Page 24 of Taming You

Damn it, her pouty voice is coming out, and I’ve never been able to say no to it.

“Please, Matty.”

I sigh. “Yeah, I’ll drop Jayden off at your place and pick you up.”

“Oh, yay. I’ll let Gi know. I’ll see you Saturday! Love you!”

“Yeah, love you, too.”

The line goes dead, and my mind immediately goes back to wondering what Zoey is doing on her date. Is she having fun? Is she leaning in as he talks? Is she making him her sole focus?

Jayden wakes up and starts to cry, and I feel horrible for thinking it, but I thinkthank God.Jayden being awake means I’m forced to focus on things other than my friend across town on a date.

I may have bought Zoey two coffees this morning on my way to the rink. I’m not sure how I convinced her to come watch Jayden again, but I did. I’ve got Jayden in the car seat today, and I’m hoping the two coffees can help to butter her up so she’ll spill details about her date last night, because I couldn’t sleep not knowing what was happening.

Zoey offers me a soft smile when she rounds the corner. Her eyes light up whens she sees both coffee cups I’m holding out for her. She grabs them both and takes a tasting sip of each, her eyes remaining on me as she evaluates them.

“Pumpkin spiceandpeppermint mocha. You did good, Matthew.”

I hold back the face I want to make when something akin to butterflies start in my stomach. I, Matthew Carter, do not get butterflies, especially when it comes to girls. Never have. I’ve always been able to get whoever I wanted, and I don’t mean that as a brag, it’s the truth. Every girl I’ve ever asked out has said yes. So why the fuck does Zoey fucking Williams have me getting butterflies when she uses my full name and praises me for my coffee choices?

I clear my throat, trying to push this feeling aside.

“Uh, so how was your date?” I ask, and I sound so pathetic. I grip the back of my neck, the tension in my muscles growing.

She looks up and to the left as she rolls her bottom lip between her teeth. I can see the wheels turning as she tries to figure out what to say. “It was...” she trails off as she moves her coffee cups up and down. “Fine. I don’t think I’ll be seeing him again.”

Fuck me if that doesn’t take a weight off my shoulders. I physically feel myself perk up at this news.

“Really?”

She rolls her eyes so hard I’m sure she gets the start of a headache. “You don’t need to seem so excited I’ve had another failed date,” she says.

“Not excited,” I say. “I just thought you could do better than him.”

The vulnerability in her eyes is like a stab to the gut. “Really?”

“Of course, Zo. There’s no way someone as smart and beautiful as you has to resort to someone so much older than her and who’s kind of a pig.”

She snorts, a full on, sounds like a pig snorts. “You noticed that, did ya?”

I can’t help the laugh that leaves me. “Yeah, I noticed that.”

She guffaws. “The way he kept calling our waitress hun was disgusting.”

I think she actually gags as she says it, and I laugh again.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” she asks.

I look her straight in the eyes and say, “Because no one should tell you who you can and cannot date, and I believe you’re an excellent judge of character. You would have picked up on it eventually, and I was right, you did.”

She nods. “Yeah, I did. Thank God he’s not here this morning. Not sure I could put up with being that close to him for your entire practice.”

The sound of the kids exiting the dressing room fills the rink, and I watch them get on the ice. Zoey follows my line of sight and tips her chin their way.

“Go. Jayden and I will be fine here.”

I reach out and squeeze her shoulder before walking past her and joining the kids.

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