Standing next to the bed, I allow myself one last glimpse and I tug the dress down to her knees and lift the blankets over her, tucking her into bed for the night. I’m not leaving. I don’t have to pick Emma up until tomorrow. Tasha took her tonight so I could do what I needed to. I should have done this long ago.
“Hello, Gage. Or should I say Suit Master?” Roni laughs and comes stumbling in the back door of Lex’s house. I’m sitting here at the table, drinking a glass of orange juice. That’s all she has in the fridge other than water. I don’t want to drink any alcohol that will just impair my joyous memories of this spectacular evening.
I smile at her. “Hello to you too, Roni. Care to join me?” I gesture toward the seat across from me. I’m sitting in Lex’s chair.
“In a minute.” She riffles through some cupboards, steals the juice from the table and fills her own cup. Then sits down across from me.
“So… How’d tonight go?”
I smile wider. I can’t help it.
“That good huh?”
I nod and take a sip. “Yes, that good. It wouldn’t have gone this well if it hadn’t been for your help though.”
Drinking, she stops with the cup at her mouth, her eyes thoughtfully staring off into a distance. “Lex needs a person who really loves her and wants to care for her, Gage. I’ve told you that from day one, and I will do anything to help her get over her own insecurities to be happy. Lex thinks she doesn’t need anyone but herself. She’s wrong; she has so much love to give. It’s a damn shame to waste it. That’s why when you and Bob approached me about this whole set up months ago, I agreed.”
No, she didn’t actually.
“No…”
Dropping her cup with a loud thud, she huffs, leaning back in her chair, tossing her hands over her blue t-shirt covered chest. “Fine, okay, I was an overprotective bitch. I thought you were full of shit. What kind of man seriously fawns over a woman for six years? And…has a tattoo and knows all about her. It seemed creepy and well… Fucked up.”
I nod. She’s right; it is both of those things, creepy and fucked up. Two things I tried to rid myself of in counseling. No such luck.
“Don’t you think I know that?” I realize we’ve already had this important redundant talk about ten times already. Roni loves Lex deeply. Their bond is like no friendship I’ve ever had. Except maybe the one I have with Tank. So when I approached Roni months ago about me being ready to take the next step in securing Lex’s and I’s future, she thought I was a raving madman. There was no way, that woman was going to let me get near Lex without her blessing. Three weeks I schmoozed and won Roni over. It was no easy task. I groveled, a time or even two. I’m not afraid to admit it. At the end of everything and revealing to her all that I do know about Lex, and all that I’ve done to try to not feel this way. Then, all that I have done to finally accept my feelings couldn’t change. She eventually relented and decided to help me on my quest.
First, we created an online dating profile. Then she convinced Lex to get one herself. That’s how it all started. I hadn’t planned on pushing myself into her life outside of online dating. Not until I had stupid fuckin’ Corey in my office going over divorce shit and he was rambling on about going on a date. Then I find out who it was with from him, and where they were going to go from Roni. I couldn’t help myself; I had to ruin the date. At the same time, I was already in negotiations with Saks, and it gave me a perfect way to deter her thoughts away from Corey. Fuckin’ Corey.
Then as I played the Suit Master and Gage, I was scared to have both of them collide. So, I kept them both up and made the Suit Master seem more chivalrous and myself a tad bit more of a dick, to throw her off my scent. Even though both of them are me, I’m not always a nice guy. I proved that when that asshole tried to rape my damn woman. He’s lucky I didn’t kill him. I wanted to. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it in front of Lex. If it hadn’t been for Auto, I probably would have put that sick fuck in a coma, where he belongs.
“So…last night… You watched her eat, didn’t you?” Roni asks, snatching me from my musings.
“Yea, I had a camera installed in the vase.”
“You’re one slick mo-fo. Do you think she’s going to forgive you for the depression you dropped her into this week because of Emma?”
I nod my head. “I think she already has.” I grin.
“Did you see lady?” Her eyes widen.
“I played with lady.” My grin turns into a full on ear-to-ear shit-eating grin. I can’t help it. I’m already hard thinking about my Angel’s lady. It’s perfect, just like her.