Page 74 of The Rules of Dating a Younger Man

After a long embrace, she pulled back. “Can you forgive me for acting like such a brat?”

“There’s nothing to forgive.”

“I hope I didn’t mess things up with you and Brayden too badly.”

“There is no me and Brayden.”

“What? No! I saw the way your eyes lit up when you talked about him, before we knew about the connection. You really liked him.”

“It was a bad idea from the beginning. He lives in New York and is too young for me. It was just…” I shook my head. “Exciting to have a handsome man interested. That’s all it was.”

“You’re so full of it. When I asked you if he had a six pack, you told me what you liked best about him was that he was humble. You liked him, liked him.”

“Sure, he’s a nice guy, but there are plenty of nice guys out there—ones my own age who live here in Connecticut.”

“Really? Can you introduce me to a few, because I can’t seem to find any who are handsome, humble, and kind. How many have you met since Dad died?”

When I went to respond, I realized I didn’t have an answer.

Caitlin pointed to my face. “That’s what I thought. Trust me, if you find a good one, you’re lucky. I’m thirty years old, not a kid anymore. So I realize how hard it is to find a good man—one you connect with and has the qualities you want in a partner.” She paused. “A man like Dad.”

“Your dad was one in a million.”

“I agree. But this is about you, Alex. Not him. He’s not here anymore. So if you’re lucky enough to find another one-in-a-million man, you shouldn’t let him go.”

Wells had said something similar to me earlier, but right now, I thought a change of subject might be best. So I hugged my stepdaughter and took dinner out of the oven. By the time we started eating, it felt like there hadn’t been a two-week rift between us. I was so relieved and grateful to enjoy our time together. Somehow we managed to keep away from the subject of men for the rest of the evening, at least until I was walking her to the door…

“Are you going upstate to Ryan’s House this weekend?” Caitlin asked.

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Alright, well, let me know after you and Brayden have done the deed. We can compare notes.”

My eyes flared wide.

Caitlin laughed and bumped shoulders with me. “I’m kidding. Too soon?”

“I don’t think it would ever not be too soon.”

She kissed my cheek. “Love you, Mom.”

“I love you, too, sweetheart.”

A half hour later, I was staring up at the ceiling, going over everything Caitlin had said tonight, when my phone buzzed on the nightstand.

Wells: Are you alone?

Alex: Yes.

My phone rang seconds later. I sat up and flicked the light on before answering the FaceTime call.

“Are you in bed? You were seriously going to go to sleep without calling and giving me the deets of what happened tonight? How could you?”

“I’m sorry. My head is still spinning.”

“What happened with Caitlin?”

“She apologized and gave me her blessing to go out with Brayden.”

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