Page 55 of Man Candy (After We Fall 1)
She smiled and shrugged. “I like candlelight, what can I say? And I’m serious about my wine. I can’t help it if it’s romantic.”
We filled our plates and dug in, praising our pierogies, even if somehow they didn’t look or taste quite like my mom’s.
I wondered about Jaime being here, if that meant she’d given any thought to my request for another date or my stating that I wanted more than just no-strings sex with her. After talking to Alex and Nolan last night, I wanted more than ever to gain her trust, assure her that I had no intention of hurting or disappointing her. But I didn’t want to pressure her.
We ate mostly without talking, the music filling the space between us.
“You’re quiet tonight,” she remarked when we’d finished.
“Am I?”
“Yeah. Thinking about your mom?”
I nodded slowly. “The Beatles were her favorite, and she used to sing me some of these songs. I heard one earlier she used to sing at bedtime, and it really took me back.”
“‘Rocky Raccoon?’”
“No, but that’s a great tune.”
“I’ve heard you singing it in the shower,” she confessed with a guilty smile.
“Such a creeper. Were you peeking in the bathroom window too?”
“No,” she said, as if I’d greatly offended her. “I’m not that bad. Sheesh. So what was the song she used to sing to you at bedtime?”
“‘I Will.’ Do you know it?”
“No.” She smiled. “Did it make you sleepy?”
“No, it brought back a nice memory, which made me happy, but I also felt a little sad. Not only for me because I miss her, but also because she won’t be around to be a grandmother to my children, if I have any. Sing them to sleep that way. She’d have loved being a grandmother.”
“You mean to our half dozen kids?” Her foot tapped mine under the table.
I laughed a little. “I forgot about those.”
“Hopefully, we didn’t get a jump on the first one Friday night.”
My stomach hollowed. “What? I thought you said it was—”
“I’m kidding, it was fine. We’re fine.” She laughed. “Your face was so funny just now.”
Picking up my wine glass, I took a generous swallow. “Yeah, I might like kids eventually. Not necessarily this year.”
“I know, I was teasing.” She focused on the wine in her glass as she swirled it. “But do you want to talk about Friday night?”
I studied her a moment. She looked curious, but not upset. “We broke a rule, didn’t we?”
“We did. And while it was OK the one time, I don’t think we should make a habit of breaking it.”
“I agree.”
She took a breath. “But there might be another rule we could break.”
“The sleepover rule?” I asked hopefully.
“Not the sleepover rule. But the talking rule.” Another deep breath as she met my eyes. “I want to talk.”
“You mean, you want to talk about feelings?” I looked around the room. “What planet is this? Am I in some alternate reality?”
