Page 33 of His Pickle Her Jam

How could I?

I was pretty sure the reason had everything to do with the fact that all the available moisture inside my body was currently soaking my panties.

I swallowed a gulp of air and nodded.

“Good Girl.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN-BUCK

Still Day 5 of Block Party Prepping (5 to go)

“So, how is it going?” Sonny asked as I grabbed a case of longnecks and started shoving them into the cooler behind the bar.

It was Friday night and although I’d started slowly taking myself off of rotation at the Whiskey Bar, Sonny had asked me to come in.

One of the newer staff members came down with a stomach thing, and I figured I could use the time to think about things.

Fine.

When I said things. I meant her.

My Pretty Girl.

My Jan Baby.

“Um, fine. Everything’s fine, bro,” I replied, trying for a nonchalance I didn’t feel.

Last night was amazing. Jan didn’t know it, but she was the first woman I’d ever taken home with me. It was the first time in my adult life I’d ever wanted to cook for a woman.

My woman.

She’d asked me if we were a couple. Well, she said the word boyfriend, and the second I heard it my heart went wild in my chest.

Only now, it didn’t feel like quite enough. Incredible, really.

Commitment and me, well we weren’t exactly old friends. Not that I was phobic, I just never had cause to align myself with just one person.

We were definitely something to each other. I mean, nothing else could explain how I felt about the woman, or how much headspace she was taking up in my brain.

I needed to figure it out. But that wasn’t the easiest thing to do. How would I even start?

Did I just walk up to her and say something like, hey I know we only just started being more than, uh, frenemies, since we weren’t exactly friends before this, but I was thinking we should move in together? Or I don’t know, possibly get married?

I mean, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you—fuck, was I in love with her?

I stood there frozen like a fucking moron as I contemplated the very real possibility that I’d gone and fallen in love.

How the hell had that happened?

Was that what months of arguing had led to? Oh my God, was all that just foreplay?

“Earth to Buck, I need a bottle of the gold label,” Irene said, waving her hands in front of my face.

“They’re in this cabinet,” I said, bending down behind the bar and grabbing one for her.

She nodded, and I went back to panicking.

Love? Really?

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