Round Fifteen #2
“He won’t break his leg, since he’ll have actual adult supervision for once in his life.” She finishes the knot and smooths the fabric across my chest. “If you’ve paid your son to make a call, or worse, break a bone on command, I will hurt you.”
“But I don’t want to do this.” A long, pained groan rolls from the depths of my throat and out to feather her hair back. “I never wanted to do this, Magnolia.”
“You have to. You won the prize.”
“I don’t care about the damn prize!” I clap my hand over hers, trapping it in place. “I’m not looking for love. I’ve told you a hundred times already. I don’t want a new mom for my son. I have no intention of marrying again, and sex is easy to come by if you know where to look.”
Her kind eyes transform into a fucking glare.
“You think the entire world is searching for love, Magnolia. Like the happily ever after is everyone’s end goal, but it’s not mine.
Tried it, bought the t-shirt, now I use the t-shirt as a dust rag when I clean on the weekends.
You’re wasting my time, your time, and Brienne’s time, too, because she’s driving an hour out of her way for a date with a man who isn’t actually interested. ”
“Just try!” She smacks my arm, the strength behind the solid thump surprising my heart into skipping a beat. “You complaining about my job is like me complaining about yours. Why even arrest them, Billy? They’ll just do the same bad thing again next week.”
“You—”
“Why even stop that person from robbing a bank? Someone else, somewhere else, is robbing a bank right now and getting away with it.”
“Mag—”
“Why stop people from speeding? They’ll speed the second you stop looking.”
I snap my lips closed and wait her out.
“Why even have police, since crime is as old as time? You’ll never eliminate crime completely, so why even bother?”
“You done?”
She fingers the edges of my collar, carefully folding them down until a million goosebumps race along my skin.
“You see how annoying all the complaining is? Of course you don’t want to go on this date, you don’t even know Brienne yet.
But someday, whether it’s her or someone else, the one is gonna stroll into your life again, and you’ll be damn glad you had your eyes open when that time comes. ”
“But I already met my one,” I growl. “Remember? I’ve done all the things already. Marriage. Babies. Funerals,” I add bitterly. “Just because you ditched town two and a half decades ago doesn’t mean it never happened.”
“Do you—” She lowers her hands and releases a heavy breath. “Does it feel like I’m trying to erase Aria? Because that’s not what I’m trying to do, Billy. I swear it’s not—”
“No, that’s not what I think. And stop looking at me like I kicked you in the guts.” I lay my thumb over the line between her brows and smooth her frown away. “Aria’s been gone a long time. She wouldn’t begrudge me trying again.”
“Right! So—”
“But you’re in the business of love, and I’m not looking for anything except a warm body to spend a little time with. Because…” I set my hand on her shoulder. “Remember that shirt I already bought?”
“But, Billy—”
“Women want marriage and forever. They want babies and Labradors and white picket fences.” I shake my head.
“I’m never marrying again, and I’m definitely not making babies again.
Even if I meet the most amazing human on the planet, I won’t put a baby in her belly.
The last woman I did that to, died for it. ”
Maggie’s eyes glitter with grief. “Billy… that wasn’t—”
“It’s a firm line for me, Magnolia. It’s never happening, so while you’re over here lecturing me about how I should just try, you’re making promises to these other women I refuse to fulfill.
That makes you the asshole. Brienne’s driving an entire hour to me, assuming that our intentions align.
But they don’t, and there’s only one person in this room right now lying about it all. That person is not me.”
With my palm still on her delicate shoulder, I extend my thumb across and drag her abused bottom lip from between her teeth.
“You think I’m the biggest jackass in town, and that’s cool.
I don’t mind the shitty reputation, and I especially enjoy pissing you off.
But I am the way I am… that’s never going to change.
You’d have more luck working with someone like Troop.
He’s charming, he’s ready to settle down, and if you pull your focus off me, you could probably walk away from this mess without that one star review I’m half tempted to write. ”
“But—”
“And since you’re single… and I’m single…”
Her eyes narrow to fiery slits.
“And since we live insanely close to each other, that means we could revisit the warm body discussion. I know things have been rough since you came back to town. You’ve been busy settling in, and I’ve been busy dodging your attacks on my general existence.
I like to think that the way we argue is a good indicator of passion.
We have heat, Magnolia, and you know what I’m looking for in a woman, which means no one’s feelings will get hurt. ”
“You…” Nervous, she swallows and searches my eyes. “Y-you want… me?”
“More than I realized I would. More than I should.” I study her plump, kissable lips and the thunderous pulse pounding against her throat.
“I had a crush on you in the second grade, and I was picking flowers from every garden between my house and school just for you. But then you ditched town without giving me a chance to say goodbye. I spent all of third and fourth grade wondering where you went, and fifth and sixth grade telling anyone who would listen that you’d be back soon.
By seventh grade, those teenage hormones kicked in, and—”
I stop and frown.
By the time I was in seventh grade, Aria Sinclair was everywhere, and long, hot summers by the lake had become a staple of my everyday life. Bathing suits became indecent, shorts got shorter, giggles got louder, and my hormones took over where my brain went on vacation.
“And what?” Magnolia rasps. “Hormones kicked in and what?”
“I realized I really wanted to know what it felt like to touch a woman.” I brush the tips of my fingers over the column of her neck.
“I’m not looking for love. And maybe… for the next little while, it’s possible you’re not looking for love, either.
If that’s the case, why don’t we skip all the bullshit and not look for love together? ”
“Dad!” Jeremy sprints along the hall. “I’m gonna get the Nintendo out, okay?”
Maggie bounces away, her face flaming bright red and her eyes impossibly wide.
“Okay, Dad?” He skids through my door and crashes against my hip so hard his teeth audibly snap closed.
He knocks himself back and almost loses his footing, stumbling all the way into Maggie’s waiting arms—the little player—then he shakes his head and beams for his girlfriend.
“My dad loves to play the Crash Bandicoot game, and since you’re from the nineteen-hundreds, too, I thought maybe you’d like to play. ”
Dad who? That motherfucker doesn’t exist as my son grabs Maggie’s hand.
“Do you wanna play Nintendo with me while my dad is out?”
“Uh… sure.” She draws a long breath, filling her lungs until her shoulders lift and her delicate collarbones jut forward.
Her wary eyes flicker across to mine, her lips opening and closing, then just like Jeremy did, she shakes her head and returns his smile with one of her own.
“I’d love to play.” She peeks at the clock on my bedside table and forces a fake ass grin.
“It’s time for your dad to leave. It would be horribly bad manners if he were late, right? ”
“Right!” Jeremy darts into the hall, yanking Maggie’s hand so she’s right here in front of me one second, then she’s gone, and all that’s left is the memory of her dress whipping in the air, and the scent of her shampoo cruelly twirling in my lungs.
Fuck.