Page 40 of Love Me Like It's Real
“They’re not official yet, but soon enough,” Elsa corrects me with a pointed look and I bite my lip before I say anything.
“Oooh. Isn’t that exciting.” I shake my head but it doesn’t stop Caspian. “Who is he? What’s his name? Have they set a date yet? I need to get my suit ironed.”
Arya chuckles but Elsa pouts and leans in closer.
“His name is Hayworth and he’s going to make our Poppy very happy!”
“Oh, is he now?” Caspian asks. And there goes the eyebrow wiggle dance again.
“You people are driving me crazy!” I huff and run a hand over my face. As if that’s going to accomplish anything. This isn’t a dream or a hallucination. This is my new reality.
I barely managed to get up this morning when they both jumped in my bed asking me about all the details from my date with Hayworth, squealing like schoolgirls. Which, they were, so at least they hadthatexcuse going for them.
But this…exuberant enthusiasm was—is—exhausting. Especially seeing as I’m not going out on another date with Hayworth. Hell, I don’t even think anyone could describe last night’s outing as a date either.
It’s hard to describe it as such when my walls were up for fear of doing something inappropriate. Because as great as he was, and as funny as he was, if last night proved anything it’s that Hayworth was only good for one thing and even though I feel guilty for painting him with that particular brush, it doesn’t make it any less true.
In fact, that’s exactly how he presented himself to me. As a hookup kind of guy so it’s not as if I’m making the assumption all on my own. He doesn’t take himself too seriously. He doesn’t take himself seriouslyat alland while I’m sure that’d be fun for a night or two, I don’t know if a moment or three of absolute pleasure are worth the trouble of getting tangled with a guy like him.
On paper, he’s the perfect rebound guy after a long, hard and grueling divorce. But I also have two daughters who’ve already been through enough. They don’t need to grow closer with their dad’s “fuck buddy.”
“They seem excited about this Hayworth guy,” Caspian says when he brings over my coffee, after the girls have retreated to a table to savor their cocoas and get their drawing pencils and papers out.
“Yeah. It’s like he’s cast a spell over them,” I sigh.
“Well, then he must be a pretty powerful wizard.”
I shrug. “Nah. Just a regular fuckboy.”
“And you’re not looking for a fuckboy? You’re looking for a relationship. You’re looking for commitment. You’re looking for husband material.”
I almost choke on my own saliva. “Uh no thanks. Marriage isthe lastthing on my mind.”
He glances at me with narrow eyes and I mimic him.
“Then what’s wrong with a fuckboy?”
I let out a long, drawn-out sigh and lean against the counter. “Where do I start? For one thing, this is a close community and people talk.”
Caspian’s eyes get even narrower. “And? Since when do we let people dictate how we live?”
“What universe have you been living in? Since always?”
“Yeah but since when do you care?”
I sigh. “I don’t. I just…I’m supposed to be making this place our home. I don’t want the rumor mill working overtime on my behalf. What if it reaches the girls’ ears and they get teased at school, or what if?—”
“Pretty thin argument there, dude. They could be teased at school for a number of reasons. I doubt any seven-year-old is going to make fun of his classmate’s dad’s fuck buddy.”
“It’s not just that. I’m still new around here. I don’t want people seeing me like a hoe or something. I want to be respected.”
Caspian grimaces and rocks his head from side to side. “If they have a problem with a guy with an active sex life, that’s a them problem.”
“And then there’s the girls.”
“What about the girls?”
“Well, I don’t want them getting attached to a guy who’s not going to stick around. I don’t want them thinking they’re going to get a new dad only for him to run after a week.”
