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Dad frowns, looking skeptical about the story before he’s even heard it. “You boys took my eighty-year-old mother to a bar?”
Jasper shrugs. “It was one of her bucket list items to sing karaoke in front of an audience.”
“Anyway,” Mason continues, “Thissuper hotchick comes up to our table—”
“We get it—you think she’s hot,” I bark out, jealousy prickling the back of my neck. Seriously—how many times is he gonna call her ‘hot’?! “Maybe you might want to continue with the rest of your dumb story.”
Mason waves me off and carries along. “She introduced herself to us as the Paragons lawyer.”
Cash nods. “She was really professional. Formal and shit. Told Harry it was great to meet him in person after months of exchanging emails back and forth about his football contract.”
“Meanwhile, this idiot—” Jasper jabs a thumb in my direction, “—was basically drooling all over himself and drilling a hole in the table with his instant boner. It was hilarious.”
“What was it he asked us when she walked away?” Cash attempts to jog his memory.
The rest of the guys start cackling as they shout in unison. “‘Do you believe in love at first sight?’”
“It’s been unrequited-ever-after since that moment,” Jasper concludes the story.
Those assholes can laugh all they want. They just don’t get it. It’s almost impossible to describe what I felt that first night I saw Nadia. I swear, that first moment when our eyes met was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. My body felt like a bolt of lightning had slashed right through it. My soul felt like it had found the piece—thepeace—it had been craving for half of eternity. But all of it was one-sided. Despite the major mark she’d made on me, Nadia didn’t seem to feel anything for me. After that night, I didn’t shut up to the guys about her for weeks.
“And she’s your team’s lawyer?” Dad repeats, his forehead crinkled.
I cringe and nod. “Which is one of the reasons it’s not a date in her book,” I admit regretfully.
“Sheesh!” my father says, looking genuinely sorry for me.
And because I can’t stop digging my hole deeper, I add, “Also, she seems to have it in her head that I’m some playboy footballer asshole.”
Jasper scoffs. “You’re the farthest thing from that. You’re a fucking virgin.”
“Language, dude!” I clamp a hand over Sparkle’s ear, smushing her face to my chest and getting chocolate all over my apron and the neckline of my shirt.
“Oh, excuse me!” Jasper throws up his hands and takes a step back. “You’re a…avirginia,”he says, speaking in code for the baby’s sake.
“Well, Nadia doesn’t know I’m a…virginia.”
“She doesn’t know? Bro, use that to your advantage,” Cash advises me like it should be obvious.
“What?” I squint at him.
“Not many twenty-five-year-old malevirginiasaround these parts. You’re special.” He comes over and pinches my cheek.
I give him a good shove that has him bumping into Mason.
Mason snickers. “Rock thatvirginiastatus like a crop top and clogs from the 90s. Shamelessly.” My cousin thinks he’s so fucking clever.
I huff out in annoyance. “Can you guys stop being obnoxious for one minute of your lives and give me some real advice I can use?”
“Tell her you’re avirginia,” Cash insists.
I aim my glare at him. “Notyou. I don’t trust your advice. Seems kind of sketchy to me.” My eyes swing to Davis. I think he’s the only one I trust right this minute. To be fair, I’d trust Dad’s advice too, but he appears to be just as clueless as I am on this topic.
My oldest brother leans on the counter beside me and hands Sparkle another chocolate piece. “There are a lot of absolute douchebags out there in the world. You’re actually one of the good guys. It’s refreshing. Don’t hide that from her, little bro.”
Cash defends his point, looking me dead in the eyes to make sure it sinks in. “This is your big shot with Nadia. She agreed to go to the children’s charity gala with you. Pull out all the stops, man. Let her see the best in you.”
I let the words bounce around in my head for a second. But before I can decide how to respond, we’re startled by the sound of metal hitting the floor. My head shoots over to the doorway where Grammy is fumbling to keep a stack of stainless steel bowls from crashing to the ground.
