Weekend Fling

by Stacey Lynn

  “It’s so good to see you!” she all but shouts in my ear. “And I heard about your mom. I’m so sorry. How are you?”

  I’m dumbfounded not only by her volume level, but by the way her eyes show a lingering sadness I’ve never seen before. I barely know this woman, but she cares. Strange.

  “Getting better, I think.”

  “Good.” She crushes me in another hug and this time, I squeeze her back.

  “What the hell? I don’t get one of those hugs, pipsqueak?” Trey’s hand lands on my lower back and without even looking at him, I know he’s smiling.

  “Please,” Caitlin says, letting me go and winking at me. “I see you every day and you’ve gotten plenty of hugs since I’ve been back.”

  “Doesn’t mean I don’t like getting them.”

  “Fine,” she huffs, playfully annoyed, and hugs her friend like it’s a chore to do so. I roll my eyes at both of them. “Come on. We’re at the back table.” She points toward a large table with a curved booth.

  Braxton and Cara are already there with Teagan and Corbin. “Where’s Jonas?”

  Caitlin shrugs. “He’s working tonight but he’ll be by when he can. Right now he’s in his office finishing some things up.” She grabs my hand and pulls me toward her. When we reach the table, I’m greeted with the same warm hugs Caitlin dished out by Teagan and a handshake from Corbin and Braxton. I slide in next to Cara, who’s already sipping on a glass of wine, and she throws her arm around me, hugging me tight to her side.

  “Glad you could make it out.”

  “I didn’t have much choice between you and Trey.”

  “Yeah, but you needed it. Besides, I like all your new friends.” She winks playfully and takes a sip of her wine.

  I ignore the friends comment. They’re still so much more Trey’s than mine, but maybe, with time, they can become mine. Teagan and Caitlin are especially lovely.

  “Who’s watching Jimmy?” Usually when Braxton and Cara go out, I watch him.

  “Babysitter,” Braxton scowls, bottle of beer firmly grasped in his large and inked hand.

  “He’ll live,” Cara says. “I promise.”

  His nose twitches to one side and he takes a large drink. Braxton is large and sexy and muscled and inked, giving him the fiercest appearance. But from what Cara says, inside he’s a huge teddy bear. His looks alone, though, I assume will ensure any babysitter will treat his baby boy like a prince. The man can be scary.

  Trey is next to me in the booth and it doesn’t take long before his hand settles on my thigh and squeezes. “What would you like to drink?” He nods toward the waitress at our table, who I didn’t see appear.

  I haven’t had time to look at the menu and I know Dirty’s serves, like, thirty or some crazy amount of martinis. I point to Caitlin’s drink. “I’ll have that.”

  “Peartini,” Caitlin supplies. “And thank you, Katie.”

  “No problem, Mrs. Reeves.” The waitress flashes Caitlin a jaunty wink and takes off, leaving Caitlin laughing and slapping the table.

  “I love the sound of that.”

  “Oh God,” Trey groans. “You’re going to become one of those mushy-gushy-in-love girls who ooh and ahh over every little thing, aren’t you?”

  She glares at him. “Shut your face, Trey.”

  “You always hated those kinds of girls.”

  She turns to me and grins. “What kind of girl are you, Willow?”

  I’ve never even considered it. I’m not sure, even back when things with Scott were new and fun, that he had ever made me flutter the way a simple smile from Trey affects me. I’m the kind of girl who smiles with hearts in her eyes.

  “I’m not sure,” I say honestly, and thank the waitress, Katie, as she returns, sliding a peartini in front of me and a beer to Trey.

  And thank goodness I don’t reach in to take a sip because Trey shocks the hell out of me when he turns to me, places his hand on my cheek, and smiles the most adorable smile. “Perfect. You’re the perfect kind of girl.”

  And yeah…so maybe there are hearts in my eyes. I’m pretty sure he can totally see how much I’m falling for him.

