“I know. The state fair was a nightmare with you. A totally aggravating waste of time.”
I pulled out of the parking lot and opened up the engine a little. I loved this car. “What can I say? I like nice things. That’s why I like Mia. She’s a good woman. The best I’ve ever met. I’m in love with her, Ma.”
I meant that.
“Well.” My mother sounded a little stunned. Which was how I felt most of the time when I thought about Mia. “That’s wonderful. I look forward to meeting her properly, then.”
“Me, too,” I said. I meant that. We said goodbye and then I called Cash. “Hey,” I said, when he answered. “You don’t care if I bring a girl to your place for the Fourth, do you?”
Cash was both chill and hospitable. I knew he’d never say no, but I had to give him the courtesy of asking.
“No, of course not. Is this a woman you like or just someone you’re having sex with?”
“I like all the women I have sex with,” I said mildly, shifting gears to get on the expressway. That statement probably wasn’t true, but I was sticking to it. Besides, that was all the past. My future was Mia. “But this is a girlfriend. I’m in love with her, bro.”
Cash whistled. “Damn. I didn’t expect to hear you say that anytime soon.”
He didn’t ask who it was and I didn’t tell him. None of the guys were going to think falling in love with Mia was one of my better ideas. “Can’t let Dak and Train have all the fun, can I?”
“You’re getting married?” Cash sounded downright shocked.
That hadn’t been what I’d meant, but the idea held a hell of a lot of appeal. “You never know. You just never know.”
“Vegas odds?” he asked.
That made me laugh. “Then I’d bet money on it.”
* * *
Mia and I were walking past the Bellagio fountains. I was always going to look at them now and think of the night we met. They were as vibrant as Mia. As my feelings for her. Hell, as we watched the water explode up in the air to music, I thought there were a lot of comparisons, some dirty, some not.
“What’s with that look on your face?” she asked. “I feel like you’re thinking about sex.”
“I one hundred percent am thinking about sex. Who could look at this and not?”
Mia shook her head, but she was smiling. “I’m positive a lot of people don’t. Does that mean they night we met you were thinking about sex?”
“Uh, yeah. From the minute I found a vibrator in your bag I was thinking about sex non-stop.”
She laughed. “Me too.”
“Damn. And yet you played so hard to get.”
“I don’t think going home with you was playing hard to get. By the way, now that I know that is your actual apartment, why didn’t you have a Christmas tree?” she asked.
I glanced away from the fountain display to her. I shrugged. “It’s a busy time of the year for me with the season wrapping up. It’s a lot of work to do for just me and I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t even know how to start decorating a tree. My mother always did that. I wasn’t allowed to touch her trees.”
“You could probably buy one fully decorated.”
“What would be the fun in that?” I asked. “Nah. I figured I’ll wait until I have someone to decorate a tree with me.” I brushed her hair back off her cheek. “And now I do.”
“Then why did you buy an ornament that night?” she asked, staring up at me with luminous eyes.
I wanted to kiss every single one of her delicate freckles and lift her off the ground into my arms. But I resisted the urge.
There was no reason not to be honest. “It felt like a beginning. The start to a you and me.”
Her voice was soft. “You are a very romantic man, did anyone ever tell you that?”
“Nope.” That was the truth. “I haven’t had a lot of relationships.”
“I don’t think I want to hear about your playboy days out on the town with your boys.”
“Oh, trust me, I wasn’t going to tell you.” I wasn’t a total idiot. “When was your last relationship?”
“Five years ago. We were together for two years and then he moved back to Pennsylvania when his Vegas dreams didn’t come true. It wasn’t a dramatic ending. Just a fizzle when we couldn’t make long-distance work.”
“That’s a shame.”
She laughed. “You don’t sound the least bit sincere right now.”
“What can I say? If he had been amazing, you wouldn’t be here with me right now. So fuck him. His loss, my gain. Same for the fool who stood you up the night we met. What was his name?”
“I don’t even remember.”
She looked like she was telling the truth. She had too much going on in her life to retain the name of someone who had been an unreliable prick.
“How’s your mom doing, by the way?” I asked.
“She’s fine. She’s not as grumpy as she was the first day or two. I’m grateful Christina can keep an eye on her tonight.”
“That’s good. It’s a big change for all of you. I’m grateful for Christina too, by the way. I feel like I need to send her a fruit basket or something.”
Mia laughed. “That’s not necessary. We’re best friends. We help each other when we can without expecting anything. I’ve watched Kadin a bunch of times for her. It’s a good arrangement for both of us.”
“That’s awesome. Having solid friends is everything.”
“It is. I can’t believe I met your friends the way I did. They must think it’s weird that we’re dating.”
I shrugged. “Nah. They’ve all had their fair share of interesting stories with women.” I also hadn’t told any of them yet, but she didn’t need to know that. “Cash is cool with you coming with me to his ranch for the Fourth.”
“I’m looking forward to it. I miss the country.”
I reached over and took Mia’s hand as we walked. It felt natural to entwine our fingers together. She was wearing a short dress that showed off her legs, and for once, she’d left her giant handbag at home. She was carrying a small square beige purse. “Amelia misses you, by the way. She’ll be happy you’re staying over tonight.”
“How is that little girl? I miss her too.”
“She’s chewing everything in sight. And I may be turning into a sucker, because the last couple of nights I brought her into bed with me when she wouldn’t stop crying.”
“James,” Mia said, giving me a look of reprimand.
“I’m not a disciplinarian like you are,” I said, not even bothering to defend myself. “I fold. Cave. Crumple. I probably would have bought Margaret a six-pack by now if she was my mother.”
“My mother does not need beer, so don’t let her work you over. She’s settled in and watching her shows, but I do think she’s bored. I caught her downloading a dating app.” Mia shook her head. “Which she has every right to do. She’s an adult. But that just gives me another reason to worry. She has terrible taste in men.”