Chapter 8 #2
I open my mouth to answer, but I come up with nothing. Bash smirks and hands me his other unwrapped protein bar before he walks away.
I convince Addison to come back to church the next morning. She’s had a perfectly valid excuse for missing the past four months: her baby hardly being able to get through thirty minutes without shrieking at a high pitch, but I’m hopeful this time will be better.
“Alright, Marina. We’re going to practice staying calm today.” Addison gently rocks the car seat her daughter is napping in. We’re already in our seats near the back of the room. This way, it will be easy for Addison to make a hasty escape if Marina starts wailing during a quiet moment.
Her husband, Perry, is talking to Logan in one of the aisles after dropping his four other kids off at their Sunday school class.
“Have you ever thought about dating Logan?” Addison asks in a hushed tone.
I wrinkle my nose. “Me?”
“Yeah. It’s hard to imagine someone more perfect for you, to be honest.”
I want to laugh at her suggestion. “No. Logan is like a brother to me. Besides, I don’t want to date anyone, Addy. Ever again.”
A deep V forms between her brows. “I know things ended badly with Cole, but?—”
“I’m happy alone. Trust me. I’d rather have an extra groomer on staff than a man, any day.
Maybe then I could take some time off work.
” The words feel ridiculous as I say them.
Because the things I used to dream of, like a husband and children, are what I used to want a surplus of free time for in the first place.
Working has become my way of filling that void, if anything.
Without distractions, the loneliness always creeps in.
She worries her lip, staring past me. And then she squints. “Wait…who is that ? The blond guy Logan is introducing to Perry?”
I don’t even need to look to know who she’s talking about, but I peek anyway.
I see him standing there, his relaxed, hulking form, looking bored and mischievous. Those cuffed sleeves of his dress shirt straining against his muscled forearms, forcing my gaze to reluctantly linger on all his tattoos. His smirk. His eyes. His?—
“They’re coming over here.” Addison bounces in her seat. “Hurry and explain before they get too close.”
“What makes you think I know him?”
She gives me a withering look. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that you spend more time at church than at home. You know everyone who steps foot in here.”
She has a point. “Fine. His name is Sebastian Black, but he goes by Bash. He’s my new dog bather at The Paw Spa.”
Her jaw drops. “ That’s him? The one who called you beautiful?” And then a dreamy undertone creeps into her voice. “And he has tattoos?”
“Yes.”
“Look at that face. He’s so handsome.”
I shrug. “He’s…decent to look at.”
“Ugh, his tortured soul. You would fix everything.”
“Okay.” I elbow her. “First of all, we have no idea if he even has a tortured soul. Second of all, we’re at church. Stop with the match-making.”
“Sorry…I’m hardcore failing at thinking straight at the moment. Please try again later.”
I laugh. “ Addison .”
“Okay, fine. I’ll stop. But just know that he’s currently tied for second-place of Most Handsome Man I’ve Ever Seen.”
“You have a list?”
“Of course. Perry is the most handsome. Logan has been second since I met him…but now it’s a tie between him and Sebastian.”
“Bash,” I say. “He goes by Bash.”
“Even better.”
I don’t get to fire a retort at her, because the three men approach us.
I can’t deny, seeing Bash here, regarding me with playful interest makes my insides stir.
Don’t look at me like that , I want to say.
But instead, I return his stare with my most saccharine smile.
“Thought church wasn’t your thing anymore. ”
“Guess I found something to make it interesting.”
Our mini audience is silent, but I can practically feel the collective amusement of Addison, Perry, and Logan as they process my exchange with Bash.
Perry finally breaks the tension and sits beside Addison. His arm gently slides around her waist as he leans down to smile at Marina. “Hey, sweet girl,” he murmurs. “Please stay asleep this time.”
We all laugh.
“Do you all have room over here for two more?” Logan asks, eyeing the empty seats next to me.
I gesture to my right for them to sit, even though my stomach flips at the idea of Bash sitting next to me. I half expect Logan to sit between us, but Bash takes the seat next to mine.
As Logan squeezes in on Bash’s other side, Bash leans down to whisper in my ear. “Shouldn’t you be up there, singing?”
The way his cool, minty breath caresses my cheek makes me want to lean in closer. “Not this week.”
“What a shame. You have a beautiful voice.”
“Thanks.” A bead of warmth appears in my chest at the compliment, but I push it away.
The lights dim, and the worship team appears, Hadley leading the set this week.
Bash remains silent throughout the service, but he rests his arm between us at one point, and I have a very hard time not noticing all the swirling patterns of his tattoos.
For the first time, I’m close enough to see what they are.
Well…briefly, without staring. I can’t help but notice he has a cross on each forearm, blending with the rest of his ink.
This close, it’s also impossible to ignore how good he smells, despite the faint cigarette scent masked beneath.
Somehow, Marina makes it through without crying, and with Addison’s permission, I lift her out of her car seat while we all make our way to the outdoor seating area after service. I’m overly aware of Bash walking beside me, but I try to ignore him.
“You are the cutest baby I’ve ever seen,” I tell Marina. I gently tap her little nose, and she wiggles, accidentally yanking her bow out of her dark, wavy hair. She has Addison’s wide brown eyes and Perry’s olive complexion.
“To be fair, Enzo was pretty adorable as a baby,” says Perry. “But I’m probably biased.”
“I bet Romilly was a stunning baby because she was in so many pageants growing up,” says Addison. Somehow, the statement seems directed specifically at Bash. “She’s always been pretty, in fact. Beautiful, even.”
Perry gives her a funny smile, but I glare at her. I know what she’s doing. She’s referring to that text I sent her about Bash calling me beautiful.
Bash shoves his hands in his pockets. Looking directly at me, he smiles. “That doesn’t surprise me.”
I want to run to my car and hide. But years of pageants and philanthropy have taught me how to hide my thoughts and smile like I’m unbothered. “How kind. If you’ll excuse me, I’d better get going.”
I hand Marina to Perry, and Addison shakes her head at me like she’s disappointed I’m not going to endure any more of her blatant match-making attempts.
As I hasten to the parking lot, the past few minutes replay in my head.
It’s impossible not to let Addison’s implication affect me.
Now I’m imagining what it would be like to date Bash, and it’s annoying how appealing the idea is to me.
Especially since he’s the opposite of the kind of guy I’d typically go for—someone safe, reliable, and stable.
And even men like that can’t be trusted.
But I know the problem isn’t Addison, it’s that with every interaction I have with Bash, the sturdy brick wall I put up just seems to keep crumbling.