Page 95 of Love Me Like It's Real
“Screw the club.”
“Or…you can screw me,” he mutters and I massage his neck and bite my lip.
“Done and done!” I answer him and bring our lips back together.
THIRTY
FELIX
It feels good. Having everything out in the open. To know Hayworth likes me back. Hemorethan likes me actually. He’s in love with me just like I am in love with him.
I don’t know how on earth that happened, I don’t know what deity intervened and whether his bow and arrow had anything to do with it, but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
There are still so many things to figure out. So much to find out about each other and what we both want and need from a relationship, but at least now we both know where we stand.
At least now we don’t have to both pretend it’s all fake.
“When are we going to see Hayworth again, Poppy?” Elsa asks as we get out of the car and cross the street to the green city park.
“I don’t know, honey. Probably this weekend. He had to pop to Burlington for business yesterday but he was supposed to drive back today. I’ll call him later, okay?”
To my surprise, Hayworth reassured me his business meeting had nothing to do with his dating business. Not that I would have stopped him if it had been. I’m a grown man. I can separate work from personal. But no. Apparently Hayworth has an investment portfolio and he was called in for a board meeting of a startup he’s supporting.
Every day I find out something new about him. But isn’t that the process of dating someone?Genuinelydating someone? Just because we have feelings for each other doesn’t mean we’re going to move in together in a week, or get married in two. This is real life, not some insta-love romance novel where everything magically works out in a flash and the couple lives happily ever after together.
The difference is, now we have a chance. Now that we both know how we feel about each other. And that’s what matters.
“Can we get a pet today, Poppy?” Arya asks as we pass the big red festival banner that readsLove-a-Pet Adoption Day.
The park is filled with carousels, playpens, and face-painting booths amongst the dozens of areas set up with all kinds of animals up for adoption.
There’s a small fenced area where chickens and ducks walk around nipping children’s fingers, some ponies that are up for rides in exchange for a donation to the shelter, and naturally, a lot of dogs entertaining kids and adults alike.
“Oh come on, Poppy. It’s adoption day. We have to. It’s a requirement of the festival.”
I roll my eyes and stare at my eldest who stares right back at me.
“Are you going to walk a dog six times a day and play with it all day long until it runs out of fumes and sleeps for the night?”
“Yeah,” Elsa says and nudges her sister so Arya starts jumping up and down too.
“Sweethearts, you can barely go an hour without losing your dolls. Do you really think you can look after a living creature?”
They jump up and down again, clapping and screaming for joy, completely ignoring my questions.
I hate how selective their hearing is when there’s a shiny new thing around them. Good thing I’m not so easily distracted. I’ve got enough stuff to take care of on my own. I don’t need another child in the mix.
I wonder if Hayworth wants children.
I wonder if he’d be open to adoption or if he would want a surrogate to carry his flesh and blood. I certainly can’t anymore.
“Oh look! Kitties!” Arya shouts and runs toward the cat enclosure.
Elsa runs after her and I follow them but when we reach the enclosure, it’s not the orange kitten that steals my attention, but the tall, handsome man standing by the door holding a gray tabby cat in his arms that’s sleeping through pets, scratches and a lot of cooing from the bystanders.
“Hayworth!” I call out to him with a wave and he approaches us with his entourage of cat aficionados.
“Felix!” He smiles at me and stops opposite me. Even if he wanted to get closer, the people fawning over the cat in his arms won’t allow it.
