Page 50 of Some Kinda Romance

It’s even harder when you can’t stop thinking about the woman planning the wedding.“Thanks, but it’s okay. At first, I was a bit shocked about them wanting to get married so soon, but we talked about it and I’m okay now. The reality is that Dad is gone and waiting forever isn’t going to bring him back.”

She grimaced at me. “Yeah, but it still sucks.”

I thought about how Serenity had commiserated with me when we’d spoken about it, inadvertently comparing her to Jennifer. It did suck, but I didn’t feel any better about it after talking to Jen. Why is it that the only woman who really gets me doesn’t fucking want me?

I sighed, but at this point, I was ready to leave. Jennifer stood up suddenly, smiling as she waved in the direction of the restrooms. “Excuse me for a minute, please.”

We nodded, and once she was gone, I leveled with Lance. “Look, bro. This was fun, but I’m going to leave you two alone now. Let me know how it goes?”

“Don’t leave yet,” he said, then pressed his palms together. “We don’t have to stay here, but don’t leave us alone yet.”

“You want me to be your chaperone?” I frowned. “Why? You don’t need me. Clearly, you guys are hitting it off, so let me give you the space you need to really hit it off.”

“You really think so?”

“I really think so.”

He grinned. “So do I, but still. Don’t leave yet. Before you got here, she mentioned a few times how excited she was about catching up with both of us tonight. If you leave now, she might decide to call it herself.”

“Fine, but I’m not staying here. This place is date central and I feel like a third wheel.”

He let out a bark of surprised laughter before he looked around, his eyes widening as if he was noticing it for the first time. Then again, he’d been staring at her all night, so maybe he really hadn’t noticed the romantic ambiance before.

When Jennifer got back, I told her we should probably move somewhere else and she nodded enthusiastically. “As much as I respect polyamory and people’s right to love whoever they want, I just realized on my way to the bathroom that this probably looks like a romantic evening for three.”

I laughed. “We’d be lucky to have you, but alas, I’ve done my time in the gossip pages for this decade. Try me again in the next one.”

“You should be so lucky,” she joked.

After I’d paid for our meal, we took off to a bar nearby that Lance and I went to often. In the dark interior of my favorite watering hole, I finally managed to put my worries out of my mind for a while, focusing only on my friends and allowing myself to relax.

It got late fast, and by the time I checked my watch, it was almost midnight. Tipsy and damn happy that I hadn’t thought about her for a few hours, I laughed and shook my head at an equally tipsy Lance and Jen.

“That’s it for me tonight, guys,” I said. “I’m calling a car service. Can I call for you as well?”

“It turns out that Lancelot here lives just a few blocks away from me, so we’re going to share,” Jennifer said, sending him a secretive smile.

His cheeks flushed and I wondered when I’d missed this arrangement being made, but ultimately, I was happy they were finally getting out of their own way. Ha, and Lance told me I was the one who needed to get out of my own damn way. Pot. Kettle.

Shrugging at them, I called for a car and paid my bill, trying to ignore the paparazzi when the three of us left the bar. They’d been after me since all those articles about Serenity and I had run, not relenting at all when the news about her and Ethan had broken.

At this point, it was becoming tiresome but mostly I did a good job blocking them out. Instead of paying them any mind, I went about my goodbyes, shaking Lance’s hand before turning to hug Jennifer. “It was good to see you, babe. Sorry about the circus.”

She chuckled against my cheek. “No worries, Dashy boy. I know it’s not your doing. Have a good one.”

“Yeah, you too.” I waved at them before I left.

Once I got home, the alcohol was starting to wear off and I was suddenly bone tired. After forcing myself through a shower, I got in bed and passed out before my head had even hit the pillow. Falling straight into a dream about Serenity, I held her tight as she climbed into bed with me, smelling of my body wash and wearing one of my shirts.

As I molded my body around her back, my cock nestled against her butt. I started getting hard and she giggled, turning in the circle of my arms to bat her lashes at me. “Did you bring a flashlight to bed?”

“Nah,” I murmured as I brushed the backs of my fingers over her cheeks, tucked her hair behind her ear, and leaned in for a kiss.

“I love you, Dash,” she whispered against my lips, and the next thing I knew, I was wide awake again, panting and hard as a rock. I sat up in my bed, all alone and wondering where the hell that had come from.

Groaning, I scrubbed my hands over my face and lay back down to sleep more, but it never happened. I willed myself to get back to that dream, willing to admit in the utter darkness of my bedroom that I’d so badly wanted it to be real.

That didn’t happen either, though. Instead, I tossed and turned all night, wondering when I had become this guy. I definitely hadn’t been him before Serenity, and now, all I could do was hope that the damage wasn’t permanent.