Page 63 of The Only Time

“What do you think the best type of cheese is?” Mia asks as we snuggle on the couch drinking a glass of her favorite red wine.

Laughter erupts in my chest. “What kind of question is that?”

She swats my stomach. “It is a perfectly valid question. At least coming from someone who is Italian and loves to cook. I’ll go first,” she offers. “I think pecorino romano is the best. It has a sharpness to it that comes through in your cooking without being too overpowering.”

“Does the creamy kind you use in boxed mac and cheese count?”

She tries to sit up, but I pull her back down trying to contain my laugh. “I’m kidding. I really like goat cheese. I’ve had it in salads and stuffed pork. It always tastes amazing.”

“Hmm. That’s a good answer. I approve.”

“Well, thank you. I guess. I didn’t realize my favorite cheese would be so important.”

“You can tell a lot about a person by what their favorite cheese is.”

I pull her in tighter to my chest. “I suppose you can.”

Honestly, I have no idea what she is talking about, but she sounds cute talking about it so I’m going with it.

“Wanna watch a movie?” I ask, not wanting to end the evening just yet. It’s so peaceful lying here with her. Once I sleep, the morning will come faster, and I’ll be at work.

“Sure. Wanna watch a chick flick?”

“What?” I laugh. “I guess if you want to.”

She shrugs. “I just thought maybe you secretly liked them. I opened the drawer to find a remote the other day and there were stacks of chick flicks in there. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Oh, that. Those were my exes. She never took them when she moved out, and I keep forgetting to get rid of them.”

“Your ex lived here with you? How long ago?”

“Like two years ago. She was my fiancée at the time.”

I don’t know why I just divulged that information willingly. There’s something about being with Mia that makes opening up to her feel easy. Well, easy might be too strong of a word. I wouldn’t say talking about my ex is ever easy.

“Fiancée? You were engaged?”

“I was. Didn’t work out, obviously.”

She tucks her hair behind her ear nervously. “Do you mind if I ask what happened?”

“Not really a big secret. She ended up leaving me for the COO of my company. I believe she said he could provide a better life for her. I’m sure you can read between the lines. She wanted someone who would spoil her rotten with luxury twenty-four/seven. I didn’t make enough in her mind.”

She sits up straight. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

I look her up and down, curious as to what her sudden anger is for. “No, I’m serious. She was horrible.”

“Where does this bitch live? I think I need to pay her a visit.”

“Woah, there baby. No need to get angry. I dodged a bullet with that one.”

I say it so quickly, and the best part is, I mean it. My life would be horrible if I ended up marrying Kim. Especially now that I’m seeing what a life with Mia is like.

She takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I kind of have a temper. It’s the Italian in me.”

My lips curl into a slow smile. “I love your temper. It’s sexy as hell. Never apologize for it.”

She leans her head to the side as her eyes turn soft. “Seriously, Eric. I’m sorry that happened to you. I hope you know that notall women are like that. Your success does not equal how worthy you are of love.”

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