  * * *

  —

  Dinner and drinks is the craziest and most fun night I can ever remember having. Trey never leaves my side. My sides and cheeks hurt from so much laughter. And, as we’re on the way out the door, with the promise to Caitlin and Cara to visit Teagan on the coast soon and see the horse she’s recently rescued, I’m feeling like I’m falling hard and fast not only for Trey, but his friends, too.

  It makes me feel even worse for pulling away from him for the last month. Ignoring him and shoving him to the side at the hospital, keeping a hand up while he’s been there, helping me with everything that needed to be done over the last few weeks.

  But that hand is down now, and for the first time in my life, I’m ready to take another step. A serious one. So when Trey suggested we head back to his place, with a glimmer in his eye that tells me exactly what’s on his mind, there’s no longer any whisper or doubt or fear in the back of my mind that jumping all in with him isn’t the best idea I’ve ever had.

  We’re in his penthouse, a place I’ve been only once, and that was right before this ridiculous adventure began, and it takes me a minute to realize it’s been so quick, but seems so long. So mind-boggling, yet so stabilizing at the same time.

  I’m no longer concerned about losing myself in Trey in a way that’s unhealthy. For the last month he’s proven he’ll be by my side when I need it, helping me, strengthening me, instead of expecting me to be the one who always bends.

  “Hey,” I say, tugging his hand to get his attention as he leads me to the living room.

  He must see some sort of uncertainty in my eyes because he comes to me, pressing his hands to my cheeks. “We don’t have to do anything tonight. I just want you here, close to me.”

  Pitter-patter…yeah, I’m definitely a googly, gushy girl because my limbs feel like jelly at how sincere he is.

  “It’s not that,” I say, grinning. “I want that. I just want to say something first—I’m sorry.”

  He’s not expecting it, because his black brows arch and his head tilts to the side in surprise. “Sorry? For what?”

  “Well, how I treated you, at the hospital. It was just…everything was happening so fast, my mom, my dad, my feelings for you…I didn’t trust all of it. But I’m really sorry for pushing you away.”

  “You don’t owe me an apology for that. I wasn’t oblivious to what was going on. But I am glad you opened the door for me, even if it took longer than I wanted to get you back here.”

  “I had this relationship,” I force out. I haven’t spoken enough of Scott. Not enough to give him the full picture, and he deserves to know, at least, what made me afraid. “Scott. He left me months ago when everything with my mom started falling downhill. But I had lost myself in him, forgot who I was, pushed away friends because he wanted a night in, and it seemed like I slowly allowed him to chip away parts of me.”

  “Willow, I don’t need an explanation.”

  “I need to give it.” I step back, swiping my hands down my white jeans. “He…I can’t explain it, but there were subtle digs I wasn’t good enough or smart enough. He teased me about my editing like it was a fun job, not a real one, and it took a long time to see that he meant the words he said with a smile. And then one day he came home, said he was done and bored, and just…kicked me out.”

  “He’s a dick.”

  “I know. I know that now, but at the time it felt like he left me exactly like my dad left my mom and…I guess I needed to test you, and I’m sorry, because you’re not them, and I shouldn’t hold them or their choices against you.”

  He’s stepped closer, chest almost to mine, sultry lips lifted at the corners and softness swirling i
n his eyes. Hand sliding to my shoulder, my neck, up to my cheek. “Willow, they’re the jerks, and you’re right, I’m not them. But I’ve liked getting to know you these last few weeks. And it’s okay. I’m only thankful you’re here with me, tonight.”

  I turn into his hand at my cheek and kiss his palm. He’s always so warm and comforting. “I still want to thank you. Trust hasn’t come easy to me for a long time. I don’t always expect good things to happen, or to last. So I did need the time with everything else going on, but I also needed the time with you.” I roll to my toes and kiss him before pulling back. Finally, there’s peace inside of me. No anxiety, no fear, no worrying if I’m making a mistake. Trey’s consistency through the hardest weeks I’ve ever had have shown me so much. “Thank you for continuing to prove I can trust you with all the parts of me.”

