Page 25 of The Billionaire's Commitment

“You’re more the crazy uncle no one talks about,” I said.

“Agree,” Grace said, and Eric smiled.

“Don’t you have a date to get to?” Logan asked.

“I’m hanging out with a friend, but yes, I should get going, or I’ll be late. If you need anything—”

“We won’t. See you tomorrow,” Eric said and held my gaze.

“What he said,” Logan said.

The bar was more than able to be taken care of by one of us; it certainly didn’t need two or even three of us. We had all gotten into the habit of being there. Though as Eric and then Logan found the love of their lives, they spent more time with them, and I was happy to take up the slack. This was their way of telling me it was my turn, and I appreciated it.

“Thanks,” I said and walked out of the bar.

It was a short walk from the bar up Fifth Avenue to Fifty-Third Street and the museum. I could have taken the bus; I preferred it over the subway as it allowed me to see more of the city and be above ground, but it was such a nice day I had wanted to walk. I was also nervous, and this allowed me to get rid of some of my nerves.

One night with Zoey wasn’t enough, and when she had gotten in the cab after we had dinner, I thought she never wanted to see me again. I could hear her hesitation, and I had seen the worry on her face when she looked at me over the door of the cab. She could sense how big this was, how great we could be, and she wasn’t sure how to handle that. I didn’t blame her. I had never had such strong feelings for anyone before; I wasn’t sure what to do with it either.

I knew I wanted to spend time with her. I wanted us to get reacquainted and see what this attraction was, what it could mean, and what we would do going from there. I understood why she didn’t want to get involved with someone if she was leaving. I didn’t want to tell her that I was more than happy going wherever she needed to go as long as I was with her. Our future didn’t have to be in New York City just because I owned a bar with my friends. I could live and be anywhere. I didn’t need to stay in New York if she didn’t want to.

She had been wary enough about wanting to go to a museum with me; I couldn’t freak her out by telling her that. The best thing to do was to have us become friends again and then slowly work my way into her heart and her bed. If she could be reminded that I was a good guy, one she could count on, one that she could have fun with, then she could see that we could be something more. It was a way for us to spend time together without her feeling like I was pressuring her.

I wanted her to be comfortable with me, with the idea of what we could be, but if she wasn’t even open to the idea, then I knew I had to try something different. The day at the museum and then other outings would allow me that opportunity. I wasn’t giving up on us, and she was soon going to see that.

When I got to the museum, I didn’t see Zoey, and I was glad to be there before her. Being in the Navy, I learned to be early for everything, and while Zoey had been like that, too, I didn’t like the idea of her waiting for me. I stood and watched other couples going into the building and smiled at a couple that was holding hands. I imagined that being Zoey and me one day.

I sensed her before I actually saw her, and I stood away from the bench I was standing next to and turned to see her approaching me. She looked amazing in a pair of dark jeans and a button-down top. It flowed around her and gave me a glimpse of her body. She had been pretty conservative with her dress when I had seen her at the bar and then for dinner. Both instances were when she had been coming from work. I had wondered what she would wear to our date, and I could see it was different but not.

She had always been a woman who didn’t talk about herself much and liked to hide in a crowd. She didn’t like attention on her, and that included how she dressed. She was a woman who liked to keep things close to her chest; I didn’t blame her and admired it. I was sure there was a story behind it, possibly dealing with Adam. I hoped she would feel comfortable enough that she would tell me. Time would tell.

“You made it,” I said when she approached.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?” she asked and clutched the strap on her purse tightly with her hand.

“You aren’t the type of person who would ditch someone or not show up, but things happen,” I said.

“I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“To me? I’ll take that as a compliment and wonder if or when you did do such a thing to someone else.”

“I haven’t,” she said with a blush.

“My kind of woman,” I said, and she blushed harder.

It wasn’t the first time I had made that comment to her. It was my not so subtle way of telling her that I wanted her to be my woman. I liked seeing her blush and knowing I was the one who did it. She looked almost shocked by her reaction. For some reason, it only made me want to make her blush more, to see what I had to do to get that reaction out of her.

“This place is interesting,” she said as she looked up at the building in front of us.

“It almost doesn’t look like a museum, but there is a garden off to the side, and the space is supposed to be incredible. Or at least that was what I heard.”

“Okay. Then shall we go take a look? Get some culture from one of the best museums in the world?” she asked.

“All right. Let’s do it,” I said, putting my hand out so Zoey could walk in front of me, and I followed. My heart raced as I thought this was the beginning for us and it could only get better from here.

Chapter 12

Zoey

---