I roll my eyes. “It wasn’t that funny,” I protest as I remember meeting him in the hallway. He was standing there with Hutch, and Ava was having a meltdown. I apologized because I was mortified to meet my new neighbors with a screaming three-year-old.
Hutch offered to help and picked up Ava, who promptly kicked him in the balls.
He nearly dropped her, and Bray managed to catch her. But then she got overly excited and threw up all over Bray, which caused Hutch to sympathy vomit, which caused Ava to retch again and poop her pants.
It was…a total nightmare introduction.
“Oh, come on. I was covered in shit and vomit, and Hutch was puking his guts out while holding his nuts,” Bray manages in between laughing.
I glare at him. “I was mortified!”
He gets his laughter under control and wipes a tear from his eye. “Oh, come on, a comedy writer couldn’t have dreamt that up,” he protests.
I try to fight the smile on my face because I am still mortified, three years later, but my lips curve up despite my feelings. “I mean, you two did sort of look shell-shocked,” I state.
“Shell-shocked? I’m surprised Hutch still wants kids,” he teases.
“Thank God you are around sick people all day, and weren’t as fazed as Hutch,” I say with a grimace.
“True,” he agrees.
He raises one of the soda cans he bought with the food, and I raise mine.
“To good friends,” he says, his eyes dancing with amusement.
“To neighbors who tolerate your child’s antics,” I offer.
He leans forward, and I feel his warm breath again. “What about her mom’s antics?” he teases.
I shrug. He has a point. He’s tucked me into bed at least six times in three years after ladies’ nights have turned into one too many glasses of wine.
“To best friends,” I say. His lips curve higher.
“To best friends,” he agrees, and we clink cans.
I watch his bicep as he raises the can to his lips. Having a massage from my bestie is about as much action as I’ve gotten in over three years. I shouldn’t even be looking at him like this. Ogling friends is definitely off the table. Maybe the ladies are right. Maybe it is time for me to go on a date again. It’s great to have a hot bestie, but that’s not going to get me laid. Maybe Bray can help me find someone to date? Nah, what am I thinking?
I try not to think about it again while we finish our food and chat about all the fun activities he has planned for Ava this summer. I really did score the greatest neighbor in the history of neighbors. And the fact that he’s smoking hot doesn’t hurt.
CHAPTER TWO
Bray
“Make it a large,” I say to Cam as I order my coffee. “Oh, and a large caramel latte, a small hot chocolate, and three blueberry muffins,” I add.
Cam looks over at me. “Is one of them for Ava?”
I frown while nodding.
“Then, you’ll want the cinnamon raisin sparkle muffin,” she says as she taps the counter over the section of glass with muffins.
I glance down to see cinnamon and what looks like sparkly sugar granules on a muffin top.
“OK,” I reply slowly.
“Apparently, a little girl at school got one, and she’s popular, so now all the little girls want one,” Cam says with a shrug. I groan.
“I wish we could put her in a time capsule,” I lament as I run a hand through my still-wet hair. I just finished a workout with Kasen, Gray, and Hutch.
