Love, Exes, and Ohs (Cactus Creek #4)(10)

Xoey kept staring at them, not knowing what to do with those non-answers.

“That’s a yes, sweetie,” supplied Jackson. “Sienna would probably welcome the company, in fact. Since we’re apparently a little overbearing.”

Sienna’s indelicate snort redefined Jackson’s parameters of ‘little.’

“You know, I really should introduce you three to my brothers,” chimed in Lia. “Who, you can borrow, Xo, if ever these guys are busy big-brothering Sienna.”

Xoey gave her a hell no headshake. “Not happening. Those Spencer boys are a handful, and Caine is way too hot for me to think of as a brother. Sorry. I know that grosses you out and pisses Isaac off, but it’s the truth.”

Bennett frowned. “I’m not sure which I’m offended over more, the fact that you think we’re the tame bunch, or that you think this Caine guy is hotter than me. And who’s Isaac?”

“That’s her best friend,” answered Sienna.

“Who’s also one of her exes,” added Lia.

“One of the exes that provided you with ohs?” asked Donovan, returning them back to their original conversation.

Xoey felt her cheeks burn up instantly.

“I’d say that’s a yes.”

Bennett shook his head in annoyance. “So only three of your exes made you have the big oh? You’ve dated some selfish bastards.”

“And they seem to be getting worse and worse lately,” she lamented. “Like I’m somehow navigating myself even further away from my Mr. Right.”

“Maybe that’s because you keep looking for something different from your exes,” commented Lia, with a meaningful glance at Sienna.

“Shouldn’t I be?” Xoey frowned. “It makes sense to look for something different from my past relationships doesn’t it?”

“Not necessarily.”

Another exchanged look passed between her friends before Sienna nodded, in what looked like a successful interception of a silent hand-off. “Maybe the reason why you keep finding Mr. Wrong is because you need to be looking at your exes instead of away from them.”

“You should analyze those three relationships,” volunteered Jackson. “Like a scouting sheet.”

Vaguely, Xoey remembered him saying he did something like that for a living earlier in the night.

“Wait, no. That’s not what we meant,” began Sienna.

“No, you guys are right, it’s a fantastic idea!” exclaimed Xoey, seeing the possibilities with tequila-fueled energy. “Connection, chemistry—that’s what’s real. Not some fairytale fantasy. A real and true oh couldn’t be faked.”

She lit up when pure, drunkenly brilliant inspiration hit. “I should stop looking for this mythical soulmate, and start looking for an oh-mate!”

Lia and Sienna looked positively speechless.

She didn’t blame them. The idea was as awesome as single-serving fondue pots.

“So,” she continued, grabbing a pen from the pocket of a passing waitress and a cocktail napkin to scribble on. “Logically, I just need to find a man who’s like all three of you.”

Sienna grimaced. “Honey, I don’t think anyone as drunk as you should be using ‘logically’ in a sentence.” Curiosity seemed to trump her reservations, however. “What’re you writing?”

“A shopping list,” declared Xoey triumphantly as she eyed each man and jotted down several descriptions that best fit them.

Donovan was easy—he was the very definition of a controlling, exacting dom. While at least ten times more intense, he was definitely similar to Jax, the brooding bartender from Scottsdale she’d played a lot kinky reindeer games with a few winters ago.

Milo, the paramedic from Tempe she’d dated for almost a year was practically Bennett’s doppelganger—playful and confident. A big flirt with a big heart, committed to his job and friends, but tied down by no woman. In that sense, they’d been a perfect fit. Hence the year they’d spent together. Toward the end, it might’ve been because they were so similar that they eventually just fizzled out. Before that point, however, they’d had all kinds of fun, explosive sex. While Jax had given her mind-altering, reality-shifting ohs—usually just a single shattering one per night—Milo had been the ambassador of multiple ohs, having her coming all over the place at all hours of the day.

And then there was Isaac.

Jackson was undoubtedly the most like Isaac, which meant he, in effect, had the biggest part of her list. As she jotted down his many amazing traits, she chose not to notice how lopsided her list had suddenly become.

Her ohs with Isaac had been…deep. That was the only way to describe it. Deep, and complex. With hidden layers she’d yet to fully unwrap.

Just like Isaac.

She scribbled a few more random thoughts that probably wouldn’t have leaked in had she not had that last shot of tequila. Still, the list looked good.

Re-capping the pen, she looked up at her friends and made her request, “Ladies, I’d like your help in finding me a Mr. Right based on this ‘man-quation’ that I’ve just developed.”

“Your what?” came the echoed reply from Lia and Sienna.

Xoey took several photos of her list and texted one to both women, along with the absent Dani and Quinn. “This is a list of all the qualities of the three exes that have given me ohs. It’s simple, when you add them up, they equal what has to be the perfect guy for me.” She nodded, loving the idea more and more. “Sienna, you’re a genius.”