Chapter 21. Let’s Talk About the Concept of a Platonic Relationship
Let’s Talk About the Concept of a Platonic Relationship
The venue for the third wedding was a breathtaking, renovated eighteenth-century convent that looked as if it had been plucked off the pages of a magical fairy tale.
The estate was probably around twenty acres, with manicured gardens, a beautiful chapel, and a grand, old mansion with heritage architecture, which had been converted into a function space, where the reception was held.
It gave off a tranquil vibe and painted the most romantic image for the wedding.
Rob’s cousin, Evie, was the bride, and this union was another success story of Rob’s matchmaking efforts. The ceremony was small and intimate, but the reception was a full-blown celebration, and the ballroom was packed with people wearing pretty dresses and sharp suits.
I smiled my thanks at a server who was bringing drinks around and chose a champagne flute, as I watched Rob, who was squatting down to talk to his niece.
Today he wore a white shirt with the sleeves slightly rolled up and gray dress slacks that snugly hugged his long legs, with his gray suit jacket draped over his left arm.
He had picked me up earlier, and from the moment we arrived, there was no shortage of high fives and backslaps from various members of his extended family.
It was so lovely to see, because I’d never experienced anything like that.
His cousins, aunties and uncles, and everyone he ran into always stopped to talk with him.
He chatted with all of them and asked questions about their jobs, their kids, about anything and everything in the other person’s life.
A few of his married cousins brought their young children along, and they gave him high fives and called him “Uncle Robbob,” and it was impressive how well-versed he was in monster trucks, Bluey, and Mario Kart.
It was fucking adorable.
I waited until he had finished talking to his niece, who was squealing with excitement as Rob promised to come by to watch the My Little Pony movie with her.
“I didn’t know you speak fluent Toddlerese,” I said as his niece ran off to find her parents.
“I’m an expert. They don’t call me the funcle for nothing.”
“You’re great with your niece and nephews,” I said. “And they all obviously adore you.”
“They’re the best.” His face turned wistful. “I can’t wait to have kids of my own one day. It’ll be so much fun making memories with them and sharing all the important milestones of their lives—their first steps, first words, teaching them how to play catch, going on road trips together.”
An image of Rob as a father suddenly popped into my mind, and I didn’t know why the thought made me a little hot all over. “I think you’ll make a wonderful dad.”
“I don’t know about that, but I sure as hell will do my best.” He broke into a grin. “For now, I get to play with them and give them back to their parents when they’re tired and cranky. There’s a perk to being the only unmarried sibling in the family.”
“Are they all here?” I glanced around the room, nerves suddenly churning in my stomach. “Your siblings?”
“Yeah. Amanda flew in this morning, and Alexandra drove down yesterday. They’ll be here for a week, which is nice, because I haven’t seen them both in a while.
” He lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret.
“My siblings often have no filter, so if they say something that offends you, ignore them and move on.”
“Got it.”
“They don’t do it to everyone, only to the people I introduce to the family. Make sure those people pass muster.”
“That sounds scary.” It sounded wonderful. I would kill to have siblings who would put someone through the wringer to make sure they were good enough for me.
“It’s not, but they can be a lot. But you can handle them.” He grinned at me. “By the way, watch me tell them off, it’s really sexy.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right.”
Rob raised his eyebrows, his eyes dancing with amusement. “That sounds like you don’t believe me. That I can be sexy? Or that I can tell my older siblings off? Because I can totally do both.”
“Okay, fine, I believe you.” I bit back a grin. “You’re always sexy in everything you do. Your walk is sexy, your laugh is sexy. You even make breathing look sexy. Happy?”
“It’ll be more convincing if you look a bit more enthusiastic when you’re saying it.”
“I can even feel your sexiness from a mile away. Whenever you enter a room. When I’m talking to you on the phone.” I dropped my voice lower, trying to sound sultry, although to my ears, it was so low I could probably have passed for a creepy serial killer. “Even your text messages ooze sexiness.”
Rob was laughing now. “Okay, you can stop.”
“But what if I don’t want to stop? What if I want to explore and find out what other parts of you are sexy?
” I bit on my bottom lip—not aiming for a suggestive look, but more to stop myself from laughing—then stepped closer, leaving only a few inches between us, and slowly trailed my fingers up his arm.
