Flirting with Forever: A Hot Romantic Comedy(65)

Cox stood and shook my hand again. “Dex, it’s been a pleasure.”

“Thanks. I think.”

Corban shook my hand. “If you need any reference material on avoidant attachment, let me know. It might help.”

“Um, thanks.”

Shepherd didn’t shake my hand again. He just shot me a cold glare and followed the other two out the door.

That had been interesting.

I wasn’t mad that they’d come, not even that they’d threatened me. It made me feel good for Nora that she had good people in her life who cared about her enough to look out for her like brothers.

Hell, I even puffed out my chest a bit that I was the first guy they’d bothered to threaten like that.

Damn right.





27





NORA





Dex jogged alongside me, his breathing steady. The afternoon air was mild and the remnants of last night’s rain pooled in easy-to-avoid puddles along the sidewalk and in low spots on the street. Birds chirped in the trees overhead and the pleasant suburban quiet surrounded us.

We turned onto our street and slowed to a walk.

“I told you I’d make a runner out of you,” I said, nudging him with my elbow.

“I’m only in it for the view.” He leaned back to look at my backside, then smacked it. “Worth it.”

“Careful, big guy, you know how I feel about spanking.”

He growled a little. “My dirty girl. You love it.”

I shot him a wicked grin. “I really do. But later.”

He smacked my ass again, then grabbed it for good measure. “What are we going to do when Riley’s home for the summer?”

“We’ll just have to be quieter. Or make sure she has plenty of sleepovers with Grandma.”

“Good call.”

“By the way, I met a few friends of yours yesterday.”

“Really? Who?”

“Shepherd, Corban, and Cox.”

I stopped. “Where did you meet those three?”

“My shop.”

“Why were they at your shop? Don’t tell me Corban and Hazel are getting matching penguin tattoos.”

“No, they weren’t there for tattoos. They were hoping to intimidate me.”

I gaped at him, baffled. “What?”

He slid a hand around my waist and drew me closer. “They wanted to make sure I knew they’d ruin my life if I hurt you.”

“Oh my god. They didn’t.”

“They did. It was pretty impressive, actually.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He kissed my forehead. “They care about you. I respect that.”

“They’ve never done anything like that before.”

“They told me that, too.” He puffed his chest out a little. “Seems that I’m special, since I warranted a visit from the husband gang.”

“Don’t let it go to your head.”

“Speaking of your friends.” He took my hand again and we started up his driveway. “Can I meet them?”

“Of course.”

“Can I meet them soon?”

“Sure, I’ll invite them over. That reminds me, how do you feel about tuxes?”

“They’re to be avoided at all costs.” He eyed me with suspicion. “Why?”

“I have an event coming up. Black tie.” I traced a finger down the center of his chest. “Will you be my date?”

He groaned. “What’s the event?”

“Will that change your answer?”

“Probably not but I still want to know.”

“Everly runs a charitable foundation. It’s a black-tie casino night. It’ll be fun.”

He shook his head, like he couldn’t believe I was talking him into this. “Of course I’ll go. But if it involves a tux, I doubt it’ll be fun.”

I popped up on my tiptoes and kissed him. “You’re going to look delicious.”

We went inside and as soon as he’d shut the door behind us, Riley came running down the stairs.

“Hey, Dad?”

“Hi, kiddo.”

“Um…” She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and fiddled with her hands. Her hair was in a thick French braid that I’d done for her earlier and she was wearing her favorite unicorn t-shirt and jeans. “Mom called.”

The tension in the room rose. Dex stiffened, although I could almost feel him trying to hide any reaction.

My stomach dropped.

“Oh yeah?” Dex said carefully. “What did she want?”

“She wants to see me.”

“When?”

“Tonight. For dinner.”

Dex took a deep breath. “Do you want to see her?”

Riley nodded. “Yeah. I can see her.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. I haven’t seen her in a while, so I might as well, since she’s free.”

“Okay,” he said. “If you want to, it’s okay with me.”

“She said she’ll be here at six to pick me up. I’ll text her back and let her know I can go.” Riley turned and ran back up the stairs to her room.