Page 65 of Merry Little Midlife Matchmaker

We were too tired to make love again, but it didn’t stop me from kissing and stroking and cuddling her until we both fell asleep. When I woke up, our bodies were tangled together like we’d spent the whole night not wanting to miss a second of each other.

Lizzie nuzzled into me as she woke, then stretched against me so all my favorite parts of her rubbed up against me. I never wanted to wake up any other way again.

“Morning,” she said, drowsy and smiling. “You’re still here.”

A dart of annoyance speared me. When would she really believe that I wanted to be here? “Did you think I’d disappear?”

“I thought it might’ve been a fever dream.”

I huffed a laugh, then curled my body around hers. “It wasn’t.”

She shook her head, then glanced over her shoulder. She bit her bottom lip, let it slide out, then said, “This doesn’t feel like a one-time thing.”

“No, it doesn’t,” I agreed.

“So we’ll have to tell people.”

“Doesn’t sound like you want to.”

“Maybe it would be better to wait until after the holidays?”

I let my hand drift over her breast and nuzzled into her hair. “Is that what you’d prefer?”

“I just think it might be a lot for my family to take. And the holidays are so chaotic to begin with.”

I nodded, but I wasn’t able to ignore the sting of her words. I understood, but it felt similar to the way Melody used to brush me off and tell me she didn’t want me at her work events. Like I was something to be hidden away instead of shown off.

But this was different, and I knew Lizzie was right. It was a delicate situation, and we didn’t need to rush. We had an easy breakfast and then said our goodbyes, and I headed over to Aaron’s house to pick Mikey up from his sleepover.

Emily opened the door and smiled at me, her eyes sparkling. “Good night?”

“Can’t complain,” I replied, knowing she thought I’d spent it with Cindy. “How were the boys?”

“They’re great. Built another LEGO project last night, watched a movie, and had spaghetti for dinner. They’re in the basement now. I’ll go grab Mikey if you want to say hi to Aaron?”

“Sure,” I answered, and made my way to the kitchen where she gestured.

My oldest friend was sitting in the breakfast nook with a cup of coffee. He leaned back in his chair when he saw me, grinning. “Success?”

I shrugged. “Mikey behave himself?”

“You know he did,” Aaron said. “Now come on. How was she?”

My throat tightened. I didn’t want to lie to him. Aaron had been there for me through my father’s drinking and my mother’s illness. When my marriage fell apart, he was the one I called. For decades, he and his family had been a constant in my life. I’d moved my son—my whole life—back to this town to be closer to him.

And now I was lying to him.

It wasn’t that I regretted what had happened last night. Lizzie was something special, and I was beginning to realize that my feelings ran a lot deeper than even I’d anticipated. It wasn’t just lust. I was intrigued by her. Captivated.

But Aaron was my best friend.

I gulped. “Cindy was nice. We went to the gallery, had dinner, and then parted ways.”

Aaron’s brows jumped. “That’s it?”

I poured myself a cup of coffee and avoided his gaze. “That’s it,” I confirmed, which wasn’t technically a lie but still felt like one.

Leaning against the counter, I sipped my coffee and searched for the right words. The problem was, I didn’t know what I wanted to say.

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