Page 61 of Loving You

Sammy chuckled. “Don’t get your panties in a twist, all right? I’m happy for you. And I’m not staying for whatever meaningful heart-to-heart this is. I just came to grab”—he snatched a clipboard off a filing cabinet to the left—“this. Okay. Good luck, Jakey. Eric.” He saluted me.

But before he fully left us to resume what would undoubtedly be a much more mature conversation in his absence, he slapped the doorjamb and turned around with a sheepish expression.

“Something else you’d like to make a dumbass remark about, Sammy?” I asked, tilting my head.

“Yeah… so, I know there’s girl code, and I know there’s bro code… but what I’m about to say might violate the girl code and also maybe some kind of relationship code, now that I think about it.”

Jake and I exchanged a wary glance.What the hell is he talking about?

“Why don’t you just tell us what’s going on,” Jake suggested carefully.

“So, Rachel told me some stuff. You know the night of the bachelorette party when April got super drunk?”

I nodded, the memory of that night was something I wasn’t likely to forget anytime soon.

“Well, I guess April said something to Rachel about a weird moment between you two when you asked about her birthday.”

Another nod. It was something I’d intended to swing back to at some point but hadn’t yet found the right moment.

“Let’s just say she didn’t tell Rachel any details about why it’s an issue for her, but she mentioned it in the middle of this long, ranty thing about how sweet you were to her that night even though she was such a mess—good job on that front, by the way.”

“Thanks,” I gritted out, impatient for the bottom line.

“My point is, her birthday is today. Again, violating all kinds of codes here because she swore Rachel to secrecy and made her promise she wouldn’t do anything to celebrate it for reasons she didn’t want to talk about, but… I don’t know, man. Feels like something you should know considering that puppy-dog look you wear every time you talk about the woman these days.”

Gaping at him, I wanted to deny the existence of such an expression, but since I’d just told the woman I loved her and was now sitting in Jake’s office for who the fuck knew what reason to get advice from him, he probably wasn’t as wrong about that as I wished he were.

“Okay, so, I’ve done my part, and now I’m gonna go. Too-da-loo, muthafuckas.”

And then he left, so I slumped in my seat and sighed.

“I mean, inmostways, he’s matured,” Jake said quietly, staring at the empty doorway with a wry smile.

I chuckled reluctantly, recognizing the truth of that statement. Sammy had been a walking disaster until he’d started up with Rachel. What could’ve been a mess turned out to be one of the best things to happen to the Walker family because we got Rachel and Willa out of the deal.

It was another victory, another thing I felt proud of despite it not having all that much to do with me. Sammy wasSammy,but like Jake, he was a good man at heart.

“He has. It’s true. I’m not sure what I’ll do if he ever loses that mischievous little spark.”

I also wasn’t sure what he wanted me to do about the birthday thing since it was clear that April had a reason for not wanting anyone to know about this, but for now, I had more important things to check off my list.

Jake shook his head. “What a terrible thought.” He slapped a hand on the desk, jarring me. “Now, I have work to do, and so do you, so tell me what’s up.”

A smile pulled at one side of my mouth. Jake was working extra hard this week before the wedding festivities ramped up, and I had to appreciate his work ethic. I also had to get to the fucking point even though I felt stupid asking.

Clearing my throat, I sat up straighter. “Okay so, April and I are together. It’s good. But I’m taking her out tonight for the first time, even though it’s a little backward since we’ve been living together and—”

He nodded, blessedly talking before I said something stupid. “And you need advice? It sounds like it’s going really well.”

“It is. But I want the date to show her that I respect her, and what we’re building together. I want it to be a time when she’s valued and a priority. I want it to be great.”

He gave me a soft smile. “That’s a lot to load into one date, but if you’re that determined, I’m sure you’ll make it happen.”

I swallowed hard. “But how? I mean, what do we do? You know how this is. You and Ellie lived together before you weretogether,so you get how complex it is. We’ve crossed a lot of lines I wouldn’t have ordinarily crossed before a first date.”

I knew there wasn’t anything magical about a first date, but in light of what I’d told her, it still felt weighty. I didn’t want to blow through the date and fall into bed again if it would in any way cheapen things. Most of me believed nothing could do that, but as a man who relied on procedures and predictability, I still had reservations about tossing every tradition and expectation out the window.

“We had a first date before we hooked up. Not to be an ass, but it seems like you and April are already fully involved, right?”

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