Decidedly With Love

by Stina Lindenblatt

  I swallowed and pulled up my lacy big-girl panties. “They’re cigarette burns. It happened when I was fifteen. I made the mistake of getting mad at my foster father at the time and told him he smelled like a flatulent cow. Needless to say, he didn’t have a great sense of humor and punished me with the burning end of his cigarette.”

  “Did you report him?”

  I choked back a laugh. “Right. That wasn’t how it worked. And other than the one time, the family wasn’t all that bad. I could have ended up with someone worse.” Which I did—the home where I’d gotten the scar on my chin.

  He ran his fingertip across said scar. “Did you really get this one from tripping on a crack in the sidewalk?”

  I shook my head. “It was a gift from one of my foster mothers. She falsely accused me of seducing her husband.” I screwed up my nose to show what I thought of that preposterous idea. “She jabbed me in the face with a broken beer bottle.…Anyway, don’t scars build character?”

  Anger flickered on his face, quickly replaced by tenderness. He cupped my cheek with his hand and his thumb traced my lower lip. “You’re something, you know that?”

  I grinned. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

  “Definitely a good thing.” He leaned in and showed me how much of a good thing it was with a gentle kiss.

  Which progressed to a deeper, all-consuming kiss—because life was just that good.

  Eventually he pulled away, allowing us to regain our breaths. He rolled onto his back and dragged me against him. I rested my head against his heart. The steady thump-thump-thump was soothing. Another point for the real deal versus poor Alejandro.

  “When I first came into your store the day I had to pick up my grandmother,” he said after a few minutes, “you acted like you would rather have your eyeballs dunked in hot sauce and barbecued in a fire pit than have me there. At first I thought it was because I had fucked you at some point and couldn’t remember you, so you were pissed.”

  “What made you realize it wasn’t that?”

  “Because I knew I could never fuck you and not remember you.”

  Only he didn’t remember. At all.

  Maybe if you’d had sex with him in high school, the practical voice said, he would remember you from back then.

  I shifted off him and rested my head on my hand, my elbow bent on the bed. “You really don’t remember me from our junior year in high school, do you?”

  21

  Travis

  Here’s the thing about teenage boys…they never forget a hot girl. They can forget everything else—where they put their iPhone, where they put their car keys or bus pass, what time curfew is—but thanks to their out-of-control hormones, they never forget a great pair of tits.

  And they certainly never forget a girl when her great tits are paired with the rest of a boner-inducing package.

  So it didn’t make sense that I couldn’t remember Emma from high school.

  “Are you sure we went to the same school?”

  Social media was always showing one celebrity or another’s doppelgänger—that mystery regular person who could easily be mistaken as the celebrity in question. Maybe my doppelgänger had gone to Emma’s high school.

  Sounded feasible.

  “You went to Parkdale High School, am I right?” she asked.

  Okay—so much for my theory.

  “Yes, but I honestly don’t remember you.”

  The pain in her eyes? Not a good thing.

  “We were in the same history class.”

  I cringed and tried to remember my classmates from twelve years ago. I vaguely remembered a cute redhead with curly hair. She had started late in the term and had been in one of my classes, but don’t quiz me on which one. It had been a rough year for me—what with Granny’s stroke. Most of it had been a blur.

  “So that’s why you were mad at me in your store—because I don’t remember you from high school?”

  “No—and I wasn’t mad at you. I guess the old feelings from what happened after class one day resurfaced when you came into the store.”

  “What exactly happened?”

  “We had been assigned to be project partners, but Kendra, your ex-girlfriend, told me you dumped me for being a foster kid. According to her, I wasn’t good enough for you to work with.”

  “Why would you believe that?” And why did I have no idea what she was talking about? Maybe I had very early onset Alzheimer’s.

  “Because our teacher told me you could no longer work on the project with me. He didn’t tell me why—he just told me I had to do it on my own.”

  “When was this?” I asked, frowning. I had known back then that Kendra could be a bitch, but she was hot and I was your typical shallow, horny teenage boy. It was during our junior year that I’d had enough of her games and dumped her.

  Several weeks later, she’d hooked up with the school’s quarterback.

  “I don’t remember exactly. Sometime early spring.”

  Christ—now that did sound familiar. “My grandmother had suffered a stroke and because she was all I had, the school made allowances so I could be there for her.”

  Emma’s eyes widened, her mouth a perfect O. “Oh, God. I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

  Her words were a hard kick to the nuts. Her parents had dumped her when she was a kid, she had been tossed from foster home to foster home, and her asswipe ex-boyfriend had also walked out on her. And what did I do—even if it hadn’t been intentional? Exactly the same.

  Shit.

