Page 14 of Beauty Of Her

“It was amazing.” I melted in my chair just thinking about Brett’s skilled lips. He might have been younger, but there was nothing inexperienced about his touch.

“Ha! I love it!” Amelia threw herself back in her seat, nearly flipping backward.

“Shh! The girls will hear.” My eyes shot to the staircase, expecting the twins to burst through any second. But, of course, they wouldn’t because that would mean getting to school.

Amelia leaned in, her fiery eyes burning into me. "So, what's next? Are you seeing him again? When's the next date?"

I hesitated, unsure of how to answer. "I don't know if we should. I mean, I know he’s younger than me, and... I have trust issues."

Amelia frowned sympathetically. "I know, Jules. But you can't let that hold you back forever. You deserve to be happy, too."

“I know, I know.” I ran my hand through my hair, exhaling a deep breath. “It’s just I don’t know his age. And this is just me speaking in general, but I don’t think I want any more kids. I’m thirty-seven with two kids who are going to cause me to have a heart attack if they don’t come down in two minutes!” I stuck my head out of the kitchen to scream the last part.

“Hold on.” Amelia held up a finger and walked to the foot of the staircase. “Girls! If you don’t get your butts downstairs now, your mom and her boyfriend are going to come to school and make out in the hallway when they drop you off because you missed the bus!”

“Are you fucking crazy?” I hissed at Amelia, lunging across the kitchen.

“Watch this.” Amelia held her chin high when, seconds later, a stampede of footsteps came storming down the steps.

I grinned, knowing Amelia was one of the few who understood how to get through to my girls.

“Mom, you have a boyfriend?” Zoe’s white, shocked eyes stared at me while Sara rocked on her heels.

“Okay, let’s go! Backpacks!” I shouted as I grabbed my purse and headed for the door.

“Do you really have a boyfriend?” It was Sara’s turn to chime in as everyone followed me to the door, and I just didn’t have the strength for any of it.

“I can’t do this,” I groaned, throwing my head back.

“No, they just broke up, now move.” Amelia snapped her fingers at the girls.

The girls, by some miracle, made it to school on time; I then drove me and Amelia to work. And then my day was just about to officially begin when my obnoxious ring tone cut through the parking lot’s air like a molten sword. I sighed, knowing Peter was probably calling to complain about a problem he could easily solve.

“I gotta go. I’ll see you inside,” said Amelia, running ahead. She had a meeting soon, so I didn’t blame her.

I pulled my phone out of my purse and saw Brett's name splashed across the screen. We hadn’t spoken since the movie a few days ago, and I was the one who ignored all his messages. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was ready for this. I was unsure if I ever would be, but as Amelia said, I deserved happiness, too. My heart skipped a beat as I pressed the green dot.

"Hey," I said casually, trying to play it cool.

"Hey, yourself." Brett's voice was low and smooth, sending shivers down my spine. "Sorry to bother you so early in the morning."

"No, it's fine. What's up?" I asked, trying not to sound too eager, leaning against my car, forgetting how to breathe.

"Well, I just wanted to see if you were free tonight. I thought maybe we could grab dinner or something."

“Tonight?” I already knew it wasn’t possible because I didn’t have coverage for the girls, and it wasn’t Peter’s night. “I can’t tonight. I don’t have anyone to watch the girls.”

“That’s okay. What if I came over and barbecued? It’s a nice night. And you really need to learn how to use your grill.” The confidence rolling off Brett’s tongue almost left me unsettled. How did he make this sound so easy?

“I, uh…” I stared at my feet, kicking around a black pebble off the asphalt. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not that it wouldn’t be at some point, but not yet.”

“I get it, no worries.” Brett’s cool yet reassuring tone coated my ear. “When are you free next?”

My lungs inflated. He wasn't pushy; he was understanding. Something I wasn't used to in a man. "How about Saturday? The girls will be at their father’s, so I won’t have to worry about getting home at a certain time."

“Oh, were you planning on staying out late?” Brett teased.

Heat flooded my cheeks. Oh, this guy was fun. “Yeah. I’m a big girl.”

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