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)
I stared into her eyes. “Right back at you, sweetheart.” I took a breath. “I want you to be happy, to have no regrets. And I certainly don’t want to erase you from my life. It felt terrible being in Seneca Falls and not speaking to you.” I glanced over at the time. “Shit.”
A look of alarm crossed Alex’s face. “What’s wrong?”
“I forgot about dinner at Colby’s. He and Billie are hosting the entire crew, and Billie gets pissed when we’re late and the food gets cold.”
Alex pointed her thumb behind her. “No worries. I’ll get out of your hair. I said what I had to say.”
I reached out to stop her. “Are you kidding? Alex, you came all the way here. You can’t leave.” I laughed. “I mean that in the least creepy way possible.”
“Well, I don’t want you to cancel on your friends.”
“I won’t have to.” I can’t believe I’m saying this… “You can come to dinner with me. Come meet them.”
She bit her lip, seeming unsure. “Wouldn’t that be terribly awkward?”
I shrugged. “I think my friends will be happier than pigs in shit to see you. It’ll probably be the biggest surprise I’ve ever given them.”
“What will you tell them?”
“The truth, that you’re in town for business and came by to say hello.”
“Are most of them current on where things stand with us? I won’t have to explain?”
“Not unless you want to. I’ve told them everything. They know we’re not together anymore and all that.”
“Won’t they think it’s odd for me to show up with you?”
“They sure will. In fact, I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when we walk in.”
She shrugged. “Okay. I’ll just throw myself right into the fire.”
Alex followed me into the elevator. Being in that tight, enclosed space with her brought back painfully sexy memories. Thankfully, the elevator doors opened again quickly, and before I knew it, we were standing in front of Colby and Billie’s apartment door.
I took a deep breath. This was the strangest scenario I could have imagined for how all my friends would finally meet Alex. This was going to be interesting.
When Billie opened the door, she looked to my right, and her jaw dropped. “Oh my God…Alex! What the hell are you doing here?”
Alex’s mouth fell open. “How did you know it was me?”
She cringed. “Well, I’ve cyberstalked you since Brayden first told me about you. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” Alex smiled over at me.
Billie held out her hand. “Billie, by the way.”
“I know. I remember your beautiful face from when it popped up on Brayden’s phone. It’s great to finally meet you. I cannot tell you how many wonderful things I’ve heard about you, Billie.”
“Likewise, but are you gonna tell me why you guys are together right now?”
“Would you believe me if I said I don’t really know?” Alex laughed.
Billie looked to me. “I guess you decided what to bring tonight, huh?” She winked. “You two have some explaining to do.”
Before I could say anything, Alex interjected, “I surprised Brayden. He didn’t know I was in town for business. And I only stopped by his apartment fifteen minutes ago. It’s as awkward of a surprise as you could imagine. Then he told me he was late for dinner with you guys, so here I am tagging along.”
Billie took Alex inside and introduced her to everyone. It was a full house tonight. We’d been the last to arrive. Sitting around the dining room table were Owen, Devyn, baby Devon, and Devyn’s two siblings, Heath and Hannah. Then Holden, Lala, and baby Hope. And lastly, Colby, and his daughter, Sailor, and son, Mav.
“If there’s one thing about us, Alex,” Holden said, “we like to bust balls. But most of the time we’re busting each other’s, not other people’s.” He winked. “So you’re safe.”
“You can expect to hear many embarrassing stories about Brayden, though,” Owen added.
“All you need to do is sit back, relax, have some wine, and leave the entertaining to these guys,” Lala explained.
“That sounds like a plan.” Alex took a seat, seeming more relaxed.
Throughout dinner, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. But Alex wasn’t looking at me. And she certainly hadn’t been sitting back and saying nothing, either. She’d seemed to grow more comfortable with each minute that passed. I’d watched her talk science with Lala, and then she got into a friendly argument with Billie over the value of artificial intelligence. Alex had faced the fire tonight and come out the other side.
There was one awkward moment, however. Heath finally recognized Alex as the woman from the video he’d shot, the one I’d made him delete. “Isn’t that the woman you were kissing on the street corner,” he blurted. “The one who broke your heart?”
I then explained to Alex that I’d been overly dramatic in my explanation so he would delete the video, rather than posting it on the Internet. Hopefully, she believed me…