  “Believe me, I would never have dumped you as a project partner. If Granny hadn’t had a stroke, we would’ve still been partners—no matter what Kendra said.”

  As if to erase the pain I had inadvertently caused her, I kissed Emma. Lightly at first—but it quickly escalated into something more intense. And before long, I was thrusting inside her to choruses of “Oh, God,” and my name.

  Afterward, once I’d disposed of the condom and returned to the bed, I pulled her against me and wrapped my arms around her. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d done this with a woman. Usually I’d fuck them, leaving them satisfied, and bail.

  I kissed her shoulder, and an odd feeling brushed against me—one that was comforting but at the same time unnerving.

  “Is Fanny’s stroke the reason you’re so protective of her?” Emma asked. “And the reason you’re pretending to date me instead of putting your foot down about your dating life?” Her tone was both sweet and non-judgmental like a welcomed hug.

  “That, and because she took me in after my parents died. I wasn’t easy on her—being the grieving teen that I was. But no matter what I did—how stupid I was—she was patient and always there for me…until she almost wasn’t.”

  “She’s an amazing woman,” Emma said, softly.

  “She is.”

  “And you’re an amazing grandson.”

  I wasn’t so sure about that. If you looked up “amazing grandson” in the dictionary, I could guarantee my photo wouldn’t be there.

  The tension in Emma’s muscles melted away as I continued holding her. A moment later, her breathing evened out.

  And I was left contemplating if I was making a big mistake when it came to both Granny and Emma.

  But at least Emma knew what she had signed up for. When she and I went our separate ways, this time she wouldn’t feel like I had dumped her. I wouldn’t be yet another asshole who had abandoned her like trash on garbage day.

  22

  Dear Dr. Lovejoy,

  I’ve been pretending to be this guy’s boyfriend (don’t ask), but I’m starting to develop real feelings for him. How do I make him see we have real potential?

  Sincerely,

  Why Fake It When It Can Be Real

  * * *

  Dear Why Fake It When It Can Be Real,

  Simple. Make sure he sees what he will be missing out on once you’re no longer in his life. No, no, I don’t necessarily mean have sex with him. Although that won
’t hurt if it’s memorable—in a good way. I’m talking about the kisses. Make sure they shake the earth under his feet.

  I’m talking about those small moments where you show him just how special he is. Show him in a way only you can do.

  23

  Emma

  Five days later, I was in the store, organizing the shipment of sexual bathroom products that arrived that morning. Had I seen Travis since we had sex?

  Nope. He had slipped out during the night—as I’d expected he would.

  Now, some girls might feel offended if a guy they’d fucked did that. For me? The complete opposite. My ex couldn’t have escaped my apartment faster unless the building had been about to explode—I had learned from the best in that regard.

  Travis had at least waited until I fell asleep.

  He had held me in his arms—allowing me to pretend I meant something to him.

  Don’t worry. Like everything else, I realized that night with Travis hadn’t been real. I mean the sex was real. Poor Alejandro had gotten a complex because it had been so freaking real—as in the no-longer-working kind of complex.

  I mentally added, “Buy replacement Alejandro” to my To-Do list, although the new one had a lot to live up to. With Alejandro the First, there hadn’t been any expectations on my behalf. But after last week, I now knew how wrong I had been.

  But while I might not have seen Travis since that night, the same couldn’t be said about hearing from him. He’d sent me daily texts to check up on me, and to update me on the rehearsals and the mural.

  Even though I’d promised to help him with it, things hadn’t gone as planned. The first night he’d worked on the mural, I couldn’t make it because Lisa called in sick. Since my weekend girls weren’t able to cover her shift, I had to. By the time I got home, I was only capable of doing a face-plant on my bed and not moving until morning.

  Tonight I could finally help him.

  “Well, if it isn’t my favorite future granddaughter-in-law,” Fanny said from behind me.

  I spun around to find her, Abigail, and Hazel beaming at me.

  “I’m just dating Travis,” I reminded them. “It’s definitely too early to be considering marriage.” Especially since it would never happen. Not when Travis was commitment phobic.

  “Ah, but I’ve seen how he looks at you,” Fanny said, still grinning.

  Right—he’s been looking at me like a guy who wishes to get laid.

  “I’ve seen how he looks at me too,” I said, “and it has nothing to do with marriage.”

  In spite of my words, Fanny continued grinning as if she knew a secret.

  Well, that made two of us—and my secret was one she wouldn’t like.

  Okay, two secrets she wouldn’t like—not unless she was pro commitment-free sex.

  “Am I too late for those mouthwatering cookies of yours?” Abigail asked.

  “I haven’t been able to make them. My oven stopped working on the weekend.”

