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“Don’t beat yourself, Z. Even if Alex is a player, a man will change for the woman he wants.”
Zoe smiled. “How do you know all this?”
“My older brother. I’m so glad he talked to me growing up.”
Zoe thought of her brother, Jackson. He’d been the same along with her dad, giving her advice with men. Neither one of them would approve of her choice now. Her choice? She wanted Alex. How would her family take the news? Zoe blinked. She wouldn’t worry about it now. She had to fix things with Alex first.
Chapter 13
Alex gulped his drink at the bar and grill, where the band celebrated their Houston performance. Customers chatted around him and even a few offered congratulations for their show. Alex had been on edge, though he tried not to show it by forcing a smile. Zoe hadn’t called him back, and it only made his heart hammer inside his chest.
His adrenaline spiked. He didn’t know what angered him more. Her ignoring him, Tabitha showing up, or that his past was catching up with him. He never worried about women blocking his calls. He’d blocked a few himself, including Tabitha’s since the last time he saw her.
Alex pulled out his phone. He’d lost count of the numbers he had. The women he’d dated. The hearts he had disappointed. He browsed through the names. Some he hadn’t talked to in months, but kept their numbers “just in case.” Alex’s nostrils flared. Just in case for what?
Without another thought, he deleted numbers. One by one. Name by name.
“Having a good time?” Tommy asked, as he approached the bar.
“Yeah.” Alex stuffed his phone in his jacket pocket.
“You coming back to the table?” he asked.
“I needed a moment to myself.”
Tommy nodded. “Cool. We’re talking about hanging out later by the pool when we get back to the hotel.”
Alex didn’t want to be the fifth wheel—again. Tommy and Jackson had their women with them. His was back in Bridge Point. He’d never fought this hard for a woman. He didn’t know how he would get Zoe to talk to him, but he’d come too far to give up. Was it a lost cause though? “No, I think I’ll crash. You guys have fun.”
“Alright. See you in the morning.” Tommy grabbed two glasses and headed back to the booth to the rest of the group.
Alex paid for his drink and headed for the door, only for a woman to stop
him. Her pixie haircut fit her heart-shaped face. Despite the dim lighting, her dark brown skin look radiant. Alex’s eyes met her chestnut eyes, detecting a fruity aroma with her perfume.
“I don’t think I have your number,” she said. Then she held out her hand for him, batting her long eyelashes. “I’m Shelby.”
“I’m Alex, and no thanks.” He moved past her and continued out the door.
“What? You have a girlfriend?” The woman called out.
Alex paused, seeing Zoe’s brown eyes in his mind. “Yeah, I do.” He turned again and headed to the hotel. The walk helped clear his thoughts and confirmed his decision to delete the rest of the numbers of women he’d collected.
The more names he deleted, the shallower he felt. What was happening to him? He never felt guilty for dating multiple women. Even growing up, his friends cheered his player antics.
Alex sat on his hotel bed not long after arriving to his room. He stayed up another hour deleting numbers. By the time he finished, all he had left were his Aunt Pam, his cousin Lisa, and Zoe.
***
“You’re going where?” Zoe’s mother asked.
“I’m visiting Roslyn in Houston for the weekend.” Zoe packed her duffel bag, along with her laptop and a few textbooks. She could study in the evening. Thank goodness Lisa didn’t have to work this the weekend, since she had pulled double shifts the last few days. She had called earlier informing Zoe she’d be off and not to worry about Celine. That only confirmed Zoe’s decision to visit her friend.
“What about school? You just started classes, right?” her mother asked.
“Mom, they’re online. I can take them anywhere there’s Wi-Fi. I’m being responsible so don’t worry.” Did Zoe’s mother detect the sarcasm in her voice?
“Zoe?” She did. Her mother never missed a thing. “I just don’t want you to get behind. You’re so close to finishing.”
