Page 36 of Tempt
“Paternity test confirmed it?” Felicity asked.
I nodded. “Yep.”
“So when did you finally put it together?” Winnie wondered.
“Today at Mason and Lori’s rehearsal, when I walked into the lobby and Mason introduced me to him. I almost passed out.”
Both of them were silent a moment, and then Winnie turned around and poured three glasses of wine. Handing one to me, she said, “Here. You’ve earned this.”
“Thanks.” I took a hefty swallow. “It was so weird, you guys.”
“What happened next? Did you let on?” Felicity asked as she pulled a baguette from her bag and took out a cutting board.
“No. We covered.” I recounted the G-rated version of the story we’d told about how we met. “And I thought we did a good enough job, but later, after everyone else had gone on to dinner, Zach came into the bar—where I was applying vodka to the wound—and told me that Mason asked him if anything had happened between us.”
Winnie gasped. “How did he answer?”
“He said no! What could he say?” I tapped my chin in jest. “‘Hmm, actually, now that I think of it, Ididbone your ex-girlfriend a few times at that hotel.’” I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. “It’s just so weird.”
“But you didn’t know,” Felicity pointed out, slicing the baguette. “So it’s not like you did anything to be ashamed of.”
“I guess not.” I looked into my wine. “You guys, I need to get something out, but you can’t judge me.”
“No judging,” Winnie promised.
“He’s so hot,” I moaned, stretching out the wordhotlike melting mozzarella. “Like, so unbelievably hot. I don’t care whose dad he is, that man issmoking. Seeing him today was just like—” I searched for words to describe the feeling. “A punch in the gut. Or maybe in the lady bits. I have such a huge crush on him.”
“Why not invite him over?” Winnie asked.
I gaped at her. “I can’t do that!”
“Why not? You’re two single, consenting adults.” She paused. “Wait, he’s single, right?”
“As far as I know.”
“There, see?” She lifted her shoulders. “And what Mason doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Call him up.”
“No,” I said again, even though my body was begging foryes. “Zach doesn’t want to start building their relationship with a lie, and I don’t blame him. We had the one night together, and that’s all it will ever be.”
“But Millie,” Winnie pressed. “For once, you found a guy who’s not a lost puppy! What if this is it?”
My neck stretched forward. “Are you listening to yourself, Winifred? Are you picturing me sitting at the Thanksgiving table with two men I’ve slept with, and they’re father and son? Are you imagining the way everyone will be staring at me, wondering what happened to my sense of decency? Does Mason say, ‘HeyMom, can you pass the turkey?’”
Both my sisters burst out laughing. “Yeah, I guess that won’t work,” Winnie admitted.
Felicity took a sip of her wine, then began brushing the slices of baguette with olive oil. “It’s just a bummer you had so much fun with him, and he’s here for the weekend and probably wishing he could see you again too.”
He was. I knew he was. But it didn’t matter.
“Well, it’s no use wishing for what we can’t have,” I said, doing my best to push Zach out of my mind. “How about we watch a movie?”
* * *
Later that night, long after my sisters had gone, the lights were out and I was lying in bed with my vibrator beside me.
But instead of using it, I lay awake, wondering what Zach was doing. Was he still out with the wedding party? Was he in his hotel room alone? Was he thinking about me? Or had he been more successful than I had at filing our chemistry in a box labeled UNSAVORY and moving on with his thoughts?
I flopped onto my side and stared at my nightstand. I tapped my phone to see what time it was—just after eleven. He was probably still out, right? So I shouldn’t text him. Someone might see it.
