Page 3 of Finally Moore

“Just wait. You’ll see. 'Tis the season for miracles.” She sighs, and I really wish I could believe her.

Chapter one

Scott

“So…”Great,it’snoteven nine in the morning, and based on the glimmer of mischief in my little sister’s eyes, I can tell she’s here to drive me insane. “I’ve got this friend…” Tilly says.

“Not interested,” I dismiss her, but as usual she ignores me.

“Well, friend of a friend. Okay, more like a friend of a friend’s stylist—”

“No.” I cut her off before she can elaborate more.

You’d think that between running a business, having six-month-old twins, and being pregnant with a new baby on the way, she’d have better things to do than obsess over me and my beyond pathetic dating life. Nope, her last name might have changed but my sister still has that stubborn Moore blood pumping through her veins. Ever since Jake, her twin and the guy voted least likely of us siblings to ever settle down, announced his engagement to her best friend the other week, my sister has been dead set on me following in their blissfully married footsteps.

“But I hear—”

“No, Tilly. I’m done.”

“Done?” She frowns. “You can’t be done, Scott. The right girl is out there. You just need to find her—”

“I thought I did. But guess what? She’s married.”

“Seriously, not this again. How can she be theright one, if she’s married?” Tilly shakes her head.

“I love you, but given I’ve become an expert at shitty dating, I can tell you without a doubt that Amanda is perfect for me. One date or a hundred more won’t change the fact that she’s the one. So, instead of wasting any more of my time on pointless, dead-in-the-water romantic rendezvous that are going to leave me feeling empty, I’m going to wait. Be ready for when she leaves her husband and is able to give us a real shot.”

“Believe me, I understand the gesture, waiting around because you think no one else will measure up to the person you think you’re meant to be with. I really do,” she says, and I know she’s talking about her now-husband Jax. “But, Scott, let’s be real. It’s been what? Almost three weeks? And you haven’t heard a single word from this girl.”

I shrug off her concern. “Divorces take time, and with the holidays coming up, I’m not worried about it. I’m sure she’ll reach out after the new year.”

“True, but don’t you think it’s strange that she hasn’t sent you a single message since that seeminglymagicaldate you shared? Because if I were in her shoes, I’d be reaching out to you, getting whatever motivation I could grasp on to, to push forward with what is likely one of the hardest moments of my life. Look for my silver lining in what I can only imagine is a nightmare of a situation that I pray I, nor anyone I love, never have to go through.”

“Here.” I slide over my sister’s usual order. Peppermint tea and a cranberry scone. Hopefully this will distract her long enough so that she’ll get on with her day and leave me alone.

Tilly takes a bite of the flaky pastry, and her eyes roll in the back of her head as she savors it. “These are so good. Seriously, I used to kind of hate Cassie when she was pregnant and constantly drooling over everything she ate. Like, I thought it was faker than the orgasms those porn stars have. Because when I was pregnant with the twins, I was always sick. Nothing tasted good or, heck, even sat well. But this one.” She pats her small baby bump. “Sooomuch better. If I could feel this good all the time, I’d let Jax keep me knocked up. It’s fantastic.”

I ignore the graphic image of what it would involve for my best friend to keep my little sister pregnant. I’m an adult and have been provided with the proper sex education offered by the Minnesota public school system. But for my sanity, I choose to be blissfully ignorant and pretend Tilly ate a watermelon seed and that’s how babies are made. It’s what Jax and I need to do for the sake of our friendship.

“Are you going to find out what you’re having this time?” I ask, in hopes of steering this conversation away from me as far as possible, until I’m nothing but a small dot on my nosey sister’s rearview mirror.

Taking another bite of scone, Tilly shrugs. “Haven’t decided yet.” Her reply is barely audible around all the chewing. “Maybe.” She shoves the rest of the pastry into her mouth before adding, “I mean, on the bright side, this happened before we started to phase out of all the newborn stuff. So, probably not. Worst case, if it’s a girl, we’ll have to run out and grab a few things.”

“Or just tell Robbie to keep all of Nova’s stuff aside for you.” My older brother and his wife Cassie had their daughter not even a month ago and the twins just turned six months. So, right now, the Moore family is overflowing with the latest baby gear.

“Good idea.” Tilly licks her fingers clean, not letting a single morsel go to waste. “Wait… How dare you, Scott Edmund Moore! We were talking about you growing old and dying alone. You’re not getting out of this conversation that easy.”

I laugh. “I’m not going to die old and alone.”

“Old, alone,andwaiting for some girl you hadonedate with, who in the middle of it revealed that she not only has three children she never told you about but is still legally married, not even officially separated, and living in the same house as said husband.” When she’s pissed, Tilly can be about as blunt as Robbie, who is grumpy on even his best day of the week.

“Look, our timing was off. But Amanda is it for me. She’s everything I’ve been looking for: smart, funny, loves the same movies, has the same passions about food…”

“That’s swell and all, but you need to get back to reality, Scott. None of that crap matters. Do you know how much Jax and I truly have in common? Almost nothing. Finding your true love isn’t about having similar interests or hobbies. It’s about that spark that once it’s lit dims everyone else out from your view.”

We had that spark? Didn’t we?Fuck, thinking back now, I honestly can’t remember.

“And let’s not forget the fact that she was out on a date when she wasn’t even officially separated from her husband. I bet you a hundred bucks they still sleep in the same bed too. If that isn’t a major red flag, I’m not sure what is.”

---