But in all honesty, I wouldn’t want anyone who couldn’t accept my brothers exactly as they are. They’re loud and rude and they fart a lot, but they all have hearts of gold. And they’re mine. “I’ll ask her.” I look around the shop. “Are we done for the day?” I ask.
“We?” Pete protests. “I didn’t see your ass doing tats tonight.” He shrugs into his coat. “I’m going home,” he says. But before he leaves, he looks at me and stalls.
“What?” I ask.
He grins. “I’m just so happy for you,” he says then laughs. “I really am.”
“Shut up,” I grouse.
He leaves, and it’s just me and Logan. He stops speaking and starts signing. She’s the one, huh? he asks.
Maybe, I sign back. I don’t know.
He nods. Good.
Good what?
If anybody deserves a happily ever after, Matt, it’s you.
Shut up, I grouse again. I don’t know what to say to that.
He laughs. I’m going home. You should, too.
I nod and help him lock up. Then he leaves me in the street with a fist bump and a quick I love you sign. I flash it back at him, and he walks away.
I take my phone out of my pocket and scroll to Sky’s number. It’s late, but I want to hear her voice. It’s stupid, I know. But it is what it is.
“Hello,” she says, her voice hesitant.
I lean against the building because my knees wobble when I talk to her. It makes me giddy. “Hi,” I say quietly.
“Hi,” she breathes back.
“Were you asleep?”
“No, I was just thinking.”
“About what?”
“You,” she admits. My heart starts to beat harder.
“Good thoughts?” I ask.
I can almost hear her smile through the phone. “Very good.”
“I just wanted to say good night.” It sounds stupid aloud.
“I’m glad you called,” she replies. “Really glad.”
“Can I call you tomorrow?”
She laughs. “You better.”
“Good night, Sky,” I say.
“’Night, Matt.”
I disconnect the call and put my phone in my pocket. No one is up when I get home. I’m not even sure if Paul is home. I go into my bedroom and get ready for bed. Just as I slide between the sheets, my phone rings. I see that it’s her number.
“Sky?”
“Yeah,” she admits.
“You okay?”
“I just wanted to tell you good night,” she says quietly.
“I think you already did that.” But inside, my heart is beating like a tattoo gun.
“Oh,” she says quietly. She laughs. “Sorry.”
“You tired?” I ask.
“Not at all.”
So we talk late into the night. We talk until my eyes are droopy, and I still don’t want to hang up the phone.
Skylar
I need toothpicks to hold my eyelids open today. Matt and I talked until really late last night, but every time I got ready to hang up the phone, he would ask me something else. It was always something thought provoking and deep. And he answered my questions, as well.
I now know that he likes any kind of ice cream with chocolate chunks in it. He loves nuts. And he has this crazy passion for life that I didn’t know even existed. His family is important to him, and mine is, too. He asked me out on a date for Friday night, but I put him off because I don’t know yet where Seth will be on Friday.
But I do want to go out with him. I want to spend some time alone with him with no kids in the other room. I want to kiss him and see if this passion is all in my head.
It’s almost lunchtime, and I have successfully avoided Phillip the whole morning. He approached me once, but I turned my back on him, and he went the other direction. I have been working really hard on a case today, getting my paperwork ready. I stop and press the heels of my hands into my eyes. I really shouldn’t have stayed up so late last night.
The buzzer on my phone goes off. “Yes,” I call.
“Sky,” the receptionist says quietly. I pick up the handset.
“Yes,” I say again. “What’s up?”
“There’s a really hunky guy standing in front of me, and he’s asking for you,” she whispers into the phone.
What hunky guy would be asking about me? “What does he look like?”
“He’s about six two,” she starts.
“Six three,” I hear someone say.
“Oh, six three,” she says. “He’s a big one.” She giggles.
My heart jumps. “What color is his hair?”
“Blond. And long.”
It’s Matt. Oh shit. It’s Matt.
“I’ll be right there,” I say. But my heart is thumping like crazy. What is Matt doing here? I hunt around under my desk for my shoes and slide them on. Then I straighten my skirt and run a hand down my hair to smooth it. A minute ago, I had it held up with a pencil.
It’s just Matt, I tell myself. It’s Matt.
“Do you want me to send him back?” the receptionist asks. She laughs again. “Or I can just keep him?”
Definitely not. He’s mine. “I’ll be right there,” I repeat. I look down at my business suit. I hope I look all right. I guess it’s too late now to worry about it.
I walk into the reception area and find Matt leaning against the glass doorway. He turns to face me and smiles. “Hi,” he says quietly.
I walk toward him, my legs shaky. “What are you doing here?” I ask, but I’m grinning, too. I stop in front of him, one move short of leaning into him for a hug. The receptionist is watching really closely.
“I came to see if you want to go to lunch.” He shrugs. He’s wearing black jeans and lace-up boots. A black T-shirt is stretched across his broad chest, and it’s tucked neatly into his jeans. I can see his tattoos. A piece of hair has fallen from his ponytail, and I want to reach up and tuck it behind his ear.
“How did you find out where I work?” I ask. I motion for him to follow me. Thank you, I mouth at the receptionist, and she winks at me and gives me a thumbs-up. I shake my head, and Matt walks quietly behind me.
“I texted Seth,” he says.
“Traitor,” I say, but inside, I’m thrilled.
“Did I come at a bad time?” he asks. He looks down at his wrist, even though there’s no watch on it. “I can come back later.”
“No, no.” I don’t want him to leave. Ever. I lean against the edge of my desk. “I’m glad you’re here.”
