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“That, and I also missed out on a lot of stuff. You know, like getting my first hangover after a rowdy house party…”
“All you’re missing from your childhood is a hangover? ’Cause I promise, they’re not fun.”
I count off my fingers. “I also missed my senior prom, graduation ceremony, senior pranks night, or, you know, just being a kid without responsibilities or sponsors to please.”
“Where were you all those nights?”
I walk my index and middle finger up his chest like a pair of fictional legs until I reach his nose and tap the point. “Mostly meeting with crusty, old investors who had only looked at the bottom line of my investor pitch and were surprised Blake Avery was a teenage girl instead of a solid dude in his thirties. Remind you of someone?” I tease.
He steals my fingers and kisses my knuckles. “Best mistake of my life. Would you change anything if you could go back?”
I shake my head. “No. You? Any big regrets?”
“Other than saying you couldn’t kiss me?” He rests his forehead against mine. “None.”
“Are you sure?”
“Mmm, probably also not punching Justin in the face when I had the chance.”
“You and me both.”
“See?” He grins. “We have more in common than you think.”
“What type of man is your dad?” I ask out of the blue. I met his mom, and she seems very down to earth, and his brother is next-level laid-back. But I’ve always been guarded against rich people, so I can’t help but wonder how Mr. Mercer senior is.
“A little stern sometimes, but fair,” Gabriel says. “He would love you.”
“And not wrinkle his nose I’m from Queens?”
“My mom came to this country as a Cuban immigrant with just a few dollars in her pockets. We’re not snobs.”
“You’re half Cuban?” I ask, not sure how I never noticed.
He nuzzles my neck with his lips. “Where did you think all this raw, Latino sex appeal came from?”
“How did your parents meet?”
“She worked at a bar in Miami, my father courted her until she agreed to marry him and move to New York with him.”
“Poor woman. If he’s anything like you, she must’ve had no choice.”
“They’ve been happily married for forty years; she isn’t complaining.”
“No, I say poor woman because as a consequence of her lovely marriage, she had to deal with a rascal like you for thirty-three of those forty years.”
“In that case, she’ll be happy to know you’ll take care of that from now on.”
“Will I?”
“I thought that was the deal?”
“Okay, but no rabid raccoons, or I’ll call it quits. Anything else you want to know?”
“Yeah.” He makes the puppy dog eyes.
“Shoot.”
“Can I drive the Aston Martin when we get back to the city?”
