Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 64887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
He chuckles. “Stop, Grayson. I know you love Selena for all the right reasons. You can stop hard selling me now.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And, please. Don’t offer to pay her rent. You want to be her husband, not her tenant, right?”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. That was a stupid thing to say. I’m nervous.”
“Don’t be. You’ve got this.”
“Dinner’s ready!” Selena calls from the kitchen. “Where is everybody?”
“Go on now,” Pops says with a wink. “Go get that bottle of that red I like so much and hurry back.”
“Yes, sir. Gladly. Thank you, sir. So much.”
“No need to call me sir, Grayson. Call me Pops. I like it when you call me that.”
Oh, my heart. “Yes, sir! I mean, Pops!” I turn to sprint away, feeling like I’ve got a jetpack on my back, but stop when Selena’s father calls to me.
“Get a really good bottle of champagne, too, son,” he says behind me. When I stop and look at him, he adds, “Sounds like we’ve got a lot to celebrate tonight.”
“Oh, I’m not going to ask her tonight. I need to get a ring and figure out my game plan. I want it to be extra-special for her, the next time I ask.”
“Get some champagne, anyway. If you’re right and Selena really did give you a ‘smoke signal’ in the kitchen earlier, then I want to secretly celebrate something even more exciting than my birthday tonight.”
19
GRAYSON
I rise from my chair as Max approaches our corner table in the restaurant. Back when I worked at the law firm, I used to see Max all the time. These days, however, with all the various demands on my time and Max’s, I don’t see him as often as I’d like. In fact, it’s been months since we’ve been able to catch up.
“Great to see you,” I say enthusiastically, bro-hugging Max and patting his back.
“You, too.” Max looks me up and down. “Holy shit, Gray, you’re looking fit!”
We take our seats.
“Thanks. You look in top shape, as usual.”
“Meh,” Max replies. “I’ve been eating like shit and working too hard to get into the gym as much as I’d like. Thank God for my fast metabolism.” He visibly ogles me from across the table. “What the fuck have you been doing at the gym? Whatever it is, teach me.”
I laugh. “It’s nothing special. Just consistency, I guess. Selena’s got a killer home gym, so I’m able to squeeze in daily workouts, no matter the weird hour.”
Max picks up his menu. “If we were still going out to bars together, you could be my wingman these days. You certainly wouldn’t get any more fake numbers, that’s for sure.”
I shake my head. “If I get my way, I’ll never ask another woman for her phone number, as long as I live.”
Max chuckles. “Things are going that well with Selena?”
“Couldn’t be better.”
“When I first saw you, I thought she must have dumped you. Guys always work out hardest after a bad breakup.”
“Nope. The happier I get, the more I feel like working out. Plus, I take my job as Selena’s arm candy seriously.”
Max laughs. “Whatever’s motivating you, it’s working. So, I take it you’re living at Selena’s place now, based on your daily workouts in her gym?”
“Not officially. I still have my apartment and sleep there once or twice a week—usually, when Selena’s going to be out late with a client or her son.”
“Oh, I forgot she’s got a kid. How old is he?”
“Fourteen.”
“Is it weird having him around?”
“Not at all. We’re buddies. Drew texts me all the time. We watch movies and play video games. He beats me in basketball in his driveway. Sometimes, I play Dungeons & Dragons with him and his friends. He even asks me to come over when Selena’s not around.”
“Whoa. That’s intense.”
“It’s awesome.”
A waiter arrives and places some chips, salsa, and waters on the table. He takes our drink orders and says he’ll return soon to take our food orders.
As the waiter leaves, Max peruses his menu. “So, what’s good here, Gray?”
“Everything. You can’t go wrong.”
“Well, that narrows it down.” He studies his menu for a long moment and finally puts it down, murmuring something about fish tacos. “It’s so weird for me to think you’re best buds with Andre De La Torre’s kid and dating his wife. I never saw that one coming. Not in a million years.”
“His ex-wife. And I’m not dating Selena. I’m going to marry that woman.”
Max snickers. “Yeah, but let’s not forget Andre is a fucking psychopath. Or at least, a sociopath. If I were you, I’d sleep with a baseball bat at my bedside every time I stayed the night at Selena’s house, just in case Andre suddenly gets a wild hair up his ass about his former employee regularly fucking the mother of his child.”
I take a sip of my water. I thought I was dropping a bombshell by revealing my intention to marry Selena, but it’s clear Max thought it was nothing but a figure of speech. The sort of thing guys often say hyperbolically after meeting an amazing woman who seems too good to be true.