Page 5 of Trust Me
“You could always hit the Pub and find another date for the evening. Have you seen Kim since she got back to town? Rumor has it she ditched her husband and is looking for fun. Lots of fun,” he says with a sly grin.
Divorcees are favorites of ours. Most ofthe time, they’re only interested in some no-strings sex, and they’re usually still man-hating so I don’t have to worry about any husband hunting. The one type I avoid at all costs is clingy. Divorcees are fun and maybe that’s what I need tonight. Maybe I should head up to the Pub with Jake and take Kim home for the night.
But as quickly as that thought enters my mind, so does an image of crystal-blue eyes and long blond hair. I can’t think about sex without thinking of Avery. For some reason, the thought of going to Jack’s and picking up Kim, or any other chick, isn’t settling right with me.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Jake pulls up in front of my house, and I climb out. I throw my oldest friend a little wave and head into my quiet home. Quickly, I change my clothes and throw on my favorite worn running shoes. After grabbing my earbuds from the kitchen counter, I’m out the door.
After a few quick stretches in the quiet of my front yard, I contemplate which route I’m taking tonight. As I head toward the park, my mind is filled with those endless blue eyes and a gorgeous smile. Blond hair that begs for me to dive my hands into as I hold her head still and devour her mouth. I wonder if she makes little noises when she’s being kissed like she does when she’s concentrating onsomething. Those little noises from the back of her throat turn me on like nothing I’ve ever heard.
I crank up the AC/DC as I turn into the park and head toward the walking path. The mid-October air is pretty cool and stings my cheeks. My mind is racing and even some classic 80’s rock isn’t cutting it tonight. I don’t know what it is about Avery, but she scrambles my damn brain cells. One minute I’m thinking about joining someone in bed and the next I’m wishing that someone was Avery. If Jake could read my mind, I’m pretty sure I’d be dead by now.
There are a million reasons why I shouldn’t be thinking about her at all. One, there’s Jake. He’s my best friend, and I’d be breaking the unwritten guy code if I so much as thought about her naked. And now I’m thinking about her naked. With her long, lean legs and curves in all the right places, I bet she’s fucking hot naked.
Then there’s the ten-year age gap. That doesn’t help. And that brings me to my next hang-up; she has a kid. A kid! I don’t know anything about kids, nor do I really want to. But I have to admit, that kid is pretty cool. I don’t mind being around her. Jake watches Brooklyn for Avery every once in a while on our days off, and I havediscovered I actually don’t mind hanging out with him while she’s there. Now, other kids? Hell no. Just the sound of a screaming, crying kid in the grocery store is enough for me to abandon my cart and run straight back out the front door.
As I make my way to the end of the park, near the edge of town, I decide to hit some side streets. I don’t know anyone who lives in this area of town, so I know I don’t have to worry about being stopped and having to make small talk. I’m definitely not in the mood to chitchat with anyone.
When I reach the end of the street, I stop in front of a big house that always seems to catch my eye. I find myself driving by it on patrol or running by it more and more frequently. I have no idea what I find so appealing about this place. It’s not too big, but it’s definitely made for a family. A family I never intend to have. The backyard is big and fenced in and I can almost see my friends gathering in the yard with food and beer. It has a big front porch too, which I love, but my favorite part is the big garage. I’ve been told there is an attached shop area on the back of it. I wouldn’t need a whole shop for working on stuff, but I could definitely use a space for tinkering. Plus, the thought of a man cave with a big television, comfy chairs, fridge, and maybe a pooltable is appealing as hell.
I start to jog again, heading back toward home. I take a moment to actually entertain the thought of living in a house like that one, maybe a wife and kids waiting there for me when I get home from work. Someone like Avery, who is funny and sweet and sexy as hell. A kid like Brooklyn and maybe a brother or two.
The thought of a future with Avery doesn’t completely turn my stomach, which actually might scare me most of all.
Chapter 5
Averu
After tucking Brooklyn into bed and reading three different princess stories, I grab my phone and head to the front porch to enjoy a little quiet and call my best friend. I hit the best friend lottery when I met Holly Jenkins in seventh grade. We met during volleyball after we both discovered we weren’t exactly the athletic type, and we’ve been joined at the hip ever since. Besides my mom, she’s the only other person I confide in and truly trust.
When everything with Drake came to a head, she wiped my tears, answered her phone at all hours of the night, held my hand in the bathroom when I peed on that stick and waited for the plus sign, and held my hair back when I threw up everything I ate that first trimester. She’s Brooklyn’s godmother, and I know she loves my little girl like she’s her own. She’s proof blood isn’t the only thing that makes a couple of girls sisters.
I press speed dial number one and wait for her to answer. She’s five foot four of dynamite with shoulder-length brown hair and hazel eyes. Where I might be quieter and more reserved; Hollywill tell it like it is. Sometimes her honesty can be a hard pill to swallow, but ultimately, she’s always upfront and direct with me and has my best interest at heart. We just click.
“You’re late,” she says in way of her greeting.
“I had to read an extra princess story to the little princess tonight,” I reply, sitting down on the front porch swing with a glass of water. I love my porch swing. I would sit here year-round if I could get away with it.
“Well, I guess I’ll let it slide…this time.” I hear the humor in her voice because we both know this won’t be anywhere close to the last time I call her late.
She starts to tell me all about her shift at the ER that day. She works days with my brother, Will, at Rivers Edge Health Center, the small hospital in town. Will has been a paramedic for years and rotates between working the ER with Holly and working the rig. Holly loves it, saying that every patient who comes in is different and keeps her on her toes. She’s the best nurse I know. She was born to heal and help. And I’m not embarrassed to admit that I’ve used her as my own personal nurse a time or two.
Our conversation progresses into Sunday family dinner night. She always asks, and I wonderif it’s because she’s genuinely curious or if it has more to do with my brother, Will. Holly knows about my ongoing childhood crush on Maddox. She’s the only one who knows, for that matter.
“Maddox was there this week,” I say after I swallow a big gulp of water.
“Really? Did you tell him you’re madly in love with him and want to have screaming sex all night long?”
“Of course not! He doesn’t like me. He looks at me like I’m his best friend’s little sister.”
“You are his best friend’s little sister,” she replies dryly.
“I know that, but I’m not a little girl anymore. He still sees me as the little girl who followed him and Jake around all the time, staring up at him with big googly eyes and a dorky brace-face smile.”
She chuckles a little at that one. “You know, if you don’t go for it with him, he’s going to find someone else to wrap those strong arms around and shower with kisses from those mouthwatering, to-die-for lips.”
“Geez, Holl. Are you sure you’re not the one with the massive crush?” I ask mostly as a joke but realize the thought of Holly crushing onMaddox isn’t that funny at all.
