Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 67973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“Is this Parker’s daughter?” I asked, remembering that Samuel mentioned his stepson had a little girl and a baby boy on the way.
“Yes.” Morgan’s eyes sparkled with delight. “She’s three years old and a little angel.”
“I’m close with my nieces, too,” I said, sharing something we had in common—a tight family bond. “My brother Noah has a set of twins, and they are probably the coolest kids ever.”
Morgan laughed, a much more light-hearted sound that seemed to fill my chest with warmth. “Not that you’re biased or anything.”
“Maybe,” I admitted, and shrugged. “But you should meet these girls. Dylan is a girly girl. She loves dance and all things pink. And glitter. The girl is always covered in it, I swear. Every time I drive her somewhere, I’m vacuuming the stuff out of my car for days. And her sister Dakota is so smart, although she has this slightly disturbing habit of talking about death all the time.”
Morgan tilted her head to the side. “Okay, you’re going to have to explain that one.”
“Her mom, Charlie, is an archeologist. Dakota completely idolizes her and is fixated on the human remains side of her mom’s occupation. So, she’s always dropping these random facts about death.”
Morgan watched me for a moment, a smile on her lips. “Wow. Your face really lights up when you talk about them.”
It struck me how easy things suddenly felt between us. A simple truce, and the tension from earlier had slipped away, replaced by something relaxed and comfortable. The moment felt almost like…a date.
Which it wasn’t.
I reached for a plate coming toward us on the conveyor belt at the same exact moment Morgan reached for it, too. Our fingers brushed, and we both pulled away.
“You go ahead,” I said, indicating that she should take the plate.
She grabbed the dish and slid two of the four sushi rolls onto mine before glancing at me with a smile. “We’ll share.”
And that made it feel even more like a date. The urge to lean in close to her again was difficult to resist, so I shoved a sushi roll into my mouth and turned to Henry. While we finished eating, I talked to my friend about our favorite football teams—the Giants for me and the Buffalo Bills for him—while the girls chatted on my other side.
It was fully dark outside when we finished dinner and it was time to head to the club. I covered the bill for all four of us despite Morgan’s protests, leaving a large tip for the staff to split as I slid off my stool.
I was ready to put distance between Morgan and me because being near her confused me…and made me crave things I swore I’d stopped believing in years ago. I was starting to feel emotions I hadn’t allowed myself to entertain since Ivy. Like wanting to trust someone again, wanting to show the parts of myself I kept guarded. Wanting something real…and being terrified of what it would cost me if I truly opened myself up to her.
“Come on,” I said to Henry. “Let’s get going.”
But my friend didn’t pick up on the reason for my urgency. He took his time sliding off his stool and putting his jacket on, all while Morgan and Whitney were gathering their things, too. Then, he opened his big, fat mouth.
“Why don’t you girls join us at the club?” he asked.
Fuck.
Morgan hesitated, but Whitney beamed at Henry. “That sounds like so much fun!”
“I don’t know,” Morgan said more hesitantly, glancing at her friend. “I thought this was supposed to be a girls’ night.”
“Yeah, but dancing and drinks and letting loose? That’s exactly what I need to destress,” Whitney said, while simultaneously batting her lashes and pouting. “Let’s go, please?”
Morgan sighed, then glanced back at us. “Okay, sure, so long as we’re not imposing.”
“Not at all,” Henry replied, his gaze on Whitney. “Right, Liam?”
Saying no wasn’t an option, not without looking like an asshole, and the last thing I needed was to draw more attention to whatever was happening between us.
“Yeah,” I said, forcing a smile that felt tighter than I wanted it to. “The more, the merrier.”
Henry shot me a satisfied look, completely oblivious to the fact that he’d just thrown fuel on a fire I was barely managing to contain, despite my friend zone pact with Morgan.
I slid my hands into the pockets of my jacket, resigned to spending the night with the one woman who tested my self-control, and was completely off limits.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Morgan
I wasn’t the type to party every weekend, but I was usually up for a good time whenever my closest friends suggested it. Tonight though, I had serious doubts about whether or not this was a good idea.
I was reluctant to accept Henry’s invitation, but Whitney seemed excited about the idea, and I didn’t want to let her down. I wasn’t sure if she wanted to go because she liked Henry or if she was just eager to let loose a little. She had a serious and tiring job as a physical therapist at a hospital, so I knew that she preferred to enjoy her weekends as much as possible.