His voice is deep and soft when he responds. “I’ve been thinking about you all morning.” He shrugs, looking a little sheepish. “So I figured I’d drop by. I totally understand if you’re too busy, though.” He looks into my eyes. “I might cry if you send me away, but I’ll go.”
I’m not going to send him away. Not a chance. “I don’t want you to go,” I say.
He grins. “Good.” He looks around my office. “Do you have time for lunch?”
“Oh!” I cry. “I thought you were just going to stand there and let me look at you. You actually want to go somewhere.”
He laughs. “Yeah. I told you. I’m going to make you fall in love with me. Lunch is step one.”
“What’s step two?” I ask impulsively.
“If I told you, it wouldn’t work.”
I nod. I want it to work. “Don’t tell me.”
“Guy’s got to have some secrets.” He smiles. “Can you leave with me for a little while?”
I hold my thumb and forefinger about an inch apart. “Just for a little while.” I motion toward my desk. “I have a big case I’m working on.”
“You can tell me about it over lunch.”
Yes, I can. Because I’m going with him.
I get my purse and put it over my shoulder. I’d follow him just about anywhere right now. I walk toward him and step up onto my tiptoes. He bends down a little and puts his cheek in front of me. I groan, but I kiss it quickly. He covers the wet spot with his hand. “I’m going to hold it there the rest of the day,” he says.
“You use these moves on every woman you meet?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Just telling you how I feel,” he says. He looks into my eyes, and I see nothing but sincerity.
He opens the front door for me, and his hand lands at the small of my back to guide me through it. Goodness, I’m ready to melt. After we’re through the door, he reaches for my hand and threads his fingers through mine. I look up at him.
“This okay?” he asks.
I nod, and we continue that way to the corner bistro.
“You’re quiet,” he says as the waiter seats us. It’s a busy place, but the food is amazing and a lot of people from our office come here. I slide into the booth, and he slides in beside me.
I startle a little. “Oh,” I breathe.
“This okay?” he asks. He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear.
“Yeah,” I breathe. “Fine.”
He looks at the menu. “What’s good?” he asks.
Do I have to behave and pretend to count calories? Or can I get what I want? I look into his face. I just can’t gauge him.
“What?” he asks, but he’s smiling.
“Will you be disgusted if I get the really fattening Reuben with chips?”
His brow furrows. “Why would that disgust me?”
I lay a hand on my stomach. “I’m starving.”
The waiter comes back, and Matt orders two Reubens with chips and sodas. “I think you’re pretty damn adorable, you know that?” He turns a little to face me.
“Right back at you,” I say, lifting my straw to my mouth. I take a sip, and he watches me closely. “Do I have something on my face?”
“Just a smile,” he says. “I like it.”
I grin even more. “Me, too.”
“So Seth has a match tomorrow,” he reminds me. “Do you care if I go?”
“Seth invited you, didn’t he?”
He nods. “But I don’t want to be where I’m not wanted.”
I look into his eyes. “You’re wanted,” I say. My heart starts to thump.
“Ditto,” he says. “I love wrestling. All my brothers wrestled. Including me.”
“Did you say Seth is pretty good?”
He nods. “Regional champ for his weight last year,” he says. “He’s really good. Good enough he might be able to get a scholarship.”
“Wow,” I breathe. “That’s pretty amazing.”
“Their mom left money for college, right?” he asks.
I nod. The waiter brings our food, and Matt is apparently comfortable with eating and talking. “There was an insurance policy that’s very generous,” I tell him. “Enough to take care of them.”
“She was pretty good about planning,” he says. “Your dad helped her a lot, too, with managing money.”
“What did she do for a living?” I ask. I really don’t know much about my half sister. Not much at all.
“She was an attorney. I think she practiced criminal law.”
“Putting away the bad guys.”
He nods. “When she could.”
“I don’t do anything quite that sacrificial.”
“What kind of law do you practice?” He is giving me all the attention he’s not giving to that sandwich.
“IP law,” I tell him. “Intellectual property.”
He nods. “You’ll have to tell me about it sometime.”
“I’d like that.”
He grins. He looks over my shoulder toward the other side of the room. “Your boyfriend is here,” he says, not looking at me.
I look over my shoulder and see Phillip with some of my colleagues. He raises his glass in my direction. If I were closer, I’d throw my soda at him.
“You guys didn’t end things well, did you?”
I shake my head, pretending to be really engrossed in my sandwich. But I really don’t want to talk about Phillip.
“Are you sad?” he asks.
“Only that you’re talking about it,” I toss back.
He grins. “Point taken.” His voice drops to a sultry growl. “When I finally get in your bed, I promise not to be selfish,” I say.
My heart stalls. “You have been talking to Seth,” I say. “I’m going to have to have a chat with him about privacy.”
Matt stills. “Sorry. I was just teasing. I won’t do it anymore. Seth very offhandedly told me about your breakup. He wasn’t ratting you out or anything.”
“That’s good to know.”
“You’re mad at me.”
“Embarrassed that you have intimate knowledge of my sex life.” I finish off my pickle and dust my hands together. “I do have to get back to work,” I say.
“Fuck, I messed it up,” he says, tossing his napkin onto his plate. He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet. He peels off enough cash to cover the bill and a generous tip and leaves it on the table.
“Let me pay for half,” I protest.
“I invited. I pay.” His hand lands at the small of my back again.
“So if I invite you, I get to pay?”
“Nope,” he says. “I’m the guy. I pay.”
Phillip watches us closely as we walk by him toward the door.
We walk quietly toward my office building. Matt doesn’t reach for my hand, and he doesn’t say anything. I turn to him when we get to the steps of my office. “Thank you for lunch,” I say.