“Why do I feel like you’re enjoying this?” Calloway asked.
Nash shrugged. “It’s nice to be on the other side of it this time.”
“Look, I didn’t manipulate Sophie into anything, least of all marrying me. That was all the whiskey. And I have no intention of hurting her. I’m a man of my word, and I’ll stick to my side of our agreement.”
Calloway stood and buttoned his jacket. “You better not make me regret doing business with you, Cox.”
I stood and met his eyes, holding my ground. “You don’t need to threaten me to make sure I do right by Sophie.”
“Good. Then prove me wrong.”
“I plan on it.” I reached out to shake his hand, my mouth turning up in a slight smile. I kind of liked him, too.
How could I not? He’d come down here to bust my balls because he cared about Sophie. I had to respect that.
I shook hands with Nash again. “Let me guess. You’re a scientist of some kind.”
“Research psychology and data analytics.” He adjusted his glasses.
My eyebrows lifted. “Intimacy issues?”
“I call it like I see it,” he said with a half grin. “Although relationship dynamics are complicated.”
“That is a fact.”
“I have this questionnaire that—”
“Corban,” Calloway said, interrupting him.
“Yeah, that’s probably not…” Nash trailed off. “Maybe another time.”
Calloway headed for the door, but Nash paused and patted me on the back. “You did great. I’m rooting for you.”
That made me chuckle. “Thanks, man.”
His friendly smile disappeared. “But seriously. Don’t fuck this up.”
I put my hands up again. “I hear you loud and clear.”
“Good.”
He left and I sank back into my chair. That was not the meeting I’d expected. For some reason, my mom popped into my head. And I had a feeling she would have been on their side.
26
Sophie
My shoelace slapped against the pavement as I jogged, and my shoe felt loose. “Uh-oh, I need to tie my shoe.”
Everly, Hazel, and Nora all came to a stop. We hadn’t been running very fast, just a light jog because Everly was with us. Her baby bump was growing and she looked so cute in her yellow shirt. Hazel checked something on her fancy running watch then took her pulse, while Nora adjusted her ponytail.
I crouched to tie my shoe, then tied the other one so they’d match. I hated it when one shoe was tighter than the other. “Sorry about that.”
“No problem,” Everly said with a smile. She ran her hand down her belly. “I feel like I should walk the rest of the way anyway.”
“Is everything okay?” Hazel asked.
“I’m fine. Just a little tightness in my back.”
“Then we should definitely walk,” Nora said. “We have to take care you and that little princess.”
With my shoes snugly tied, I continued down the sidewalk with my friends. It was a Saturday and the weather was gorgeous—sunny but not too warm. Perfect for a run. I was wearing the Dirty Martini Running Club tank top Nora had gotten us for the half-marathon we’d run together. It was my favorite running shirt.
“So Sophie, how’s married life?” Nora asked with a quick wink.
I snort laughed. Although I kept saying we weren’t really married and this was just a temporary situation, it had also been a solid month since I’d spent a night in my own apartment. There was no denying that Cox and I were a couple.
“Is it weird that I’m dating my Vegas husband?” I asked.
“Stranger things have happened,” Nora said. “Everly married her boss after pretending to date him, and Hazel married her professional nemesis. So why not date your accidental husband?”
“She has a point,” Everly said. “How’s it going with him?”
“Really well, actually. It’s making me nervous.”
“Why?” Everly asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe it seems too good to be true. At first I thought he was just a player who’d love me and leave me. And I didn’t want that. I’ve been screwed over by a guy before.”
“Your ex definitely belongs in the Shitty Ex-boyfriend Hall of Fame,” Nora said.
I sighed. He did, and they didn’t even know the whole story. “He so does. And I don’t want to get hurt again. But underneath all his cocky charm, Cox is a great guy. We have fun together and even when he’s busy with work, he makes time for me. It feels like this is turning into a serious relationship. Maybe I’m just nervous because he’s the last man I expected to fall for.”
“He did pull your hair when you were kids,” Hazel said.
“I bet he still pulls her hair,” Nora said. “Only now she wants him to. Does he live up to his name?”
“What do you mean?”
“Cox,” she said, enunciating the word slowly.
I laughed softly. “It’s spelled with an X, not c-o-c-k-s.”
“I know.”
Hazel’s brow furrowed. “The homophone cocks ends with an S, implying cock in the plural. You’re not suggesting he has multiple penises, are you?”
Nora laughed. “I love it when you get literal. No, I was just trying to be clever in asking if Cox has a big dick and knows how to use it.”
My cheeks warmed a little, but I couldn’t help but smile. “He lives up to his name. And then some.”
“Get it, girl.” Nora lifted her hand for a high five.
I tried to slap her hand with mine but missed and almost tripped. She stopped walking and gave me a stationary target. This time, my palm hit hers.
“Oh my god, I almost forgot,” Everly said. “I need your help. We’ve been working with an animal rescue organization and their biggest fundraiser is a doggie fashion show.”
“What’s a doggie fashion show?” Nora asked.
“It sounds adorable,” I said. “Is it like little dogs modeling sweaters and doggie costumes?”
“Not exactly,” Everly said. “They partner with Lulu Shay; she’s a clothing designer and animal lover. Volunteer models wear the clothes and they walk the runway with rescue dogs. I helped out last year and it’s so fun. Anyway, they need a few more volunteers to be models. The clothes won’t fit me with this belly, but I told them I could probably find a few people.”
“That would be an interesting experience,” Hazel said. “And an animal rescue organization is certainly a worthy cause.”
“I’m in, but are you sure the clothes will fit?” Nora grabbed her boobs. “I have bigger ta-tas than your average runway model.”
I glanced down at my own cleavage. “Um, yeah, I’d be happy to, but I won’t fit in model sizes.”
“Oh, no,” Everly said. “Lulu makes clothes for all sizes and the models are all volunteers—just normal people like us, not actual runway models. They plan for that and bring tons of clothes in different sizes so everyone can find something that fits.”