Page 88 of The Rules of Dating a Younger Man

I swallowed and cleared my throat. “Alright, your turn.”

Lacey chewed on her lip. “I need another shot.”

“Coming right up.”

If the second shot relaxed me, allowed me to appreciate the view, the third loosened me a little too much—emotions bubbled up as I listened to Lacey’s story.

“So, yeah…” She sighed. “We’d been dating for three years when I got pregnant. Henry proposed the night we went for our first sonogram appointment and heard the heartbeat. A few days later, I miscarried. After that, I threw myself into planning the wedding—trying to focus on the happy things in life. But Henry changed. At first I thought he was sad about losing the baby, so I gave him some space. As time went on, though, it became apparent that Henry wasn’t into the wedding. One day I asked him, ‘Are you sure you even want to go through with this?’ I mean, we only got engaged when we did because I was pregnant. Still, I never expected him to say he didn’t want to marry me. He said he loved me, but not the way a man should love a woman.”

“I’m sorry.”

Lacey shrugged. “Deep down, I know it’s a good thing. I would rather have a year of heartache than a lifetime of not being my spouse’s person. My parents didn’t have a happy marriage. I want more than that. But it still stings that he couldn’t love me the way I loved him. It makes me feel like I’m not enough, you know?”

“I’m really sorry.”

She forced a smile. “Nothing to be sorry about.”

Holden walked over. He slung an arm around my shoulder and offered his signature cocky grin. “Hi. I’m better looking and musically gifted, but my friend Brayden here is rich as hell. Did he mention that yet?”

Lacey arched a brow. “He actually didn’t.”

“He’s also philanthropic as fuck. Runs a giant foundation and puts smiles on the faces of sick kids.”

Lacey turned to me. “Is that true?”

I shrugged. “The foundation isn’t that big. We do what we can.”

Holden slapped my chest. “I knew it. He’s been sitting here telling you his tale of woe for the last twenty minutes instead of talking himself up, like he should be.”

Lacey smiled. “I think we’ve been going woe for woe.”

“Well, let me finish the hard sell, and then I’ll be out of your way.” Holden mussed my hair. “My buddy Brayden here has some pretty great qualities. He’s loyal—been friends with this idiot since kindergarten. Smart—I can’t even spell the shit he’s gotten patents on. And he owns a piece of real estate in Manhattan.” Holden leaned in and flashed a grin. “I also own a piece of the apartment building, so that’s two selling points in one—you get me as the sidekick for this handsome hunk of man.”

I gave my idiot friend a shove. “I think you can put a sock in it now, jackass. Peddle that junk somewhere else.”

“Speaking of junk—did I mention he’s hung like a horse? Now, I haven’t seen it since seventh grade, but once I pulled his swim trunks down at our buddy Ryan’s pool party, and his thing put mine to shame. I’m sure it’s only grown since then.”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “It was actually me who pulled down his swim trunks, and I started wearing my underwear in the boys’ locker room right after that. But thanks for the effort, buddy.”

Holden winked. “My wife is a pretty lucky lady.”

With that, my friend disappeared to play another set, leaving Lacey and me both laughing. I couldn’t help but notice her lips again. “You have a great smile,” I told her.

Lacey pushed hair behind her ear. “Thank you. And you have beautiful eyes.”

“Look at us,” I said. “Are we flirting?”

“I think we are!”

“This sounds like cause for celebration. Another shot of tequila?”

“Definitely.”

A few hours later, it was just the two of us left at the bar. Holden was home with his family, and Lacey’s friends had happily left her behind. We were both pretty drunk, so I hailed a cab, figuring I’d make it a two-stop ride home. To my surprise, Lacey lived only a block away from me. So when we stopped at her place, I got out to make sure she got in safely and would walk home from there.

At her apartment door, Lacey dropped her keys. We both reached for them at the same time and bumped heads. Lacey wobbled, so I grabbed her to keep her from falling, and she somehow wound up wrapped in my arms. She looked up at me with her big blue eyes, her hands pressed against my chest.

“Oooh…you feel good,” she whispered. “I haven’t had sex in a year.”

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