“Spring break, Disneyland.”
“Denise. And god, our friends over-share,” I add.
Alex watches us, obviously amused.
“My sixteenth birthday party.”
“Whitney.”
“Son of a bitch. Uhhhh, who did I find in my bed with Wayne after prom?” Bean asks.
“Brenda and Connie.”
“Goddamn it. Okay, one more guess. The big tent, summer before senior year. The camping trip where it rained for three days straight, so we drank for three days straight.”
“I was there for that, sure. We all were. Jackie and Bruce just pretended like we weren’t. I still have nightmares of Bruce’s pale ass mooning us all from the sleeping bag.”
“Fuck, thatwasBruce and Jackie! Fine, I give up. What was yours?”
“Nope, you lost. Better luck next time.”
“Prude.”
I snort and get out of the car. I really don’t want to talk about losing my virginity in front of Alex.
It wasn’t anything special, just a random night junior year with a guy I’d been dating for a while. We watched a movie on his bed while his parents weren’t home, and I decided to see what all the fuss was about. It was fine, but I wasn’t sad that we only did it a few more times before we broke up because he barely put any effort into getting me off. Most guys I’ve been with only gave half a shit about me and my pleasure. My box full of toys has served me better.
Until Alex.
My one night with him was the only sex worth even remembering, and I’m actively trying not to remember it right now. It’s damn near impossible with the man around me so fucking much, smelling so good. I can feel him walking behind me as Bean points stuff out to him. And every time I glance at him, his eyes are on me.
We take pictures outside, explore the historical exhibits inside, and then hit the gift shop. We’ve been taking our time so it’s past lunchtime now, but we have a shit ton of snacks. We take our time on the way back, too, and I do my best to ignore Alex.
I fucking suck at it.
Chapter 23
That’s an excessive amount of hookers…
Alex
I’ve been waking up early, just like at home, and working out before Lizzie drives over to the hotel to pick me up. Tuesday’s the first day we don’t have plans with Amelia, and while I’m not exactly excited about that part, I am looking forward to spending more time with my daughter.
But I am hoping a day apart will make Amelia miss me. Make her more willing to fucking talk to me.
Lizzie pulls up outside the hotel with bags under her eyes. “No offense, but you look tired, kiddo.”
“I couldn’t deal with Mom last night, so I ended up at Minnie’s. One of us was a bad influence. I’m not saying which one, coughminniecough, so we watched a movie and played a drinking game. We may have underestimated the number of times Leo fucks a hooker in The Wolf of Wall Street.”
I let out a bark of a laugh. “At least you didn’t drink every time someone says ‘fuck’.”
“Exactly. And Henry had a bad dream in the middle of the night and snuck in for cuddles, but then he peed all over both of us. I need coffee.”
A few minutes later, she pulls into the parking lot of a strip mall and turns off the engine, but she doesn’t get out of the car right away. I follow her gaze straight ahead and see Amelia through a big wall of windows. She’s wearing tight pants and asports bra, her hair piled on top of her head in the messy bird nest bun I adore.
“What style of dance is this?” I ask, since I honestly don’t know shit about dancing.
“Contemporary. It’s kind of a hodgepodge, a little bit of almost every style, you know? Like freeform. She says the music tells her what to do, and it’s her favorite way to dance. God, I miss watching her. I used to go to every single performance, even if I wasn’t in them. I’d come over here on my breaks at the coffee shop or when I had any spare time just to watch her dance or teach. I came out to New York every chance I got when she was going to Juilliard, too. Sometimes, she’ll send me a video now or let me watch her dance at home over video chat. She doesn’t have furniture in her living room. She made it a home studio.”
