Page 42 of Rule 5: Never Crush on the Captain
Maybe he was being cold and withdrawn this morning because he was thinking up excuses for leaving today, and I’ve only delayed things and made it awkward.
It’s not like he ever said he wanted a relationship. Maybe he’s gay, maybe he likes me, but that doesn’t mean he wants matching pajamas at Christmas and starting stories with “we.”
If he wanted to, he could have come out years ago. Plenty of men would be crazy about him. And probably those men wouldn’t all come with jobs more high profile than his or with children.
Stella is the best thing in my life. I’m not going to chase a man who isn’t sure.
“That’s all I wanted to say.” I give a wry smile. “You can think about it.”
“Why is Valentina here?” he asks finally.
“Jealous, DeLuca?”
“Maybe.” The word comes out softly for a man who I’ve heard yell over the ice and crowd many times.
“She surprised me too,” I say. “But she’s Stella’s mother, and I’m not going to be upset about that. I want us to still feel like friends.”
I’m pretty sure I’m doing this all wrong, and that I’m supposed to be handing Stella off to Valentina with minimal conversation on certain days scheduled in advance by the courts. But I don’t hate Valentina, even if I roll my eyes at her on occasion, and she doesn’t hate me.
“Did last night mean something to you?” I ask carefully.
For a moment, he’s silent, and my heartbeat quickens. I’ve read this wrong. I’ve dragged him onto the porch for no reason. He’s probably wondering why he needs to have a talk with me, like we’re at the one-month mark in a relationship, and I’m not letting him do the ghosting thing.
“It meant everything,” he says finally.
I beam at him, then take his hands in mine.
A twig snaps. I wonder if there’s a wild turkey here somewhere. Stella would love that.
The air is still, our breath cold. We puff ashy clouds into the cold air, our breaths merging, and I gaze into his dark brown eyes. “Then don’t act like an angsty teen, DeLuca.”
His lips break into a grin.
I want to kiss them again. I want to suck on his lips, suck on his tongue.
I don’t, because technically we are outside, even if no one is outside in this temperature. Boston does gray and gloomy well.
I withdraw my hands. “We’re going to go in there, and we’re going to have a good time.”
“With your ex-girlfriend.”
“She’s a model, Vinnie. They’re pretty open-minded.”
He chuckles. “Let’s go inside.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Evan
It takes four minutes.
Valentina’s forehead furrows, even though I know for a fact that forehead furrows is one of the things she’s given up. Valentina is in the modeling gig for the long haul, and wrinkles aren’t one of the things she intends to develop.
She glances at her phone, then at us. Then at the phone, then at...
“Something going on, Valentina?”
“You’re not in a gay relationship, are you, Evan?”
