“To brush my teeth, dumbass.” She stands and saunters toward the bathroom, leaving me gawking at her sinful body. “I’m not arguing with morning breath. Plus, you promised me coffee.”
I check on Kane, who made his way to his room sometime during the night, and leave two pain relievers, a banana, and a glass of water on his nightstand for when he wakes up. When Ireturn to the bedroom with two mugs, I nearly spill the hot liquid at the sight before me. She’s scrolling through her phone, wearingmyshirt inmybed. For several heartbeats, I linger in the doorway and commit the image of her to memory.
After a minute, she looks up and makes grabby hands for the coffee, and I obediently deliver it to her.
“Mmm,” she sighs as she swallows. “This tastes like the macadamia nut coffee I had in Hawaii.” She tilts her head, scrutinizing me. “But you don’t drink coffee.”
I take a sip of my black tea before setting it on the nightstand. “The coffee is from my mom’s stash, but Kane thought we should buy this creamer for you.”
A weak smile comes to play across her face. “That was sweet of him. He’s a good kid. Is he awake?”
With a shake of my head, I pop open my prescription bottle. “Forgot to take my Viagra.”
The joke garners a bigger grin from Millie. God, I need more mornings like this.
Though I’m desperate to know if she put on panties, I focus on the tough conversation looming over us instead. Flipping through my mental catalog of therapy lessons, I begin. “I felt…” I take a deep breath, “shocked and hurt when you said you met Samantha for coffee. It felt like you went behind my back. In the future,”Lord, I hope there’s a future, “I would appreciate it if you communicated with me right away if something like this comes up.”
She could catch flies with the way her jaw hangs open.
“What?” I ask.
Stuttering, she blinks rapidly. “I just… you’re just… I didn’t expect you to be so direct yet kind. My last boyfriend yelled at me and flipped over a vase during our last argument, and we never talked again.”
I bristle and silently beat up the asshole in my mind. “I wouldnever yell at you. I’ve done enough therapy and I’ve done the work. I can communicate my feelings. I may not always get it right, like last night, but I try my best.”
“That’s refreshing,” she says. Her lips are turned down, though she looks impressed rather than upset. “I really am sorry about yesterday. She caught me off guard. I swear to you nothing happened. She apologized, and then I hightailed it out of there before I could even finish my coffee. I truly never care to see her again.”
“I believe you.”
Her expression goes soft for a moment, but then her lips twitch. “I think she might have been pissed when I told her we went to Hawaii together.”
“Good. Serves her right.” I laugh. “Now, can we talk about your doctor’s appointment?”
Her eyes drop to her coffee, like she’s found an interesting specimen floating in her mug.
“Look at me, honey.”
Chin lifted, she worries her bottom lip.
“I realize we haven’t had the most traditional start to our relationship.” I cock a brow. “Lord knows you gave me a run for my money in Greece. I wasn’t looking for anything serious…”
She lets out a breathy scoff.
“Okay, fine.” I chuckle. “But I never imagined the girl who blew me away singing karaoke, then presented me with her vending machine dildo would make such a lasting impression on me.”
Her cheeks flush and her eyes glimmer at that.
“I like you. A lot.”I might even be in love with you. “I want to be with you. But I’d be lying if I said I’d be okay with you taking too much time to figure things out. I have Kane to think about now, and he’s already made you a part of his life. Plus, I’m old.”
She giggles, though she lifts her mug to hide the way her lips quirk up.
I love that I can make her laugh in the middle of a serious conversation. “So please. Talk to me.”
With one more sip, she sets her coffee on the nightstand. Then she curls her legs under her body and faces me.Yeah, definitely no panties.
“Okay,” she breathes. “I’ve never imagined a guy being my endgame—not that I’m sayingyou’remy endgame.” A flush creeps into her cheeks as she peers at me. Fuck, it’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.
With a nod, I go easy on her. “I know what you mean.”
