Page 64 of Taming You

“So, you spent the night?”

I roll my eyes. “Nothing happened. We only slept, but it was too late for me to leave Friday night after our movie ended and the same last night.”

She almost chokes on her drink. “You spent two nights at his apartment?”

I shrug. “Yeah, it’s nothing I haven’t done before.”

She stares at me. “But let me guess, this time you shared his bed instead of sleeping on the couch.”

My cheeks heat, and Liv smiles as she shakes her head.

“Of course you did.” She adjusts herself so she faces me fully and crosses her legs under herself. “So, tell me about the date. Where did he take you?”

Remembering Friday night, really this entire weekend, has me grinning like a fool. I tell her about dinner and our stop in the park before we went back to his place to continue ourStar Warsmarathon. I watch every little expression that crosses Liv’s face, trying to fully gage what she’s thinking, but she doesn’t say anything during my retelling of the weekend.

When I finish, she pats my leg and says, “I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, Liv. I don’t want anything to be weird or awkward with us. I love you too much for that, but...” I take a deep breath, mustering the strength to say this out loud. “I have actual feelings for your brother and really want to see what this can be. I want more dates and to see if what started as a genuine friendship can be more.”

Liv takes my hand. “I know, Zo. I trust you and I trust him. I know you two wouldn’t have crossed any lines unless you were sure you genuinely wanted this. I’m happy for the both of you. You deserve each other in every positive way. I know you’ll take care of and support each other, and that’s all I’ve ever wished for you two.”

I wipe away a tear that escapes, and Liv’s face fills with over exaggerated shock. “Did I just make Zoey Williams cry?”

I swat at her. “Yes, you brat. You went and said all those nice things. How am I supposed to not cry?”

She puts her glass down, and I follow as she pulls me into a hug. “I love you, Zo.”

“I love you, too.”

As we separate, Josh comes down the hall with Cate. I immediately do grabby hands at him, and he hands her to me.

“Gives Aunty Zo a whole new meaning,” Liv says, and Josh tilts his head at her. “Oh, just Matt and Zo dating, so…”

“Matt’s dating?” Josh asks skeptically.

Liv nods with the largest smile on her face. “Yup,” she says, popping the P. “Him and Zoey are dating.”

Josh sits beside Liv on the couch, and she leans into him. “I didn’t think he was there yet. I knew he’d eventually date, I just figured he’d wait until he was in his mid-thirties for some reason. He was enjoying his bachelor lifestyle.”

I shrug. “I don’t know what changed his mind. But we’ve agreed we’re dating and we’re exclusive.”

Liv is still grinning. “It was you. That’s what changed his mind.”

I shake my head. “Nope. Not me. No way I could make him change his ways like that.” There’s nothing I could have done to make the perpetual playboy decide he wanted a monogamous relationship. Saying that gives me way too much power, and as much as I like having power when it comes to our relationship, that is too much. It puts too much pressure on me. On our relationship.

Liv, seeming to read the slight panic that’s going through me right now, drops the subject. “How about breakfast?”

I shake my head. “I’m good. I ate with Matt before he dropped me off. But I’ll stick around and spend time with you and”—I lean down and blow raspberries on Cate’s cheek, and she giggles—“my adorable niece.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Josh seems to take that as his cue, because he gets up and heads to the kitchen. Liv and I slip into normal conversation, and I’m beyond relieved there’s zero awkwardness between us. As much as someone may say they’re okay with you dating their sibling, you can never truly know how much they mean it. And I know Liv doesn’t really say things she doesn’t mean, but the hypothetical of your brother and best friend dating versus the reality are very different, and she may change her mind when she sees us together. While we talk, she feeds Cate.

She and Josh settle at the dining table and eat their breakfast. I take Cate and play with her on the living room floor. As I play with her, I see the similarities between her and Jayden. Cate definitely has a lot of Josh, but I can see Liv, and she does little things that immediately make me think of Liv, and Jayden does the same thing. I’m sure when these two grow up, they’ll be very similar.

When Liv and Josh finish breakfast, Josh takes Cate and says they have a daddy-daughter date planned for the day before grabbing the diaper bag and stroller and leaving the apartment.

“Did you just kick your husband out?” I ask.

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