“And, oh Lord, these arms. And your hands. They’re probably the sexiest part of your body.
And your long, lean fingers. Imagine the things you can do with them.
The pleasure you can bring. Damn. Just the thought gets me so hot and bothered.
” I made a low moan and leaned in, my lips only a whisper of a breath away from the shell of his ear, as my fingers moved to trace a path on his chest. “So hot. I bet you work out so many times in a week, because this hard, strong, lean body doesn’t become drool-worthy on its own, am I right? ”
He sucked in a breath, and I had a feeling that my little stunt might have backfired on me, because we were practically chest to chest, and the feel of his warm skin underneath my fingertips was doing wild, unexplainable things to my insides, and I didn’t want to stop, because touching him felt like the most natural thing in the world, and I found myself wishing that we were somewhere else right now.
Somewhere private.
Just the two of us.
So I could find out what those strong hands of his could actually do.
There was no reply, so I glanced up, and Rob was watching me, his gaze burning into mine, looking like he was sharing the same thoughts as me.
I cleared my throat and took a step back. “There. Convincing enough?”
“Fuck yes.” His laugh was low and husky, sending more chaos churning inside my stomach. “I can’t remember who was trying to convince who of what, but I’m sold.”
“Great.” I needed a few minutes to catch my breath. “I’m going to the restroom, okay?”
“Yeah.” He let out a long breath. “I guess we should probably find Aiden when you come back, huh?”
Oh. I hadn’t even thought about Aiden because I’d been having too much fun spending time with him. “Good idea.”
When I returned a few minutes later, he was surrounded by a group of people who were laughing and talking over each other, in a way that showed they were completely comfortable with one another.
I recognized their faces from the photos in his house, so I began to walk away, not wanting to disturb him, but it was too late.
Rob gave me a wave, and the people he was talking to all turned to watch me, looking curious.
When I blinked next, he was already heading in my direction, followed by his mom and all five of his siblings.
“Everyone, this is Kim, a good friend of mine.” He tugged on my hand and pulled me closer to him. “Kim, these are my siblings. This is Alexandra. The tall blonde is Amanda, and the one next to her is Jennifer. That’s Paul, and Kylie, and you’ve already met my mom.”
His mom took one hand off her crutches and pulled me into a hug, and there were choruses of “Hello, Kim” and “Good to meet you” and one baffled voice saying, “She’s already met Mom?”
“Lovely to meet you,” Alexandra said. “When Robbie told the group chat he’s bringing a date to the wedding, we all got very curious.”
Rob made a strangled sound from next to me. “She’s not my date. I told you all already, I’m helping Kim meet some single people. I’m introducing her to Aiden, Evie’s friend.”
“You’re single,” another sibling—Amanda?—pointed out, a smirk on her face, before giving me a grin, telling me that they were just winding him up.
“Listen.” Rob raised a finger. “I can show up at a wedding with a woman that is my friend and we don’t have to have a romantic relationship between us. Can we all take a minute to let that concept sink in?”
“We can. We just choose not to,” the last sibling he introduced, Kylie, answered with a serious look on her face. “We spoke on the phone, Kim. When you asked for references for Rob’s matchmaking experience.”
“Yes. And Paul, too.”
The man who looked like he could be Rob’s twin nodded. “We did.”
“We’ve heard so much about you,” the brunette—Jennifer?—quipped. “You’re the first woman he’s brought to a family event since Lucy, so we all went into a collective flip-out.”
His ex. The other reason I was here.
“Paul did a bit of digging into your background and we all approve,” Amanda said.
“Nothing too extensive,” Paul assured me when he saw me flinch. “Just a routine background check to confirm you’re not a deranged psycho who might hurt our brother.”
“I’m not going to hurt him. We’re not in a relationship or anything.” I snuck a quick glance at Rob. “We’re just friends.”
“That’s how the best relationships start.” Amanda nodded. “As friends.”
“But remember, Robbie,” Kylie chimed in. “You don’t need a partner to live your life, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, okay?”
“What are you talking about? This is Robbie,” Paul said. “He’s the hopeless romantic, remember? He’s going to find someone. It’s not if, it’s when.”
His mom gave me an apologetic smile. “Robbie’s never offered to matchmake anyone outside of our extended family before. So of course there was a huge fuss when he told us that he’s helping you find someone.”