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)
“That’s wonderful. Tell me more. Does he have a big family?”
“Ginormous. He’s one of six kids, and his dad is one of ten. He seems pretty close to his mom, which I like, but not too close like that weirdo Eric I went out with once. Remember that guy? He brought his mother with him the first time we met for drinks?” Caitlin set down her wine glass. “And then there was that guy Wes I went out with a few times, the one who looked like such a badass—tattoos all over and drove a motorcycle—but lived in his mother’s basement and talked to her on the phone five times a day.”
I laughed, grateful she was doing most of the talking. “Are Justin’s parents still married?”
“No. They’ve been divorced since Justin was little. His dad is a dentist, too. Not an orthodontist, but a regular dentist. I actually met him already. Their offices are in the same building. It works out great because his dad refers a lot of business to Justin. But I have to say, his dad is pretty damn hot. As soon as I met him, I thought to myself—would it be weird to fix him up with Alex? Probably not now, but if I married Justin and you married James, then you would be my stepmother and my mother-in-law.” She laughed. “I figured between that and the Brayden situation, we’d belong on one of those Jerry Springer daytime TV shows for sure.”
Oh, God. Great. Just great.
I gulped half my glass of wine. Caitlin kept talking, but I got tangled up in my own thoughts. After a minute, she paused and looked at me funny. “Is everything okay, Alex?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”
She looked pointedly at the cutting board in front of me, where I was slicing a loaf of bread. “Because you usually cook the frozen garlic bread before you try to cut it.”
I looked down. No wonder it’s so damn hard to slice.
I shook my head and tried to laugh it off. But Caitlin was studying me now. It made me sweat, and I stood there like a deer in the headlights, unable to come up with anything to say—not a damn word. After a minute, she looked concerned, and I suddenly felt like a pot of boiling water whose lid was about to pop off. I couldn’t contain the secret anymore.
“I slept with Brayden,” I blurted. “I’m in love with him. And we want to give the relationship a try. I wanted to forget about him. I swear to God, I tried, Caitlin. But he’s impossible to forget. I know he’s way too young for me, and the entire situation is crazy, but he’s only the second man I’ve ever loved, and I’m so afraid to lose love again. Losing your father nearly killed me, and I didn’t think it would ever happen again, and I was okay with that until I met Brayden. But then…” Tears welled in my eyes. “Landon died, and Ryan is dead, and life is so short and…” I took a deep breath because I ran out of air. “And I don’t want to go on Jerry Springer. I’m so damn terrified I’m going to lose you.”
Caitlin rushed around the counter to my side, pulling me into a hug. “Oh my gosh. Who is Landon and who is Ryan? I’m so sorry they died. But you’re never going to lose me, Alex. You’re stuck with me forever.”
A week of pent-up emotions bubbled to the surface, and I started to cry. I wasn’t even sure what I was crying about. Guilt for loving someone other than Richard? Happiness that Caitlin said I won’t lose her? Grief over Landon’s death? Whatever the reason, I ugly cried in my daughter’s arms—shoulder-shaking, snot-sniveling, hysterical ugly crying.
“Oh, Mom, don’t be upset.” She pulled back and looked at me, pointing to the tears streaming down her face. “You’re making me cry. And you know how I get. My face is going to get all puffy and red, and I was going to surprise Justin with a booty call on the way home tonight.” Caitlin laughed as she wiped her cheeks, and together we sniffled our bawling back under control. “What the hell are we crying about anyway? The fact that we’re both in love and happy?”
I laughed through the last of my tears. “I have no damn idea.”
After a few more minutes, we both finally calmed. Caitlin held my shoulders. “Are we good? Because I’m pretty sure you’re burning something in the oven.”
I swiped a rogue tear from my cheek. “I can’t be. I forgot to turn it on earlier today, so dinner still has a while to go.”
Yet sure enough, smoke billowed from the oven behind us. I grabbed a hand towel and fanned it away as I turned the knob and opened the door. Inside, sitting directly next to the beautiful, half-raw roast was a folded-up piece of paper, now charred brown. I pulled it out.