Page 34 of Hot and Bothered
“I don’t know,” I said truthfully. “I don’t know what a normal childhood is like, so I don’t know what I missed out on, if anything. I know how privileged I was. I couldn’t possibly complain about how I was raised.”
“Your parents wanted to marry you off to some guy you didn’t love because of, what, some business merger?” Evan’s brows drew down sadly. “That’s not normal. That’s something out of the feudal times, you know that, right?”
“It’s not as bad as you’re making it sound,” I said. “It was just that, if Jacob and I got married, then all our assets would have been combined. And since he was the oldest son and his family’s business was going to be passed down to him…” I shrugged. “You see?”
“No,” he said. “I don’t see at all.” Evan cupped my face and touched his forehead to mine. “I’m glad you got away from them.” His lips were inches from mine. “I’m glad you found your way into Sin and Tonic.” He gave me a little smile. “I’m glad you passed out on me. It let me play the knight in shining armor, saving the princess in her time of need,” he teased gently.
“Did you also slay the big bad dragon?” I teased back.
“I faced down your dragon breath with courage, I’ll tell you that.”
I reeled back in horror and clapped a hand over my mouth.
“Oh no,” I groaned. “I knew my breath was bad that morning. It felt like I’d been sprayed inside the mouth by a skunk. I’m sorry.”
Evan just laughed and went back to getting ingredients out of the fridge.
“At least you didn’t puke on me,” he said. “I was half expecting you to hurl all over my shoes.”
“Gross.” I wrinkled my nose.
“It wouldn’t have been the first time,” he said easily. “It comes with the territory. We usually cut people off before they get too wasted, but every once in a while we get a total lightweight who doesn’t know their limits.”
“I bet you have a lot of interesting stories, being a bartender.” I took a seat on the kitchen table to watch Evan work, far away from any risk of knives or red hot stovetops.
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” he said. “This one time, some guy walks in with a snake, right? One of those big, thick ones, too, not a tiny little garden snake. And it’s all wrapped around his neck like it’s a scarf. So he sits down like nothing’s out of the ordinary and—”
I rested my chin my hands and nodded along with a smile as Evan regaled me with his stories. His retellings were funny as he used his hands to wave and gesture wildly. He was able to take the most mundane situations and make them sound amusing.
I had to wonder what kind of story he would tell about me in the future. The crying, runaway bride who passed out in his arms, too drunk to stand on her own two feet. The freeloading pampered princess who crashed at his house because she had nowhere else to go. It sounded sad and pathetic when I thought about it, but I had no doubt Evan would be able to take my entire situation and turn it into a sympathetic but entertaining tale.
I wondered how the story would end. Howmystory would end. Where exactly was I headed in life? What kind of adventures were to come? How was this whole thing going to turn out? Would I actually get a happily-ever-after, like all those fictional princesses did?
I wanted that. I wanted that so badly. After suppressing my own wants, and needs, and desires my whole life, the only thing I truly wanted now was to be happy.
“—So he looks at me and goes, how about five bucks instead?”
Evan laughed uproariously, and I joined in as he told the punch line. He had managed to distract me from thoughts of my parents, and he’d done it so easily I hadn’t even noticed.
He held me when I was upset. He encouraged me when I was feeling lost. He was kind, and he was patient.
He was everything I hadn’t known I’d wanted. Everything I hadn’t known I’d needed.
And that was when I knew.
I knew exactly how I wanted my story to end.
I wanted my own happily-ever-after with Evan.
“So what movie do you want to watch?” he asked after we’d finished eating dinner.
“I’m more of a TV show kind of person,” I told him. “Do you mind if we binge something?”
“I’m always up for a good binging,” he replied.
“Do you mind watching a show that’s kind of fluffy and fun?” I asked. “I don’t know if I’m in the mood for anything suspenseful or dramatic.”
“I know just the thing.”
