I don’t want to elaborate more about that so I go back to the first part of his statement. “Why were you up early?” I ask as I fill up two travel mugs with coffee and head towards the back door.
“Just not sleeping well. I thought maybe going out last night and finding Emma would help me sleep, but I realized that was the wrong answer. I didn’t sleep much.” Jake gives me a cocky grin.
“I’m sure there wasn’t that much sleeping going on at all last night,” I say as I slide into the passenger seat of Jake’s old truck. As we pull away, I glance at my bedroom window and see her silhouette standing there watching us go. A calming feeling rushes over me as I watch her standing there, in my room, in my house. Could I actually get used to having someone like Avery in my life? Do I want someone like Avery in my life? For the first time I realize the answer to those questions might actually be…yes.
After I made sure the coast was clear, the coffee pot was turned off, and the front door was locked, I head in the direction of my house on foot. Talk about walk of shame. Fortunately, it doesn’t take me too long to get there since I only live a few blocks away from Maddox. When I step inside my front door, I pull out my cell phone to call Holly to check on Brooklyn.
“Well, how did it go?” she asks after only one ring.
“It was amazing,” I answer with a faint smile on my lips as pieces of the entire night flash through my mind like a fabulous slideshow.
“Did you get some?”
“Holly, my daughter’s probably standing right there so stop corrupting her. Why don’t I head over there to get her? Since you don’t work until later on tonight, maybe we can grab some lunch at the Mexican place down the street from you.”
“Good sex always makes me hungry too,” she smarts off and then laughs. “Well, the few times I’ve had good sex that is, it made me hungry.”
She’s incorrigible. “I just got home so I’ll change quickly and head over.”
“Just getting home AND still in last night’s clothes? Hurry up and get your ass over here, will you! We have so much to talk about.” We hang up, and I head towards my room to change which is still a disaster from last night’s dressing freak-out. I start to hang the clothes back in the closet, place the pants back in my drawers, and arrange the shoes back on the closet floor. It takes me a little longer than I anticipated and by the time I get myself changed into comfy, worn jeans and a Cowboys sweatshirt, it’s already after ten.
I transfer everything from my clutch purse back into my regular purse and head out the door. On my way to Holly’s house, I crank up the radio and sing along to Colbie Caillat, which is a treat since Brooklyn isn’t along for the ride. I pull up in front of Holly’s half of a duplex and head inside.
“Mommy!” Brooklyn greets me at the front door and throws her arms around my legs.
“How’s mommy’s big girl? Were you a good girl for Aunt Holly?”
“Yep! We stayed up weally wate and watched Grey’s!”
I turn to look at my best friend whose eyes just about pop out of her head. “Grey’s. Really?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s not my fault that she’s actually old enough now to pay attention and report back to you! We’ve always watched Grey’s together. What can I say, she loves medical dramas.”
“Aunt Holly says they have hot doctors,” Brooklyn reports with a very serious face which causes Holly and I both to crack up.
“Well, as long as the doctors are hot then,” I reply, giving my girl a kiss on her forehead. “Aunt Holly and Mommy are going to talk in the kitchen so you play with your toys for a bit, and then we’ll run and get lunch. Okay?”
“Okay Mommy!” she says as she turns and focuses her attention on the cartoons and her princess dolls.
Holly and I head into the kitchen together. I grab a seat at the bar and she grabs us a couple of waters out of the fridge.
“Spill. Your face is glowing this morning.”
I take a sip from the water bottle and can’t help but smile as I begin to tell her all about the evening. I leave nothing out, from the slutty hostess and Maddox’s reply to the shopping on the pier. When I get to the part about returning to his place and his offer to take me home if I didn’t want to come inside, Holly is practically sitting on the edge of her stool.
“So, you went inside, obviously. What happened when you went inside?”
“We walked inside and barely got the door closed when I pulled him against me. He is an amazing kisser, Holly. Seriously, like the kind of kisses that make you forget what day of the week it is or even what your own name is. Someone could have asked me my birth date at that moment and I wouldn’t have had a clue! Things started to heat up pretty quickly at that point so we went back to his bedroom.” I glance up at her and add, “Didn’t even make it to his bed.”