Page 24 of Blue Moon Love

“I thought you were off tonight.” His brow furrowed. “Did you get called in?”

His inquiry caused my stomach to flutter and then sink. I wasn’t sure why I was nervous to admit that I had a date. Maybe it was because he was acting so strange. Or maybe it was because I felt guilty about accepting one the day he got discharged.

“Milo is coming over to stay with you. He’ll be here in an hour.” I turned to leave, but again, he grabbed my wrist and stopped me. This time, his fingers were a little bit tighter, and the pressure of his hold shot a tingling sensation straight between my legs.

“I don’t need a babysitter. Where are you going?” he asked.

I licked my lips nervously.

“I have a date.”

“A date,” he repeated.

I nodded.

“With Jonah?”

I nodded again.

“Tonight?”

“This is his only night off for two weeks that he doesn’t have his daughter, and Milo is coming over so you won’t be alone,” I reiterated.

He stared at me for what felt like an eternity, but was realistically more like a few seconds. Then he dropped my hand and smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Cool.” Then he turned on the TV and stared at the screen.

“Are you mad?” I asked.

“No, have fun,” he said flatly, his attention remained on the television.

What was his deal? I couldn’t count the number of times he’d gone out on dates when I’d asked him to hang out over the years. Maybe he just wasn’t used to anyone turning him down.

Not knowing what else to say, I went to my room to get ready for my date. As I opened my closet to pick out an outfit, a wave of guilt crashed over me, but I did my best to ignore it. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. Milo was coming over to be with him, so he wouldn’t be alone. And time was ticking for my deadline. Jonah wasn’t available for the next two weeks. I didn’t have two weeks to waste before Jonah and I went on a date. Maybe that was selfish of me, but for the first time in my life, I decided it was okay to be a little selfish. I’d put myself last all my life, and what did I have to show for it? I was a thirty-three-year-old virgin, that’s what.

12

SAM

“Worryin’ is ’bout as useful as a glass hammer.” ~ Archie “Witty” Whitlock

Time was passing slower than molasses. I told myself the seconds felt like hours because I was waiting to take my next dose of pain medication, but the truth was, I didn’t think it had anything to do with that.

Kenna had been gone for four hours.

Four. Freaking. Hours.

They hadn’t gone out of town. I knew that because I’d gotten messages from people who spotted the happy couple at The Pig Pen, which was Wishing Well’s answer to fine dining. It took ten minutes to get to the steakhouse and ten minutes to get home. What could they be talking about for four fucking hours?

She’d texted to check in several times just to make sure I was doing okay. The last message I got from her, I’d been tempted to tell her that I wasn’t so that she’d come home. But I hadn’t. It wasn’t fair.

Milo had only stayed an hour before I sent him home. I told him I was tired and just wanted to sleep. The truth was, I didn’t want him sitting beside me while I obsessed about his little sister and what she was doing on her date.

After he left, I’d done a full Google deep dive on Jonah Walsh. I’d gone down the online stalker rabbit hole and left no digital stone unturned.

Besides being a single dad, retired NFL player, and firefighter, he had a charity that supported single moms. Apparently, he was raised by one. He volunteered at animal shelters every Fourth of July, reading to dogs who were scared of fireworks. And he partnered with a food bank by hosting an annual drive.

This guy was a fucking saint. A saint who looked like Charlie Hunnam, who just happened to be Kenna Hale’s celebrity crush. At least he didn’t look like Jake Ryan from Sixteen Candles. If he did, I’d be well and truly fucked. She was obsessed with Jake Ryan, but he was fictional. Jonah was real. She was on a date with a real-life version of her celeb crush.

I knew that I should be happy for her. I’d always wanted her to be happy. Or maybe that’s just what I’d told myself because I’d always known I held the number one spot in her life and in her heart. She’d never looked at any of her boyfriends like she looked at me. Her loyalty and love were never in question.

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