Page 74 of The Playboy's Playbook

I turn my head to face him before completely propping up on my side. “I did. Thank you for inviting me.”

Matthew props up to face me, giving me a gentle smile. “Of course.”

We lie in silence once more, unsure of what to say or do. I want to move closer, to rest my head on his chest and feel his hands run gently through my hair. But I don’t. Instead, I get up, make my way to the edge of the cab, and hop out, heading inside to get Nola ready for bed.

Matthew tosses the hoodies back into the truck before following me to the front door with his hands tucked into his pockets.

“It’s gonna be at Dr. Hyde’s office just off of Old Main at eleven. Nola’s graduation, I mean. You don’t have to –”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Next weekend, right?” he asks, taking slow steps toward me.

Unable to speak, I simply nod.

“I’ll be there. I’ll uh…I’ll text you. If that’s okay with you?”

Once again, I nod and smile softly. I don’t know where my ability to speak has gone, but I need it to come back.

Matthew takes one final step toward me and kisses my cheek. “Goodnight, Laila.”

“Goodnight, Matthew,” I finally croak. I unlock the door and step inside, looking at Matthew one more time before shutting the door. I linger until I hear his truck roar to life and listen for the sound to fade away into the night.

I close my eyes and release a sigh, full of relief and anticipation. Tonight was amazing and it allowed me to prove to myself that I can be around him and have self-control. It wasn’t easy by a long shot.

I unlatch Nola’s kennel and she bolts outside to use the bathroom while I go get ready for bed. Tonight is going to be the first night in a long time where the dreams I have of Matthew are good and not plagued with sadness.

I feel like there’s hope for us to at least be friends.

“Nola, just wear the hat for ten minutes and then you can rip it up!” I cry in frustration as I sit in my car trying to get Nola’s graduation cap on her head.

I don’t know why the staff thought that having the dog’s dress up would be a good idea because they clearly don’t have to deal with the dramatics that I do. Finally, after an extra five minutes of bribing her with treats and breaking into a sweat, the cap is on her head and we’re headed into the building.

I brush my free hand down my pink sundress and adjust Nola’s cap slightly so she doesn’t remember it’s on her head and tries to rip it off again. Just as I get on the top step, I turn my head at the last minute and see Matthew’s truck pulling into the parking lot.

As soon as he gets out, my heart begins beating erratically. He’s wearing light wash jeans, a pink polo shirt, and white sneakers. We haven’t spoken since the rodeo last week, so it’s funny that he and I are matching. At a quick glance, we look like a happy and in-love couple.

He approaches us and my heart swells at the fact that he has the toy bouquet in his hands. I remember packing it in the box I gave to Luke and didn’t think twice about it. Seeing that he kept it makes me feel guilty for giving it back in the first place.

“Hey,” he says with an easy smile.

“Hey,” I return the gesture as Nola begins squirming in my arms to get to Matthew.

“Woah, woah. Someone’s excited about graduating,” Matthew laughs as he holds Nola to his chest with one hand and holds the door open for me with the other.

“Hi Laila. Hi Nola. Hi man I’ve never seen before,” the receptionist, Brooke, greets as we approach the desk.

“Hey Brooke. This is Matthew. He’s –” I stop and turn to look at the man in question, trying to figure out what to call him.

My ex? We never put a label on our relationship. My friend? That’s towing the line a bit, but a safe option. “He’s my friend from school. I invited him to watch the graduation.”

Brooke passes us a kind smile as she hands me two programs outlining the ceremony and points us in the direction where all the other invited guests are sitting. Matthew passes Nola to Brooke so that she can go get ready to walk across the mini stage they have set up.

Matthew and I find two chairs in the front row with the perfect angle to see Nola walk in. I smile and wave to a few of the other pet parents who are here to watch their fur babies graduate, introducing Matthew to a few of them.

Surprisingly, most people here don’t know him and if they do, they don’t care about what he did. To them, he’s just another person here to watch their favorite furry friend get a doggie treat and take a picture.

Once we’re settled in our seats,Who Let the Dogs Outbegins playing over the loudspeakers causing the audience to erupt into laughter.

I quickly whip out my phone and Matthew does the same as a slideshow presentation plays in the background that has a picture of the entire group of puppies that are graduating today. One of the staffers is behind the curtain telling the dogs when to go to Dr. Hyde to shake her hand and retrieve their bone.

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