Forever with Me (With Me in Seattle, #8)(58)

“I’m a caveman?” Luke asks in surprise.

“You’re all a bunch of cavemen,” Meredith replies.

“Am I a caveman, cara?” Dom murmurs in my ear.

I snort and stare up at him, then lean in to talk into his ear. “I believe it was you who f*cked me against the building on your property because I joked about f*cking someone with an apa.”

I pull back and see his eyes narrow. “And just hearing you say that makes me want to do it again.”

“See? Caveman.”

***

“I’m so f*cking full,” Brynna says as we walk down the sidewalk outside of the stadium toward a nearby pub.

“That’s because you ate everything except for the seat you were sitting in, legs,” Caleb says with a laugh and takes her hand in his.

“I didn’t eat any of Jules’ pizza,” she replies with a pout.

“I would have cut your hand off if you’d tried to steal my pizza,” Jules says.

It’s a beautiful summer night. Not quite dark out yet, warm with a light breeze. Perfect Seattle weather.

“I love nights like this,” I breathe, as the others joke and chat around us. Dominic is walking beside me, slowing his strides to match mine. He kisses my hand, then tucks it in the crook of his elbow, content to let me lean on him as we walk. “Seattle is beautiful in the summer.”

“Seattle is always beautiful,” he replies softly. “Even when it rains.”

“It’s certainly always green,” I reply with a nod. “Not so different from San Francisco.”

“Why didn’t I know that you’re from San Francisco?” he says with a frown.

“I don’t know.” I shrug and laugh when Sam jumps on Leo’s back, making him give her a ride. “It’s not a secret. I guess it never came up.”

“When did you move to Seattle?”

“Right after I left Jonathan.” I lean my head on Dom’s shoulder. “There was really nothing for me there anymore. And I’ve always enjoyed Seattle.”

“It’s lucky for me that you loved it here.”

“Back at you,” I reply sincerely. “What are the odds that we’d both be from opposite sides of the world and end up in the same city?”

“It’s not odds, tesoro, it’s fate.”

I snort and shake my head, but when I glance back up at him I see he’s completely serious.

“You don’t believe in fate?” he asks.

“Not really. I guess I’ve never really thought about it.”

He nods thoughtfully. “I would think that if ever there was a couple fated to be together, it would be you and me. Like you said, we’re from opposite sides of the globe, neither of us started here, and yet, here we are.”

“You two are slow pokes!” Sam calls back to us as Leo walks backwards. “If you trip and fall and drop me, rock star, we are going to have issues.”


“I’m not going to drop you, sunshine.”

“I want a ride too,” Stacy says demandingly to her husband.

“I’ll give you a ride, all right,” Isaac replies with a cocky grin.

“Stop it!” Jules cries, just as Luke stops dead in the center of the sidewalk, pulls his wife into his arms and drops a kiss on her that would make the gods weep. “For the love of Christmas, we’re in public!”

“I don’t give a f*ck,” Luke replies calmly, still staring in Nat’s eyes.

“God, you’re gross,” Jules grumbles. “I need cheesecake.”

“We’ll get you some,” Nate replies with a laugh. “Just ignore the PDA. Or join it.” He buries his face in her neck and bites her flesh, making her moan.

“Oh, that doesn’t suck.”

“You’re all a very affectionate group of people,” I observe, as we walk into the pub and score a big table near the back.

“Does that bother you?” Meredith asks.

“No, it’s just unusual.”

We settle in, glance at menus, order drinks and just when I think my comment has been forgotten, Luke continues. “If it does bother you, Alecia, just say so.”

“Hey! I say so all the time and you do it anyway,” Jules complains.

“I’m fine,” I reply with a laugh. “It’s not that it bothers me. I’m just not used to it.”

“Were your parents affectionate?” Nic asks.

“They were with each other,” I say slowly.

“But not with you,” Nic replies.

I shrug and shake my head, as if it’s no big deal.

“My mother hasn’t touched me in six years,” Nic says as the waitress sets a glass of water before her.

“What?” I frown at the beautiful woman, surprised.

“We don’t get along well. Never have really. So all of this affection was new to me too.” Matt kisses her temple gently.

“You’ll get used to it,” Jules adds. “I drink a lot, to dull the grossness.”

Natalie laughs and throws a napkin at her best friend.

“I want hot wings,” Brynna announces.

“I thought you were full?” Caleb says.

“I’m in the mood to suck the f*ck out of a bone,” she replies, and my eyebrows climb into my hairline.