Page 109 of Heartbreak & Cupcakes
Hearing his voice again caused all the tiny hairs on my arm and the back of my neck to stand up. I tried to speak, but when I opened my mouth, nothing came out. I wasn’t sure how it was physically possible, but my mouth was watering and dry at the same time.
His expression turned from charming to concerned. His head dipped slightly. “Sadie?”
“Sorry.” I grasped my shirt, but I wasn’t sure why. I’d heard of people clutching their pearls, but I didn’t have any so my ADULT-ISH T-shirt would have to do. I just needed something, anything, to hold on to. I shook my head. “Um, no, I invited Charli, you remember the girl who showed up after the fire.” I hadn’t gotten to properly introduce them that day, but I figured he’d remember. No one ever forgot Charli. “I invited her over for spaghetti and wine, but she said she was already in bed. I just thought that she changed her mind."
“Oh.” He nodded, and I might be reading too much into things, but I thought I detected that he looked a little relieved. Was he happy that I hadn’t had a date? No. That was ridiculous.
Remove your rose-colored glasses, I instructed myself.
“Can I come in?” he asked with a grin.
“Oh, yes, of course.” I stepped back and opened the door.
I’d imagined this moment so many times over the past week. What I would say or do the next time I came face to face with Alex. I just hadn’t expected it to happen today. I thought I’d have more time. I figured the next time I saw him would be at Lexi’s birthday. But it was now.
He walked in and I immediately noted that the space had seemed so large, but now seeing him in it, made it look a lot smaller. He stood an impressive six foot four inches, with broad shoulders and a muscular frame. But it wasn’t just his sheer mass that took up room. It was his presence. Some people just owned any space they inhabited, and Alex was one of those people.
“Where’s Lexi?” I asked as I closed the door behind him.
“She’s at a sleepover with Hannah.” He looked around before turning back to me. The moment our eyes met awareness pinged through my body like a pinball in a machine at the hands of a champion player. Ding, ding, ding, ding.
His expression softened and for a moment I thought he was going to lift his hand and touch my cheek. But instead, he took a step back. My heart plummeted at his retreat.
He looked down at the ground and when he lifted his head and our eyes met again, he rasped, “She misses you.”
The intensity in his stare stole the breath from my lungs. My words were barely above a whisper as I replied, “I miss her, too.”
We were both talking about Lexi, right? Before I got an answer to my silent question, I heard the pitter patter of little paws rushing toward the door.
“She misses you guys too.” Alex bent down and gave Achoo and Eeyore proper greetings.
Both animals ate up his attention. E snorted as he flopped on his back revealing his bare belly, and Achoo did figure eights between Alex’s legs rubbing herself against him like he was a scratching post.
I didn’t blame them. If I had my way, I’d be flat on my back revealing my belly and rubbing myself all over him.
“Well, she can come by and visit them anytime. She’s always welcome. You both are.”
Did that sound desperate? I wasn’t sure. Not that I could do much about it if it did. I was desperate.
When he stood again, he cleared his throat. “How have you been?”
“Um…good. How have you and Lexi been?”
“Good. We went to Disneyland.”
“I heard.”
His brow scrunched.
“Mia and my friend Charli both take the same spin class. I guess word got around.”
Alex’s chin dipped in a nod before he reached into a bag I hadn’t even noticed he’d been carrying. How had I missed that? I guess I was too busy ogling him to notice such insignificant details as a plastic bag.
“I got you something.”
“Me?” I asked.
He pulled out a pair of Mickey ears that said Sadie on them. I’d always wanted a pair of these. I’d been to Disneyworld a few times growing up, but my dad didn’t like to “waste money on crap” so I never got a pair. As an adult, I’d planned on buying my own, but somehow the past seventeen years had just sort of flown by.
