“Yeah, I wanted to call to make sure she and Tyler are still planning to meet us at the restaurant, and to tell her about meeting up with my dad this morning.”
“What’d she say about that?”
“She’s glad I finally talked to him,” I reply, grabbing a bag of chips from the pantry and two Cokes from the fridge while he smears mayo on four pieces of dark bread, then piles them high with turkey and swiss cheese. I go to the fridge and grab a jar of sweet dill pickles and hand it to him, making him smile. “Also, my dad sent me a text.” His gaze comes to me. “Hopefully, that means today actually did get through to him.”
“Only time will tell, sweetheart.” He cuts both sandwiches in half, then places each on a plate. “Let’s eat in the bedroom.”
“Is that code for something else?” I wink, grabbing the chips and drinks and listening to him as he laughs.
“I wish. Unfortunately, I only have time to eat lunch with you,” he says as I get onto his bed. He hands me a plate before sitting next to me. “I have to go to Twilight to take care of a few last-minute things.”
I take a bite of my sandwich and groan in approval. Once I’ve chewed and swallowed, I ask, “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“No, everything is covered.” He leans over to give me a kiss, then reaches for his Coke. He takes a sip, and I notice he’s already half-finished with his sandwich, making my heart sink, because that means he will be leaving me soon.
“I really hate that you have to leave.”
At my statement, his eyes come to me, and whatever he sees in my expression makes his face soften. “Sorry, baby.” He drops his plate to his side table, then removes mine from my lap and places his face close to mine. “I can’t wait until this shit is over.”
“The holidays?” I ask, and he shakes his head, searching my gaze.
“No, the leaving you in bed all the time.”
“Me too,” I agree; then his mouth covers mine, and a simple kiss turns into a make-out session and a really quick quickie before he leaves me in bed, our half-eaten sandwiches forgotten as he goes to get ready for work.
When he comes out dressed, I’m lying on my stomach dozing, and he kisses my bare shoulder, making me smile. “Thanks for the sandwich and the orgasm,” I say.
He chuckles, kissing my temple, and then orders, “Sleep, and I’ll be back to wake you with plenty of time for you to get ready for dinner.”
“Okay,” I agree, already half-asleep, with my eyes drooping closed.
“Love you,” I hear, and then I listen to the rattle of plates, the door closing, and LeFou jumping up onto the bed as he curls against my side. I pass out two seconds later, and I do it with a smile on my face.
Standing on a small platform above the crowded club, I smile when I hear Leah giggle. “She’s good,” she says, referring to Gaston’s mom, who is currently flirting with one of the young, very attractive male waiters, Allen, who’s been taking care of us since we got here.
“She really is.” I watch the waiter lean in to whisper something in her ear, and I wonder how Gaston would feel if he were to see what was happening right now between his mom and one of his employees.
“I think she and Gram might have been separated at birth,” Leah says, referring to her grandmother, whose love life is still very, very active.
I laugh so hard tears fill my eyes and then look at my best friend. “I think we should ask them to do a DNA test.”
“Right.” She grins as she studies me, and then her hand wraps around mine, and her face sobers. “I know I said this earlier, while we were at the restaurant, but I want to say it again. I’m happy for you. Gaston is awesome and so very perfect for you.”
“Thank you,” I say through the tightness in my throat as she pulls me in for a hug.
I hug her back tightly, rocking her back and forth. I feel someone nearby, so I let her go and find one of the other VIP waitresses, Samantha, a beautiful woman with long black hair, holding a tray with a single glass of champagne. “This is for you,” she tells me, and I wonder who sent the glass. All evening, she and our waiter have been bringing glasses of alcohol to each of us randomly on the VIP platform from people partying on the club floor.
“Thank you. That’s sweet, but I’m cutting myself off until I get home,” I tell her, leaving out that I already had two glasses of wine at dinner and a glass since I’ve been here. I know if I drink any more, I will be snoozing on the couch Sam and Chris are currently sitting on. She nods like she understands, and not a second later, Gaston’s mom walks up and takes the glass, smiling.
“She’s cut herself off, but I haven’t done the same.” She tips the glass back and swallows half of it in one gulp before finishing it and placing the empty glass back on Samantha’s tray.
I laugh when she grins, and then I look down when she holds out her hand toward me. “Let’s dance.”
“Um . . .” I look to Leah for help, and she smiles at me right before she gasps, because Rita grabs her hand along with mine, then drags us off the VIP platform and down into the crowd of people dancing to the music the live DJ is playing. With no other choice, I dance with Gaston’s mom, whom I’m falling in love with, and my best friend for a few songs.
I feel eyes on me when the music starts to change to something I’m not even sure how to move to, and I look up to the platform and find Gaston watching me with a look of amused frustration and Tyler looking at his wife with the same expression on his handsome face. I know their look has to do with the group of men who have been attempting to get us to dance with them for the last few minutes. I get Leah’s attention, then point in the guys’ direction, and she giggles before grabbing Rita’s hand and urging her to follow us. Once we reach the VIP platform, the scary-looking security guard standing at the bottom of the steps lifts the red rope, letting us through.
I take the bottle that my brother, who is standing next to Sam, holds out to me, and I notice both of them looking highly amused as they glance at Gaston. I roll my eyes at them as I twist off the top of the water bottle and take a sip.
“Are you having fun?” Gaston whispers into my ear, and I look at him over my shoulder as his arms circle my waist.
“Yes.” I smile, turning in his arms, and I rest my hands, including the one still grasping the bottle, against his chest as I see his mom smile at us. “I love your mom. She’s awesome.”
“It’s good you think that, since she feels the same,” he says, taking the bottle from me and passing it to Chris.
“You think so?” I ask, and he grins.
“The moment she got me alone this afternoon after her nap, she was on my ass about my intentions, sweetheart.”
“What?” I breathe, pressing myself impossibly closer to him.
He smiles, tucking some of my hair behind my ear. “My mom might not have wanted to get married or be tied down, but that doesn’t mean she wants the same for me.” He leans closer, so close I feel his breath whisper across my lips as he speaks. “She’s been champing at the bit for grandkids since I moved out on my own. She’s kept that under wraps, but after spending the afternoon with you, she’s been asking when we’re going to give her little ones to spoil.”