“I may have been a bit presumptuous,” he stated.
I swallowed hard. His accent wasn’t doing my heart any favors. “More than a bit.”
“Please forgive me,” he sincerely begged.
His apology completely threw me off. I wasn’t used to men admitting they were wrong, so much so, I didn’t know how to respond. Instead, I did the intelligent thing and stared blankly at him, unfortunately, with my mouth hanging open. That had to be attractive.
He tilted his head, studying me like he had at the bank. “Hmm,” he muttered as if he totally got me, which was off-putting. “Why don’t we see what we can do to make Henry’s proclamation a reality.”
I got my vacant stare under control and responded, “I wonder where he got such an idea.”
Miles’s melodic laugh filled the café. “I do like you, Aspen. Come, let’s sit.” He waved his hand toward the cornerbooth.
That action had Brad, Sawyer, and Ryder jumping up like some chivalrous cavalry. Did they think Miles was luring me away? I supposed that meant I needed to make introductions. I gave my friends a wry grin. The women were all laughing and tugging on their husbands, trying to get them to sit down. I admit I was touched by their concern.
“Miles, would you mind meeting a few friends of mine first?”
Miles looked in the same direction as me. “Ah. I see your mates have come to check me out. Let’s not keep them waiting.”
“I didn’t know they would be here,” I sighed, somewhat embarrassed.
“No worries, it speaks volumes about the kind of person you must be.”
“And what kind is that?”
He gave me good once-over in my “motherly” outfit consisting of a cardigan and black ankle pants. I’d even started wearing granny panties for the fun of it. I think he was more interested, though, in the way his nephew clung to me. “As far as I can tell . . . lovely,” he admitted reluctantly.
I had no words, but my cheeks said it all. If I had to guess, I would say they were a nice shade of crimson. I covered it up by rubbing noses with Henry, who giggled. “Are you hungry?” I asked him.
“I want pizza!” he loudly voiced his preference.
I tapped his nose. “I don’t think they have pizza here, sweetie.”
Henry’s lip began to quiver.
Miles immediately cringed while huge crocodile tears leaked out of Henry’s gorgeous brown eyes.
“I’m mucking up this job,” Miles confessed with a heavy breath. “He won’t eat anything my chef prepares. I promised him pizza tonight.”
Did he say chef? I would come back to that later. I wiped Henry’s cheeks and kissed his forehead. “My parents are good friends with the owners. I’ll see what I can work out.” Surely they had what they needed in the kitchen to make pizza.
Miles’s broad shoulders, which had sagged in defeat, lifted, nicely showcasing his charcoal button down. “See how much we need you?” Miles was laying it on thick.
The entire exchange between Miles and me had not been lost on my friends, judging by how wide all their smirks were. When we arrived at their table near the hearth, I shifted Henry to my hip. My curves were at least good for something. I missed a toddler there.
Six sets of eyes darted between the beyond cute boy in my arms to the ridiculously handsome man standing next to me smiling with ease at my friends.
“Miles, these are my friends, Emma and Dr. Sawyer King.” I pointed to an ashen Emma, who had probably recently vomited given the only thing it looked like she had touched of her dinner was her bread. Normally she could eat the men under the table.
Sawyer stood up to shake Miles’s hand. Emma remained seated, smiling through her obvious discomfort. I hoped she felt better once her first trimester was over.
“It is a pleasure, Dr. and Mrs. King.” Miles took Sawyer’s hand, giving him a firm handshake.
Emma used all her energy and waved. “We don’t stand on ceremony around here. Please call us by our first names.”
Everyone at the table nodded to concur, which was funny since Shelby was famous for Southern manners and used them all the time on us. I kind of loved it when she called me Miss Aspen.
Ryder and Shelby, aka the world’s most attractive couple, stood up next. Ryder resembled a Hollywood star with his masculine build and tanned skin marked with tasteful tattoos. His bride beaming by his side was more gorgeous than him. Her long blonde hair shone like a crown while her blue eyes sparkled like jewels. Pregnancy had been kinder to her than Emma. It had appeared to only enhance her beauty and appetite. Shelby was now eating like a teenage boy. Her plate showed a half-devoured bacon cheeseburger and only a few fries left. She had confessed to sneaking potato chips into bed with her every night. Her thin figure didn’t reflect her new snacking habits one bit.
