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“We didn’t go on a date. I met him at the after-party he and Nick threw when the team won. It was kind of hard not meeting him since I was at his house.”
She smiled, but I saw the twinkle in her eye. “Loren made it seem like you two hit it off.”
I gave a one-shoulder shrug, not wanting to draw attention to my obvious feelings about Bryson. “We were both bored out of our minds, and neither one of us felt like being around a lot of people, so we talked for a while away from the party. I’d hardly call that a date.”
“Was he nice?” she asked, taking a sip of her own drink.
“Who?” I asked, knowing damn well she meant Bryson.
“The pitcher, Rose. Who else are we talking about?”
“I mean, I talked to him for a few hours, so…”
My words drifted off before my mother could pick anything out of my tone with her magical powers.
“Loren seemed to give her mother the impression you hit it off rather well.”
Yep, I was going to fly to Seattle, strangle my best friend, and then tell her we were over once she breathed her last breath!
“Mom, I spent a few hours with the guy. Besides, he lives in Seattle, he is a Major League Baseball player, and the last thing I would ever do is date a guy who travels all over the place, and probably has a hook up in every single town.”
She frowned. “Just because he travels doesn’t mean he sleeps around, Rose Marie. Your Uncle Brock used to travel while riding, and he never cheated on Lincoln.”
I stared at my mother. “Mom, we didn’t go on a date. We simply talked. He was a nice guy, and yes, he was insanely attractive, but it was only one time. I mean one night! Of talking! Just talking…that’s all it was. It’s not like we did anything other than talk.”
My mother raised a single brow as I felt someone sit on my other side.
“Abort! Abort! Stop talking,” Lily whispered.
With her words, I tightly pressed my lips and stared at my mom.
Clearing her throat, my mother looked at Lily, then me. “Right. Okay, well, if you say it was nothing.”
“It was…nothing. It was nothing but a night on the terrace—”
Lily pinched under my arm.
“Talking,” I added.
Glancing back and forth between Lily and me, my mother nodded, stood, then walked over to hold one of the twins.
Turning to look at Lily, I said, “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, but you owe me the entire story.”
“There is no story,” I replied in a hushed tone.
Lily gave me a look that said she didn’t believe a word of my lie. We were like sisters, and she could read right through me. Honestly, all of my cousins felt more like sisters.
“Right, that’s why you told your mom you spent the evening on the…terrace…talking. It was written all over your face, Rose.”
I huffed. “Nothing was written on my face.”
She sighed, took a drink, then set it on the small table next to her. Turning back to me, she asked, “So how was the air out on the terrace?”
Biting into my lip, I replied, “Hot.”
She sat up some. “Steamy hot or stuffy, humid hot?”
“Steamy.”
Lily glanced around the room. “Dammit. How long do we have to stay here?”
I followed her gaze and noticed everyone was paying attention to the babies, and no one was looking at us.
“If we each get up and casually leave, I don’t think anyone will notice,” I said as I tilted my head and smiled at Morgan and Aunt Lincoln.
The words hadn’t even left my mouth before Lily stood and headed out of the room.
“Real casual,” I whispered as I counted to sixty, stood, walked over toward Georgiana and looked down and smiled as she fed Ryder…or Rhett. One of the two. I hadn’t wanted to make it seem like I was following Lily out.
“Want to feed him?” she asked as she looked up at me.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Sure, let me run to the bathroom really quick. I’ll be right back. In a few minutes. Maybe ten or so. Or fifteen. I really have to go to the bathroom.”
Her eyes went wide.
“No, I mean I have to go, but not poo or anything. I have to make a call first!” I said with a nervous laugh.
“Okay,” Georgiana said with a grin. “I’m sure Lily is waiting on you since she hightailed it out of the room a few moments ago.”
My face heated.
“It’s okay, Rose, go. If anyone asks where you two went, I’ll tell them I asked you to run to the house to get me something for the boys.”
My shoulders sagged in relief. I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you, Georgiana. You’re my favorite cousin!”
She shook her head as she laughed. “Go. I’m sure Lily is beside herself waiting to hear all the details.”
