She has a shit-eating grin on her face, and out of my peripheral, I can see Declan slowly lower himself onto the other side of the couch from me.
The heat of his stare is on the side of my face, and I can feel my cheeks getting red.
My mom looks shocked by this revelation because I haven’t told her yet, and my dad is looking from me to Declan likewe’rethe ones going on the date.
Luckily, Autumn has on her new sparkly pink headphones that my parents gifted her and is watching The Polar Express on her tablet.
I chug the rest of my mimosa before I speak. “Uh… he’s thirty-five, I think. And is a financial advisor.”
Kate's eyes twinkle. “What does he look like?” she asks excitedly.
Instead of describing him, I pull out my phone from my hoodie pocket and pull up the dating app to bring up the guy’s profile. I chance a glance in Declan’s direction, and he’s noticeably tense.
“You’re still on the app?” he asks quietly.
“Mhmm.” I give him a tight-lipped smile because what else am I supposed to say? I’m a romantic at heart and would like to find love at least once in my life. Using the app is the easiest way for me to do that.
I hand my phone to Kate, and she oos and ahhs over the man named Mark. He’s objectively good-looking with short-cropped dark hair, brown eyes, and a fit body. The thing that drew me to his profile, though, was that he has a seven-year-old son. I didn’t tell him that I had a daughter. I’m still wary of disclosing that part of my life, but if the date goes well, I’ll for sure tell him.
“Ahh… his son is so cute,” Kate beams at the picture of his kid that he put on his profile. I think for men, having a kid is like a chick magnet. For women, not so much. Men usually run for the hills when they find out I have a kid.
“I didn’t know you had a date. Are you excited?” my mom asks cautiously, but with a smile on her face.
I nod. “I am. I’m nervous too. You know how the last one went.”
My mom gives me a sympathetic smile, and my dad just listens, drinking his beer. If it were up to him, I wouldn’t date until I was thirty. He doesn’t think anyone is good enough for me and was super pissed when I came home pregnant, not knowing the identity of my baby daddy.
The worst part is, I do know who he is. But no one else does. It’s a secret I’ll take to the grave.
“How did the last one go?” Kate asks with curiosity.
I can’t help but glance at Declan again, and he’s staring at me with a blank expression on his face.
I turn my attention back to Kate. “Well, um… he showed up thirty minutes late and then accidentally forgot his wallet when it was time to pay. Not that I don’t mind paying, but I watched him pull his wallet out to give the waiter his ID for alcohol. And then when he asked for a second date, his phone lit up with a message from his wife. It was a mess.”
She groans. “Men suck. Well, I hope this date is better. He seems like he’s got a lot going for him.”
“Me too.” I nod.
And I do hope it goes well. I know I’m only twenty-four, but I want a relationship like my parents have. One where the love is unconditional, and we can grow old together.
Maybe it’s wishful thinking.
But, as we finish out the evening at my parents, I feel like I’m already checked out of the date that hasn’t even happened yet.
And it has nothing to do with my objectively hot and kind, Viking neighbor.
~ ~ ~
Declan was pretty much silent the rest of the night except for when he thanked my parents as we were leaving. Autumn fell asleep as soon as we got into Declan’s truck, and the fifteen-minute car ride was silent except for the radio playing Christmas music.
When Declan parks the truck in the back of our building, I go to get Autumn, but he stops me.
“I’ve got her.”
He gently unbuckles her seatbelt and pulls her out of the car seat as gracefully as possible. Autumn instantly wraps her arms around him and nestles her little face in the crook of his neck. I’ve never been a jealous person, but what I wouldn’t give to be Autumn right now. I grab all the bags my arms can carry, and so does Kate, and we make our way up to the apartment.
I unlock my door, and Declan files in after me as I show him to Autumn’s room. He gently places her on her bed, takes her shoes off, and pulls the covers over her.
