to me, tightening my robe over one of my more risqué pajama sets, a decision which feels pretty silly right now.
“Oh, yeah. Look at him. The poor little guy’s been green with envy,” I say. Oscar takes his cue to waddle over and push his paws into Rowan’s shins.
“Those blinds seem pretty high for legs this stubby. Just sayin’,” Rowan drawls while he gives Oscar another affectionate ear rub.
“Pointing out his flaws isn’t going to make him feel any better. Especially since your date probably had better legs.”
“If that were the case, he’d definitely be more envious of you.”
I let out a defeated exhale and ignore his flirty tone. “Fine. I may have been a little anxious to hear from you. Not because I’m jealous or anything, though.”
“Sure you’re not,” he replies, still smirking.
“So?” I ask after he doesn’t say more. “Aren’t you going to tell me how it went?”
He chuckles. “I don’t know. I kind of like torturing you.”
I shove him playfully. “Are you getting married next month or what?”
