Series: The Laws of Opposite Attract Series by Vi Keeland
Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
“Not too much, huh? That’s not what I heard…” Lala winked.
The smell of fresh coffee wafted in the air, the sound of grinding a welcome distraction from the inquisition.
“You know what? I could use a pick-me-up,” I told them. “Be right back.”
I walked over to the counter and decided to order Alex’s favorite drink, see what all the fuss was about.
“I’ll have a coffee with oat milk, two sugars, one pump of caramel, and a dash of cinnamon, please.”
“Can you repeat that?” the barista said.
I laughed inwardly at what a dork I was as I repeated the order.
After he made it, I took my coffee back to the table where Billie and Lala were eagerly awaiting my return.
“Now spill,” Billie said the moment I sat down. “This Alex must be pretty damn special for you to put her on the phone with me. You’re normally so secretive.”
“She is special.”
They both awwwed in unison.
“Tell us about her,” Lala said.
So I told them the tale of my experience thus far with Alex. They listened attentively as I recounted my growing attraction to a woman who wasn’t making it easy. It felt good to let it all out, though. It made me realize how many emotions I’d kept bottled inside lately.
“How much older are we talking?” Billie finally asked.
“That’s the funny thing.” I chuckled. “I don’t actually know.”
Lala’s eyes widened. “Really? How is that possible?”
“Told her it didn’t matter to me, and she never specifically divulged.”
“That’s wild.” Lala licked foam from her mouth.
Billie pursed her lips. “You must have some idea, though…”
I shrugged. “Ten years-ish, maybe a little less, maybe a little more. But I don’t really give a damn. She’s physically the hottest woman I’ve ever known, and there’s something so special and unique about her. She’s not superficial or one-dimensional. She cares about people. She just started volunteering at the hospital. And she’s lived, you know? Lived and lost. Her husband was a lot older than her. He left behind a daughter—Alex’s stepdaughter, who’s ironically around my age. Anyway, losing a spouse like that? It has to change you, help you understand your priorities. It’s why she’s being so cautious. As annoying as it can be, I kind of love that she’s taking her time and not just jumping into things.” I sipped my drink—sweeter than I normally liked it, but still tasty. “I’m honestly loving the chase.”
Lala crossed her arms. “But on some level, her taking her time means she’s hesitant. Why do you think that is?”
“I know what her hesitation is. She thinks we want different things and are at different places in our lives. Alex knows I want kids. I think that scares her.”
“She doesn’t want kids of her own?” Lala asked.
“I think she feels like the opportunity for that has passed.”
“She thinks she’s too old?” Lala frowned.
“I’m not entirely sure,” I admitted.
“If she doesn’t want or can’t have kids, does that matter to you?” Billie interjected.
“Not enough, honestly.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter to you now, during the infatuation period,” Lala said. “But it might later.”
“A lot of things might happen later. I could get struck by lightning later. I don’t really care about the later in life. The time is always now. No one is guaranteed tomorrow. Your brother, Ryan, taught us all that, remember?”
Lala nodded.
Billie took a sip of her coffee. “Okay, but I can understand Alex’s concern. I mean, if she knows she’s not going to have kids and you want them, that’s a serious consideration. It makes sense why she wouldn’t want to get her heart involved with someone she thinks she’ll have to let go someday.”
I shook my head. “Life doesn’t have to be that hard, that complicated. A lot of people can’t have kids. What do they do? They figure out a way around it. They adopt. Or they find other joys in life.”
“Wow.” Lala leaned back in her seat. “I can’t say I’ve ever seen you this into a woman.”
“That’s exactly it,” I said. “She’s a real woman. And when something feels right, you want to share it.” I stared down into my cup. “Although…Holden is really the only one of the guys I’ve told about her. Owen’s been so wrapped up in Devyn. He and I haven’t caught up in a bit.” I turned to Billie. “But you’re welcome to fill Colby in.”
“Oh, you know I will.” She winked.
***
That evening, Colby, Owen, Holden, and I had our board meeting at a local bar. The meetings were to discuss building business, but we mostly got the boring stuff out of the way so we could shoot the shit and tool around for a couple of hours.
Tonight, though, I decided to duck out early, after one drink. Holden followed. “Wait up,” he called, placing his hand on my shoulder. “I know why I’m leaving early. I have a sick baby at home. But what about you? Why’d you rush out of there?”