Page 62 of That Moment
“A one-night stand? I swallow hard. “Isn’t it? I mean, sure, it might happen again, but it’s hooking up… isn’t it?”
He doesn’t answer. Just steps closer, one hand sliding around the back of my neck. The kiss he gives me is slow, deep, the kind that leaves me breathless and so wound up you want to crawl out of your skin. I kiss him back because I can’t not. Because this is the part that makes you forget all the reasons you should walk away.
When he pulls back, he whispers against my lips, “Drive safe, Barbie.”
I nod, even though my heart’s screaming a warning at me. “Goodnight, Scotty.”
He waits until I’m inside, one hand braced on the roof, the other tapping lightly against the door like he’s keeping time with my heartbeat. When the engine starts, he steps back but doesn’t move until I’m halfway down the drive.
In the rearview mirror, I catch one last glimpse of him under the porch light—barefoot, arms crossed, head bowed like he’s thinking too hard.
I tell myself not to overthink. Not to want.
But as I drive home, the taste of him still clinging to my lips, I know I’m lying to myself.
He’s everything I shouldn’t want. And while logically, I completely see and understand the red flags… I want him anyway.
It’s two nights later,and I’ve done little but replay every single second of my night with Scotty in my head over and over again. I’m sitting at Brooklyn’s dining room table with a glass of wine so full it could drown.
Amelia’s already here, curled up on the couch in leggings and a soft pink sweater, looking effortlessly perfect like she stepped straight out of one of her Blanc Winery ads. Brooklyn’s toddlers are finally asleep, the monitor humming quietly on the counter.
“Babies are down,” Tyler says, coming downstairs to plant a soft kiss on Brooklyn's temple as he reaches for the monitor. “You girls have fun.” He winks, “and make sure you send my wife upstairs drunk later.”
“Hey,” Brooklyn jumps as he swats her ass playfully. “Easy Slade, that’s how we ended up with those two.” She points toward the stairs where Tyler is headed.
“Oh, but it was a helluva time making them.” He laughs, disappearing upstairs.
“Okay.” Brooklyn slides into the chair across from me, eyes narrowing with that lawyer-turned-mom precision that could make a grown man sweat. “You look different.”
Amelia nods, smirking. “She’s glowing. Like… post-vacation, post-orgasm glowing.”
I choke on my wine, coughing into my napkin. “Oh my God.”
Brooklyn grins. “She’s right, isn't she? Look at her. She’s been smiling since she walked in. Hair down, skin all dewy, eyes sparkly. Spill it, Slade.”
“I’m fine,” I say, too quickly. “Just… been a good week. Work’s been calm.”
Amelia laughs softly. “Honey, you’re many things, but calm isn’t one of them. Start talking.”
I last exactly three seconds before the words tumble out. “Fine. We hooked up.”
They both freeze. Brooklyn’s eyes go wide. Amelia’s lips part. “Scotty?” she asks, though she already knows.
I nod, biting my lip. “It just… happened.”
Brooklyn gasps dramatically. “Oh my God, Adrienne. Finally.”
Amelia leans forward, slower, more cautious. “When you say hooked up, do you mean…?”
“Everything,” I admit, heat crawling up my neck. “All of it. And before you ask, it wasn’t just sex, okay? We laughed for hours after. It wasn’t awkward or rushed or weird. It was… easy. Like we’d been circling each other for so long, we finally stopped fighting it.”
Brooklyn covers her mouth, trying not to squeal. “I’ve been waiting for this forever. How did it start? Did you make the first move or did he?”
“Brook,” Amelia warns gently, though she’s smiling too. “Let her finish before we start the inquisition.”
I lean back, swirling my wine, already feeling the judgment from Amelia building. “It’s not what you’re thinking. It wasn’t some wild mistake or rebound thing that I regret. I don’t know. It felt different. He was so…” My throat tightens. “Gentle at first, making sure I was comfortable. And funny. He kept making me laugh, even when we were—” I break off, laughing into my glass. “God, I can’t even say it out loud.”
Brooklyn fans herself dramatically. “No, please do.”
