“Me either. But this weekend I’m taking you on a real date.”
“No complaints from me.” I take a sip of my drink and bite my sandwich.
We sit and eat, neither of us saying much, but enjoying a sunny day by the river while a few moms and kids feed the ducks nearby.
“I forgot to tell you. I talked to my sister on Sunday about your blog. She loved it and has already told her friends about it. But she noticed that you haven’t posted for a while?”
I turn on the bench to face him. “I was going to abandon it.”
“Why?” His alarm feels complimentary. “It’s great. You can’t just let that go.”
“I’m a ways past college and though I still don’t have my shit together, I don’t feel like I’m qualified to speak on the topic anymore.”
He nods and licks his lips, swallowing down his bite of his sandwich. He places it next to him and pats the spot on the bench between us. When I don’t slide over, he pats it again.
“What?”
“First of all who says you don’t have your shit together?” He swings his arm around my shoulders, his fingers mindlessly running along my bare neck.
“My brothers are all either married or on their way. They have killer careers making money I’ll never see in my lifetime. My best friend has a great career she loves. I just … I haven’t found my place.”
He doesn’t say much so I continue to nibble on my sandwich.
“You changed course, that’s okay. If you were in finance would you be happy?”
“At least I’d be more established.”
“I asked if you’d be happy?” He touches my nose.
“No, that’s why I left.”
He lowers his chin so he’s staring into my eyes and takes my sandwich, placing it down next to me. “Exactly. You’re happy right now. You have a budding career. Mars And Venus isn’t the end all but believe me there are a lot worse jobs you could have in journalism. I should know. Plus, you moved to this great city and have an amazing boyfriend.”
I smile at the warm feeling in my chest. “Are you?”
“What?”
“My boyfriend?”
His eyes stray for a moment, but he returns them to me. “Yes.”
“But we’ve only been…”
“I’m not a casual kind of guy. Never have been. I knew when you came home with me that first night that we wouldn’t be a one-time thing. So yes, I’m your boyfriend. That is if you’ll have me?”
“Well.” I shrug and hem and haw for a moment. He raises his eyebrows. “Of course I’ll have you.”
“Then it’s official. Should we hold hands down the hallway at work to signify we’re a couple?”
I laugh and my head falls into his chest.
“Now, I have some ideas for your blog. Come over tonight and let’s get it updated.”
“Are you sure?”
“Hey, you’re my priority now.” He gives me a PG kiss, acknowledging the families nearby, but I swoon just the same.
Having him as a boyfriend feels great, but the fact that he believes in me and my blog means more.
Chapter Nineteen
Blanca
“He’s not even picking you up?” Sierra asks from her spot on the couch, her iPad open and reading another article about Prince Adrian Marx.
“No. I’m meeting him.”
“Blanca, this isn’t like you.” She shakes her head.
Rian pulls banana bread out of the oven. “What isn’t like her?”
“That smells amazing. Save me a slice?” I say to Rian.
She huffs. “Come home and you’d have ample opportunity to have some, unlike last weekend.”
“Yes, Mom.”
She throws the hot pad at me.
“Blanca is a ‘pick me up on the doorstep holding flowers and give me a goodnight kiss on the front porch’ kind of a girl. She’s not a ‘let’s bang the weekend away with no strings girl.’”
“I never said there weren’t strings. Things are progressing but I’m not sure he’s ready for friend introductions.”
She rolls her eyes and then squeals.
“Guess she’s forgot me already.”
Rian laughs, as the loaf of bread slides perfectly out of the pan onto the cooling rack.
“Prince Adrian Marx is planning a trip to New York!” She stands up and Rian and I exchange a look to say she’s nuts. “I have to find him. I have to at least get an interview.”
“I think you’re hoping for more than an interview,” I say.
Rian giggles and nods in agreement.
“Hell yes. I’m not the ‘goodnight kiss on the front porch girl.’ I’m the ‘bang me every which way you want in your hotel room for however long you want.’”
“Nice, Sierra.” Rian shakes her head at her with a frown.
“It will be nice. As soon as I figure out a way to cross paths with him.”
Knowing her, she will. Not much is an obstacle for Sierra Sanders.
The apartment door opens and Dylan takes a sniff. “What’s that I smell?”
“You’re like a drug dog,” I say and shake my head.
He stops in front of me. “Well, thank you. That’s a huge compliment. Drug dogs are highly intelligent.”
Rian giggles because that’s pretty much all she does when it comes to Dylan? He reaches out for the loaf and she slaps his hand. “It has to cool.”
He takes a chair and flips it around so he’s straddling the back. “Okay. How long?”
I grab my purse and put it crossways over my chest. “I have no idea how you’re not fifty pounds overweight.”
Dylan leans back and pats his trim stomach. “Want to feel my abs, Blanca?”
“Um… no.”
He stands up and lifts his shirt. “Are you sure?” He runs his own hand down his six-pack. I’ll admit they are a nice set of abs which makes me wonder when he puts in the time to achieve them. “I bet they’re better than Mr. Wonderful’s.”
“Nope.”
“Oh.” He whirls around, his shirt dropping before Rian can catch a glimpse and she frowns. “I saw Mr. Wonderful.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “No, you didn’t.”
“Wednesday. She was at Hilda’s with him.”
Sierra isn’t paying attention, her head buried in her iPad.
“What’s he look like?”
“Not as handsome as me.” Dylan winks and there goes Rian’s blush. The difference between her and other women is that hers covers her entire neck too.
“You did not meet him.”
“Almost.” Dylan reaches for the banana bread and Rian smacks his hand again. “Come on. You always let me have the first taste.”
Rian picks up the hot pad off the floor from when she threw it at me.
Dylan glances back to Sierra and then leans forward. “We have a bigger problem,” he says in a low voice.
Rian and I lean in close where the banana bread smell makes it almost unbearable not to tear a piece off.