Page 55 of Love's a Glitch
“I one-hundred percent agree on all those points,” I said, and the way Cat and Penny blinked suggested they hadn’t expected me to immediately concede. During our short time at the bar, I’d gathered that Cat was used to being listened to and winning arguments, while Penny alternated between eyeing me suspiciously and grinning at my obvious adoration for Ellie.
Any other time I’d met a woman’s friends, I hadn’t cared much whether or not I won them over. These women were Ellie’s family. While she’d warned me in advance that they were overprotective and requested I not take it personally if I couldn’t win them over, I’d resolved to try. I hadn’t expected the bad cop/temperamental cop routine, but the goal was the same.
Penny shoved aside the basket of French fries, not bothering to glance at the basket as it hit the wall. “Well, that’s a good start. But she’s been taken advantage of and hurt by too many douchebags before, and we’re putting our foot down”—she crinkled her forehead—“feet down?” Cat nudged Penny, as though telling her to forget about correct grammar and get to the point. “Anyway, it’s our job to look out for her.”
“I also consider it my job to look out for her, which is why I told her she deserved better than those boring dudes she was trying to convince herself to settle for. I also told her exactly what I thought of Dildo—er, Dillon.” Penny snorted a laugh, but Cat was a tougher nut to crack, so I addressed my next statement to her, as though I’d recently sworn an oath on the Bible. “The last thing I’d ever want to do is hurt her.”
Cat pursed her lips. “Intent is only one tiny piece when it comes to proving whether a person is innocent or guilty. There’s also negligence. What proper care are you going to take with our friend to prevent her from getting hurt?”
That was a question I’d pondered heavily this past week. “Here’s the thing. If I promised I’d never hurt her, you’d scoff, and rightfully so. My motive is to spend as much time with her as possible, making her as happy as possible, before I leave town.”
“Therein lies the rub.” Penny sucked at her straw, and if it was supposed to be a power move, she should’ve ensured the cup wasn’t empty. “You’re going to leave.”
“And I’ve been upfront with Ellie about that from the beginning. Although if it makes you feel any better, I’ve never beforewantedto give someone more than I’m afraid I can offer.”
“Abort, abort. The Greek duck flies at midnight,” Penny said, shooting up in her seat. “Damn, she peed fast. It’s like she knew we’d try to interrogate him.”
Ellie’s eyes narrowed as she approached the table. She sighed, lowered herself into the seat next to me, and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Let me guess. They weren’t nice.” Her gaze probed mine, as though assessing how close I was to fleeing the scene. I stared steadily back, showing her I wasn’t planning on going anywhere. A small smile touched her lips, there and then gone as she turned to her friends. “We talked about this.”
I slung my arm over Ellie’s shoulders and tucked her against my side. “It’s okay. I admire them for not pulling any punches and making it clear they’ve got your back.”
“The problem lies when they ignore my repeated requests and tell me what’s best for me without listening to what I want.”
“You’re forgetting the other problem, like how with every relationship, you settle for less and less.” The line of Cat’s jaw went taught, and while Ellie had mentioned she terrified grown men in the courtroom, I hadn’t seen how until now. My throat dried out in an instant, and I comforted myself with the fact that I was in a public bar. People would definitely notice two to three women dragging my lifeless body out the back door. “Luke here seems like a decent guy. But he can’t give you what you want.”
“Holy shit, Cat. Way too far. Retract the claws, or I’ll turn this table right around.”
A humorous play on words, but you wouldn’t know it by the thick cloud of tension choking the air. While I was fine being a lone wolf, Ellie would need her friends, especially once I left, and I refused to be the cause of a rift.
“Maybe I’ll fall short, but it doesn’t mean I’m not willing to try.”
“Yeah,” Ellie fired at Cat, and then she did a double-take in my direction. “Wait. What?”
“Guess now’s as good a time as any to have this discussion.” I laced my fingers with Ellie’s and did my best to ignore the rapid hammering of my heart. “I was going to wait until we got back to your apartment, but I have a feeling this one”—I tilted my head toward Cat—“is big on proof.”
A laugh burst out of Ellie and Penny, but they both clamped their mouths when their lawyer friend fired off a scowl. Cat sat back in her chair with a harrumph, arms crossed over her chest in a gesture that challenged me to bring it. “I’m hard to impress, too, so best of luck, smartass.”
No pressure. I tugged at the collar of my t-shirt, annoyed at the flash of heat. I’d already made this decision. What did I have to be nervous about?
Unless Ellie said no.
Plus the whole audience thing.
Just when I began second-guessing everything, my gaze latched hold of Ellie’s. There, in those chocolate depths, I found the lifeline that reminded me why risking a leap like this would be worth it.
Safety harness, shmafety harness.
“I can’t stop thinking about all those idiots who let you go without a fight. You and I started our connection over the phone, and the idea of going weeks or months without hearing your voice kills me. I know it’s not what you pictured when you were trying to renovate your past boyfriends, but you transformed me into someone who wants to take a stab at the long-distance thing. I can’t promise more than a day at a time, which I realize is asking a lot, but—”
“Yes,” Ellie said, flinging her arms around my neck and peppering my face with kisses. “Yes, yes, yes.”
27
Ellie
“Objection,” Cat said, the word popping the intimate bubble Luke and I had created with our open-mouthed kiss. PDA didn’t used to be my thing, but suddenly I was having to refrain myself from giving everyone in Paddy’s a show.
“Overruled,” I mumbled, my lips continuing to move against Luke’s. His chuckle vibrated from his lips to my hummingbird heart, and I gave a contented sigh as he hauled me onto his lap.