  “Yeah? What parts are those?” His lips lift into a salacious, delicious grin. He reaches for me but I move back, out of his reach.

  I step down the hall toward his bedroom, lifting my shirt as I move. “Why don’t you follow me and I’ll show you?”

  His gaze scans my body, lingering on my simple white satin bra, before he raises his eyes. “An in-depth tutorial?”

  “Very in-depth. And there’ll be a test at the end.”

  He jumps and reaches for me, moving so fast I can’t escape, and when he has me, he presses his hands to my bare waist and yanks me to him. I’m immediately wet, needy, clawing at his back to get as close to him as possible. Instead of kissing me like I desperately need, he slides his lips over mine, grinning, and says, “Lucky for you, I’m a very good student. The best.”

  “I know. I am lucky.”

  He lifts and carries me to his room, proving two things: one, he’s correct. Trey is absolutely the most studious when it comes to learning everything about me, my body, and what turns me on…and two, I am the luckiest woman in the world to have him with me.

  Epilogue

  Willow

  “What are we doing here?”

  We’re at the door to Caitlin’s apartment but earlier today, when Trey said he wanted us to cut out of work early because he has a surprise for me, I didn’t exactly expect our date to start at Caitlin’s apartment ten floors below where Trey lives.

  And me too, sort of. For the last three months we’ve been practically inseparable. One month after my mom started treatment at the center on the Oregon coast, I started spending so much time at Trey’s that one day I came home from running errands to find he’d had an office desk delivered so I could work in his office with him. I still run home every few days to check the mail and my apartment, but the majority of my clothes and everything I need for work and daily life has been slowly moved in.

  “I told you I have a surprise for you.”

  “You did.”

  “It’s inside.”

  “Caitlin’s place?” He puts his own key in the lock and opens the door, standing back so I can enter. But I’ve heard the stories of him showing up unannounced and seeing more of Jonas than I ever want to. “They’re not here, are they?”

  “Nope. Go on.”

  I step forward cautiously, and I’ve been in Caitlin’s apartment enough over the last few months to know that nothing is different. When she came back from her honeymoon, she and I became really good friends. I see her every morning when she checks in for work with Trey, although their mornings don’t start as early now that Caitlin is pregnant with twins—and her initial morning sickness had been vicious. Fortunately, she’s through the worst of it, but none of that has anything to do with what we’re doing here.

  I stop in her living room and turn, facing Trey. His hands are on his hips. He’s been so lost in a recent project and trying to race his looming deadline that this morning all he threw on was a pair of gray sweats and a T-shirt. Even rumpled and wrinkled, his body is still magnificent, and just looking at him turns me on.

  That could also have to do with the heavy make-out session we had before heading out the door.

  “So, what do you think of this place?”

  I give a cursory glance to the living area, the fireplace with a mantle that’s filled with photos of Caitlin and Jonas, Trey, Corbin and Teagan. Beyond us is the eating area, and a wall with the kitchen on the other side.

  “Um. It’s the same as it always is.”

  “Yeah. But Caitlin and Jonas have found a new townhome. Offer was accepted this morning so they’re out celebrating.”

  “That’s wonderful!” They’d been looking for a new home ever since Caitlin found out she was pregnant, weeks after returning from their honeymoon. “Is it close?”

  I hope it is. I’ve made it clear to Caitlin she has to live close enough that I can see her babies every day if I want.

  “Close enough to meet your requirements.”

  I grin, but it falls quickly. “So what’s the deal?”

  “You know Corbin owns this place, right? That he bought it for Caitlin so she could be near him when he lived at my place?”

  “Yes.” I drawl out the word slowly.

  “So, I guess instead of asking what you think of it, I should be asking, what do you think your mom will think of it?” He holds up the key he’d used to get inside.

  Confusion flickers and clears. “What?”

  “She comes home next week, right?”

