Page 135 of Unexpected

It was obvious Laurie wanted some alone time with her daughter, but I was still hesitant about leaving her alone with Valerie on the loose.

We walked back out into the cold just in time for the wind to whip around us and chill me through my suit jacket and all. When I turned back around, Hazel closed the door and began apologizing.

“I’m so, so sorry. I had absolutely no idea she was coming down here, otherwise, I would have told you.”

I could see the panic in her face, and just like at the restaurant, I knew she was worried I’d be mad. So carefully, I wiggled my hand into her open jacket and wrapped it around her waist, resting it just above the curve of her ass.

“Don’t be sorry, it’s not your fault,” I said, repeating the words she’d told me earlier. “I had the best time tonight before Valerie showed up, I hope you know that.”

She pressed into me, and I could feel her chest through my shirt. She licked her bottom lip, and I wanted to taste what she tasted when she did that. “I did, too. It was a memorable first date.”

“And there will be many more memorable dates, Angel. I can promise you that.” I brushed my lips against hers before gently kissing them. “The only thing I’m upset about is that I didn’t get to give you the other twelve orgasms you’re owed.”

She giggled against my lips and crushed her mouth to mine with a moan that I felt in my toes. “I can’t wait to cash that in.”

Lowering herself back onto her feet, she sighed against me, pressing her face to my chest. “I’ll let you know about tomorrow, okay?”

“No worries, Angel. I can be here if you want me here.”

Through dark lashes, she peered up at me, and I saw my whole world. “I always want you here.”

FORTY-SEVEN

Hazel

The first thingI did when I walked back into my apartment was let my mom know she couldn’t just show up without forewarning. This comment started an argument I wasn’t prepared for from her.

My mom had always been rather submissive and wasn’t quick to argue, but since my broken engagement, she was ready to go toe to toe with me over most everything.

It started out with her telling me that I should have gone to Nashville and that she would have made sure Michael was far away from the family gathering. This was a moot point because I knew, for a fact, she wouldn’t be able to manage that—we always had Thanksgiving with Michael’s family, and even if he wasn’t in attendance, I didn’t want to be around them either.

This turned into her getting upset because she was wholly less involved with my life for the past few months. When I explained to her that that’s what happens when your children grow up, I thought she was going to have a heart attack, so I backed off slightly.

I conceded to telling her more about my life in the future, although I did not agree to the daily phone calls she really wanted.

Once we had agreed that we should communicate more, she then broached the topic of my love life. I knew it was coming, but it didn’t make talking about it any easier.

I hadn’t told my mom or my sister much about Luke. Delilah knew who he was and sort of knew who he was to me, but I swore her to secrecy.

At first, I didn’t tell them because we were just friends, and there was nothing groundbreaking about a new friend, even if that friend also made you come harder than any person ever had and kissed you like he was made to do it. But then, when it became obvious that something more was happening, I didn’t tell them because I wanted to keep it to myself. I knew they would both judge me or at least be very concerned about my jumping into something new after a breakup.

But what no one realized, and what I explained to my mom, was that after weeks of reflecting on my and Michael’s relationship, I came to the realization that I had been done much earlier than it seemed. Mentally, I had checked out of our relationship months, if not a year, before the literal bloody ending.

I couldn’t identify the exact moment it happened, but after he graduated law school, he wasn’t around often enough for us to even have a relationship. Then when he was around, he was constantly belittling and controlling and angry and abusive. None of those things added up to a relationship, and although I wore the ring and did his laundry and plastered a stupid fucking smile on my face, it was all over.

So, whatever the hell was going on with Luke, wasn’t the quick jump from one man to another as it appeared. What happened with Luke did start quickly and picked up at warp speed, but he wasn’t a rebound as my mom so nicely referred to him.

“So, he’s your boyfriend then?”

I sighed, falling back deeper into the couch in all-consuming exhaustion. She wanted to know every single detail of every single thing she missed. “We haven’t had the conversation yet, but he’s as good as.”

“Well, don’t assume that until you have the conversation, honey. You know men will mess around until you lock them down.”

I scrubbed my hands over my face for the umpteenth time and peeked at my bed through the open door of my bedroom. I had promptly changed out of the red velvet dress and into sweats and a T-shirt after showing Luke out. My bed was calling my name and I longed to curl up in it.

I also found it difficult to explain to my mom everything that had happened while still reeling from learning Valerie had practically attacked me to get Luke by himself. My ribs would most definitely be bruised the following day, but I was more concerned about Luke. The entire ride home, he was silent, even when I tried to make conversation, it was like he wasn’t even there.

He also didn’t touch me, which may be insignificant to most people, but for a man who couldn’t stop touching me no matter where we were or who was around, it was a stark difference.

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