Page 5 of Imperfect Match (Imperfect Match 1)
“I’m not sure I want a wife and kids,” I say hesitantly, deciding to tack on another lie to avoid follow-up questions. “At least, not right now. Maybe in the distant future, if I met the right person.”
Then she turns to Willow. “And you?”
“You know I want kids. Sooner rather than later.”
“Then why don’t you help each other? Or at least stop sabotaging each other?”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Let Willow try to find you a match, Reid.”
“What?” My voice cracks in horror.
“We are a matchmaking service.”
“Yes, but …”
Willow clears her throat. “Mom, you can’t think this is a good—”
She continues on like neither of us protested. “Willow needs the chance to prove herself here, and you, Reid Fortino, need someone who loves you enough to find you the perfect girl. What do you say?”
“Um …” I unbutton my collar, which suddenly feels too tight around my throat. “I’m not really—”
“I mean, neither of you is getting any younger,” Mrs. Hayes points out, prompting Willow and I to exchange an eye roll. “I know women don’t like to hear this, but there is a fertility window.”
“Mom. Can we not discuss this right now?”
“Why not? It’s a biological fact.”
“I get it, and I already have a plan in place. You know that. In fact,” she says, taking a breath, “I have an appointment at the clinic to discuss options.”
My skin crawls. My hands curl into fists. If she wants kids, then great, I want that for her, but if she talks about artificial whatever-the-hell-it’s-called one more time, I might puke. The thought of some weird asshole’s stuff inside her makes me sick. What kind of pervy losers are jerking off in those clinics anyway?
“I support that plan, darling, but that doesn’t help Reid with his co-dependency issues,” her mother says. “He needs a match to cure his loneliness. And you need a romantic success story under your belt to give you the confidence you need to take this business to the next level, so I can sit on a beach in St. Croix and wait for news of the impending birth of my grandbaby.” Mrs. Hayes beams beatifically, as if it all makes perfect sense.
I need to speak up, like right the fuck now. “Listen, Mrs. Hayes, I appreciate your concern for my loneliness, but there’s no way in hell Willow is going to be able to find me a match. No sense getting her hopes up.”
Willow sits up straighter in her chair and arches a brow at me. “And just what do you mean by that?”
“I mean that you’re not going to be able to turn me into a romantic success story, Wills. And I don’t want you to be disappointed.”
Mrs. Hayes sucks in a breath and puts a hand over her heart. “I’m surprised at you, Reid Fortino. Willow needs us to believe in her. Are you saying she isn’t good at her job?”
Damn. The woman is good. “No! I do believe in her. I just—”
“I’ll do it.” Willow stands up and gives me a defiant look. “I’ll take you on.” Then she aims the look at her mother. “And I’ll prove to you that I can take over the business.”
I raise my eyebrows. I can’t tell if this is a joke, if I pissed her off too much and she’s trying to get back at me, or if she honestly thinks she’s going to be able to find my soul mate, as if such a thing exists.
“Wonderful.” Mrs. Hayes clasps her hands at her chest. “Now let’s have a group hug.”
Willow comes over to us with a glint in her eye and the two of them hug me from opposite sides, while I stand there feeling like a piece of wood in a vise.
What the hell just happened?
“Are you crazy?” I ask Willow as I pull open the door of a cab. “Why would you tell your mother you can find me a match?”
“Mostly because you said it couldn’t be done.” She gives me a grin as she slides across the back seat. “I can’t resist a chance to prove you wrong. It’s too much fun. Plus you deserved it for feeding her that crap about how I chase away the girls you bring home. As if you give a shit about any of them.”
