Page 14 of My Ex-Fiance's Best Men
“That would be lovely, thank you,” I reply.
“We’ll decide on dessert later,” August says. “My brother and I will both have the Korean Mezze platter for starters, and sign us up for the tuna steak, as well.”
“You have identical tastes, too,” I giggle.
Dominic gives me a cool grin. “Once in a while the stars do align, but it’s a rare event. You’ll see what I mean later.”
I caught the underlying promise, and I know it’s not about food. My insides tingle as liquid heat gathers between my legs. Good thing I’m wearing an airy, loose, white summer dress long enough to cover my knees so they can’t see how close together they are right now.
“I’ll have the hummus,” Theo says. “And the pear and salmon salad.”
Hayley gives him a bitter smile, fully aware of the intention. She needs to mind her manners and do her job is what Theo is subliminally telling her. “Thank you, sir. What about drinks?”
“Let’s start with a bottle of Tuscan chardonnay, and we’ll see where the night takes us,” Theo replies. “I noticed a Castello Banfi label on the menu.”
“Yes. I’ll bring one over for starters,” Hayley says. “Thank you.”
She leaves the dessert menu and scuttles away from the table, red-faced and humbled, unable to look me in the eyes. I give Theo, Dominic, and August a shocked gasp. “You went for total damage just now.”
“As we always do,” Theo smiles. “You’re our guest, our friend, and our most precious company, Phoebe. Don’t ever expect less from us.”
There is power in that statement.
The kind of power that fills me with desire and brings a smile to my face. If only I’d met them sooner, perhaps I would’ve never given someone like Matthew the time of day. Alas, our choices are often lessons to be learned. And I sure learned mine.
The evening unravels around us with the sound of laughter and clinking glasses at nearby tables, soft jazz flowing along with the wine. As we eat our food and talk, the guys and I break barrier after barrier of intimacy purely through conversation. An hour passes smoothly, and I realize not only are we getting to know each other better, but on a much deeper level.
“In hindsight, there were a lot of red flags about Matthew that I chose to ignore,” I say at one point, three glasses of Chardonnay in and halfway through my tempura extravaganza. “I know we said we wouldn’t mention him again, but to be fair, he’s basically the reason we’re all here tonight.”
“We’ll be sure to send him a gift basket when we get back,” Dominic replies with a playful wink, his gaze dropping to my lips as I pop a French fry in my mouth.
“Damn, they were right about these being the perfect fries,” I mumble, then dip another one in a pink cocktail sauce before eating it, washing it down with a swig of sparking, ice cold water.
Dominic leans closer. “You mentioned spotting red flags in Matthew. I’m curious as to what those were.”
“Oh, where to begin?” I laugh, searching through my memories. “The way he always had an opinion about my figure. He didn’t always say it outright, but more along the lines of, ‘Are you sure you want to wear that dress tonight?’ Or ‘I don’t think that skirt does what you hoped it would.’ Before long, I found myself swimming in double extra-large clothes just so I wouldn’t have to hear him say something that would make me go back and change.”
August shakes his head in dismay. “He had a way of changing women like socks. You were never his type to begin with. You aren’t tasteless and materialistic. On one hand, we were happy for him. I, for one, thought he’d finally matured and learned beauty was more than skin deep. We didn’t know he was making all those remarks about your figure, Phoebe. If we had?—”
“We would’ve smacked some sense into him a long time ago,” Dominic cuts in. “But Matthew always painted a pretty picture of the two of you.”
“He painted that picture for everyone,” I say. “Even I was beginning to buy it. I convinced myself it was all my fault. That if Matthew didn’t want me, nobody would.”
“Which is total bullshit,” Theo scoffs. “I assume your mother and sister fed you that garbage too,” he adds, his jaw clenched in subtle anger. “That if Matthew didn’t want you, nobody would.”
I give him a slight nod. “It’s hard not to believe them when they’re the people I’ve trusted the most ever since I was a kid. Dad used to tell me a man should love more than just my looks; that I was a Baldwin and I was worth more than most men put together.”
“He wasn’t wrong,” Dominic says.
“When I was a kid, I believed him,” I sigh deeply. “But then he passed away, and I was left with?—”
“Helen and Crystal brainwashing you into thinking less of yourself,” he says, picking up on my thoughts as I finish the last of my fries and tempura. “The thing about clarity, Phoebe, is that once you get it, no one can take it away from you. Once you come into your own power and recognize the woman you’ve become, there’s nothing they can say to make you feel like you’re less than.”
“It’s kind of hard, though,” I reply. “They’re my family.”
Theo shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. They’re still people, and people are deeply flawed. Selfish. They say hurtful things tomake themselves feel better. You can love your family while also loving and protecting yourself.”
“You’re starting to sound like Penny,” I say with a laugh. “Next, you’re going to tell me I need to create boundaries with my mom and sister.”