  “Yes.” And she’s doing fantastic. I’ve been in contact with her as much as possible, visiting her almost every weekend, and we talk on the phone almost every day. For the first time in a long time, I have my mom back, but a better and healthier version than I can remember. The center where she’s been living works miracles and I know Trey has made a large, six-figure donation so they can also help people with mental illness who don’t have insurance that will cover their long-term stay.

  “Are you serious?” Suddenly, I look at the apartment with new eyes. It’s a far cry from my childhood home. I’d saved only the necessities for her to start over in a new place once she does come home, but now, if he’s implying what I think he is, I imagine our old sectional in the living room. Her television above the fireplace. Her photos on the built-in bookshelves. I can see the dining set in the eating area and her matching buffet table behind it on the far wall. They’ll match almost perfectly with the colors in the kitchen, and my heart rate kicks up a notch. “You want my mom to move in here?”

  With the money we made from the sale of the house, I was able to pay off our bills, getting my mom back into the black, but with a comfortable amount of savings until she gets a job again.

  “I thought you’d want her close.” Trey steps toward me and pulls out another key. He holds it out, clasping the key in his fist so I have to pinch the end of it to pull it out, and when I do, my jaw drops.

  On a thin key ring at the other end dangles a ring. A gold one. With a diamond that sparkles in the light.

  “What?”

  “See, I figure, if you’re going to live with me, you should move in permanently. And if you’re going to do that, you should probably marry me.”

  “Probably marry you,” I mutter, and my chin wobbles. This is so like Trey. A hint of romanticism beneath his logical self.

  My hand shakes as I hold the key and the ring blurs. I meet Trey’s gaze. His smile wide, hands on his hips again. He’s grinning down at me like I’m being silly.

  But silly is proposing to your girlfriend in your best friend’s apartment.

  “You want me to marry you?”

  “Yeah,” he says, drawing the word out slowly, and his smile turns to a heated smirk that matches the desire in his eyes. “I think you should.”

  “And you want my mom to move here? Close to us?”

  “Caitlin and Jonas don’t close on their new place until close to Christmas, so she’ll have to stay somewhere else temporarily. She can stay with us—”
/>
  “No, she can’t.” I love her to death, but no way do I want to live with my mom and my boyfriend…fiancé?

  “Or, I thought, she could stay at your place. Then when we move her in here, you can permanently move the rest of your things to my—our—place.”

  “Well, you have it all planned out, don’t you?”

  “I also planned on you saying yes to the marriage proposal, but you haven’t done that yet.”

  He closes the space between us in two large, quick strides, taking me by surprise so that I have to throw my hands to his chest before he crushes me. He reaches for my hand and takes the key with the diamond from me and removes the ring.

  “I know you already have the key to my home, but this…this shows everyone you have the key to my heart. Marry me, Willow. Marry me and move in with me and start a family with me and love me for the rest of our days.”

  My tears are falling so quickly I can barely see him now, but my head is nodding, and of course…of course, there’s no other answer to give him. “Yes, Trey. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  “I love you.” He slides the ring on my finger and leans forward. “I’ll love you forever.”

  “I love you, too.” I push to my toes and kiss him. “You’ve made me the happiest woman in the world. Always, ever since our first weekend together.”

  He takes over the kiss, lifting me until my legs are wrapped around his waist and his hands tangle in my hair at the back of my neck.

  “There’s one more surprise,” he whispers against my mouth.

  “What is it?”

  He turns his head, grins, and shouts, “She said yes!”

  “Thank God!” Teagan’s voice rings from somewhere down the hallway and there’s a thunder of footsteps. “It was so quiet and took forever I got worried!”

  “Brat. Like anyone can say no to me,” Trey teases, as all of our friends rush around the corner and we’re almost tackled, yanked apart, and I’m wrapped in Teagan’s arms. Thank goodness, because from the force with which she and Caitlin pulled me off Trey, my knees buckle and I collapse into them.