There was no way to deny we were talking about her.
“Sweet Jesus,” Aaron muttered, going back to rubbing his forehead. “Anyway, heads up, I told her I was meeting my sister here so she wouldn’t get the wrong idea when you arrived. Not that it matters anymore.”
A laugh bubbled from my throat, and as much as he probably wanted to strangle me, he laughed too.
“I hope you’re planning on living with me forever because, at this rate, that’s how long I’ll be single.” He brought his coffee to his lips.
“That’s actually why I wanted to meet up for coffee today. I kinda sorta met someone too.”
Cupping his ear with his hand, he blinked rapidly. “I’m sorry, what?”
“So, um, you remember Mr. Tall, Dark, and Nice Ass who gave me the safety pin?”
His back shot straight and his neck snapped back. “At the courthouse?”
“That’s the one.”
He leaned back in his chair, crossing his leg ankle to knee, only to shift in his chair to do the same on the other side. “Care to elaborate on that?”
“Well, his name is Bowen. He’s six-four, nerdy and broody at the same time, and quite literally the sexiest man I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
Aaron snapped his fingers. “I’ve seen him. Get to the good stuff. Did he ask you out the day of the settlement hearing? How long have you been seeing him? And why the hell haven’t you told me until now?”
“You’ve had a lot going on,” I defended. “I didn’t want to be all hearts and rainbows while you were dealing with doom and gloom.”
He huffed, knowing I had a point, and twirled two fingers in the air. “And what about the rest of it? Is he who you were with last night while you were lying to me about a girls’ night out with your imaginary girlfriends?”
“If you must know…” I rested my elbows on the table, partitioned off my mouth as though anyone else in the empty coffee shop were paying us attention, and whispered, “Yes, I was out with Bowen having the best sex of my entire life. I’m talking multiple orgasms from a man with a huge cock who didn’t need an instructional video on how to find my clit. And I swear, if you give me one single ounce of shit about it, I’m going to launch myself over this table in front of Sexy Barista Lady and rain down hell over you for not sending child support for our brother-cousin children.”
His jaw hung open, and it was almost a shame I didn’t know exactly what part of that verbal tornado had packed the biggest punch.
Leaning back, I mirrored his position and casually took a sip of my coffee. “But to answer your original question, no, he didn’t ask me out at the courthouse. I Googled him, found out he was an accountant, showed up at his office, spilled bubble tea all over his waiting room, and then asked him to help me with my father’s taxes. When he’d finally agreed, I promptly charmed the pants off him by learning how to use his EpiPen.” I primped my hair even though it was currently in a messy ponytail.
How, after all these years, Aaron still found himself speechless, I would never understand. That didn’t make the sight of his bulging eyes and gaping mouth any less entertaining.
His lids fell shut and he drew in a sharp breath. But he held it in as he waved his hand in front of his face. “First, please never say clit again. I beg you. I’m completely content with the assumption that you have the anatomy of a Barbie Doll. Do not ruin that for me.” His eyes finally opened, a confusing amount of concern crinkling his forehead. Damn, I would have to buy him his own face cream after this. “Second—and let me get this straight—you elbowed this man in the face, stalked him down, asked him to be your accountant, and then had sex with him?”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “You make it sound so aggressive. Let’s try this version: My cursed dress broke and he saved the day with a safety pin. Then a few days later, when I saw him inside a pub, I stopped to say thank you. There was a lot of frowning and debate about my plant budget. But he ended up buying me and Margret a drink anyway.”
“Margret?”
“A plant.”
“Another one?”
“Anyway… Then I looked him up, gave him back the safety pin, to which he decided to stalk me down and give me a cactus. Then we did the accounting stuff, and as of last night…the sex stuff too. Better?”
He put his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers in front of his mouth. “And you like him?”
“Oh my God, Aaron. So, so much. When he’s not being all mercurial and obtuse, he’s sweet and funny—even when he’s not trying to be. And when he looks at me…” I let out a soft moan. “I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like the entire world vanishes. I don’t care if it’s cheesy. I’ve never felt like this before.”
