Page 24 of Unpredictable
“No one.” I pushed off the grass, the rising sun casting my shadow over him, making me appear larger than life.
“Oh.” He pointed to his nose and gave me a knowing grin. “I see. You’re going to hook up with someone there.”
I shook my head. “I’m not hooking up with anyone, Reg.”
“I know.” His expression turned serious. “And that’s the problem.”
“It’s not a problem.”
He stared at me, slack-jawed, before shaking his head. “I know you have the hots for me,” he teased. “But I’m taken.” He flashed me his wedding band.
“Even if I were interested in you—which I’m not—I’m terrified of Jas.”
He held a hand up to the side of his mouth and whispered, “Me too.”
We both laughed, even though we knew it was true. Jas was one of the best people I’d ever met, but you did not want to piss her off. Like, ever.
“What about Elena?”
I shook my head. “Not this again. I told you, I’m not interested in Elena—not like that.” Our friends had been trying to hook us up for ages. She was nice enough, but I didn’t feel anything for her. There was no zing. No spark. It was nothing like my feelings toward Juliana.
Whoa. Where did that thought come from?
“Who, then? Take your pick,” he said, glancing around. “No fewer than six women have stopped to ogle you. One nearly ran into a palm tree because she was watching you instead of where she was going.”
I chuckled, wiping my hand over my face. “You want to hear something funny?”
“What’s that?” He lifted his shirt, using the hem to wipe his forehead.
“Juliana, the wedding planner—she thought I was the groom.” I laughed, recalling her face when she’d discovered the truth. Her cheeks had flushed with color, reminding me of a rose in bloom. Reminding me of when I’d made her come. “Can you believe she thought I was marrying a woman twenty years younger than me?”
“And that surprises youwhy?” Reg asked, and I stared at him like he had three heads. “You’re handsome. Well-mannered. A former NFL player. Rich. And as if all that wasn’t enough to make a woman’s ovaries explode, you’re a single dad.”
I scoffed. “Yeah. Okay. I wasn’t being modest. But thanks for the ego boost.”
He shook his head and laughed, pushing off the ground as well. “I can totally see you with a younger woman.”
“You can?” My mind immediately jumped to Juliana. She was younger than me, beautiful, successful. I shook my head to clear it. “Because I’m not sure I can picture myself with any woman, let alone a younger one.”
“Maybe that’s the problem,” Reg said as we walked down the sidewalk. “You need to open up your mind to the possibilities.”
“Nah. I’m good.”
“Alone? In that big-ass house?” He frowned, and it felt like he was disappointed in me. “You don’t even have a dog, man.”
“So?” I shook it off. “I like my solitude.”
It wasn’t like I hadn’t been with women over the years—I wasn’t a saint. But there had never been time for dating; I’d never made time for dating. What was the point? Most women wanted marriage, children—things I couldn’t give them. And I refused to be like Cam—every event, she had a new man at her side. Olivia would never admit it, but I could tell it embarrassed her.
“You’re so full of shit.” He nudged me with his shoulder. “Don’t tell me you honestly believe that.”
I shrugged. “I don’t want some woman taking over my house. How would Livie feel?”
“Livieis a grown-ass woman with a house of her own. Stop putting your life on hold and start living for yourself.”
“I’m too old for this shit.”
“For what? Love? Companionship? A relationship? With the way you take care of yourself, you could live another forty years. Do you honestly want to spend it alone?”