  Just like Alejandro. Maybe it was a conspiracy. I finally get laid and my appliances quit working.

  The way the three women gasped, you’d have thought I had announced I was joining a sex cult.

  “You’re welcome to come over and use mine,” Fanny said. “In fact, I insist on it.”

  I opened my mouth to graciously decline the offer, except Hazel cut me off before I could say anything. “You can’t say no. It’s your duty, Emma, to ensure your customers are happy. And those cookies make us very happy.”

  “That’s right, dear,” Abigail said. “We’re three old women who haven’t had sex in an extremely long time, and with no prospects of getting any in the near future. So it’s your duty to provide us with an alternative in the chocolate department.”

  Fanny and Hazel laughed while I mentally cringed at the image now residing in my head.

  “I’m not—” I began.

  “Uh, uh,” Fanny said. “No excuses. Plus, Travis is dropping by later to check on me. And I know he’ll be happy to see you there. Maybe you can even distract him with another of your hot kisses.”

  “Distract him from what?”

  “From keeping me from living my life.”

  That was what she got for having an alpha male for a grandson. He was overly protective to the core. Especially since he had already lost his parents, and almost lost his grandmother when she had a stroke.

  “He only does that because he loves you,” I said.

  She smiled. It wasn’t as bright as when she’d called me her future granddaughter-in-law, but it was still just as warm. “I know. And because of that, you can’t say no about coming over to bake those cookies. I’ll even help you if you’d like. Life is way too short to spend another day at war with yourself.”

  “Did you make that last part up?” Abigail asked, chuckling.

  Fanny’s smile widened. “Nope—I found it on Google images this morning. But I thought it was perfect for this discussion.”

  “Are you sure about me coming over?” I asked, fighting back a grin.

  “Of course I’m sure. Especially if I get to sneak one.”

  “And Abigail and I can pop in to make sure they’re acceptable to sell here.” Hazel winked at me and I laughed.

  “Okay, I’ll come over after work.”

  The bell above the door jingled, and my mouth dropped open at the sight of the five people who entered the store.

  Three of them I had already met…including the adorable toddler. The man and woman with them I didn’t know. She was pretty and blonde with shoulder-length hair. He was dark-haired and definitely hot. And it didn’t take much to see that she was the center of his universe.

  Normally when I saw two people very much in love, a dreamy sigh would escape me. Not this time. This time panic charged through me like a participant during the running of the bulls. Were Holly and Josh aware that Travis and I were in a fake relationship? Nope—not at all.

  As far as they knew, Travis and I were just friends and he had offered to help with the fundraiser. They had no idea he was also trying to save my store.

  How was that going?

  Let’s just say I was wishing on every shooting star that I spotted. Or at least I would be if I could find any. Apparently they were in short supply these days. And maybe that was why Travis still hadn’t found me a suitable location to move to and he hadn’t yet convinced the building owner to let me stay.

  The foursome ambled over to us, with Josh carrying Lily.

  When some women see a cute baby or toddler, their ovaries send I-want messages to their brains. Well, apparently the same thing happened to old women, too. Except instead of the I-want-a-baby message being sent, it was more along the lines of I-need-my-grandchild-to-give-me-one-of-those. STAT.

  The longing in Fanny’s eyes was enough to knock me on my ass. Hard.

  “Hey, Fanny.” Josh gave her a one-armed hug, taking care not to squish his daughter between them.

  “Hi,” Lily said to her with the cutest smile and waved.

  “Oh, aren’t you the sweetest thing alive?” Fanny said.

  “Hi!” Lily repeated, which I took to mean she agreed with her.

  “Have you met my future granddaughter-in-law yet?” Fanny asked Josh and winked at me. I rolled my eyes. Then cringed at what she had just told Josh and his friends.

  The confusion on Josh’s face? Definitely not good.

  “No, Travis isn’t engaged,” I said, doing my best to keep everything from blowing up in his face and mine.

  “Not yet,” Fanny said. “But give it time. I know you two have just started dating, but like I said before, I’ve seen how he looks at you.”

  “This is perfect,” the blonde said. “The four of us are spending this weekend in Napa Valley in a house we’re renting. It’s a couples’ weekend type thing. Trent’s sister and husband were going to join us but had to cancel. You and Travis should come. It’ll be a lot of fun.”

  “My mum’s visiting from Australia and will be looking
after Lily,” Holly added with her cute Aussie accent. “So it will also be an adult-only weekend.”

  “Emma and Travis would love to join you,” Fanny said before I had a chance to decline.

  “I’m sure Travis is busy then,” I hurriedly said. “He has a…a thing.”

  The earlier confusion on Josh’s face? It was contagious. Now Fanny shared the same look. “What kind of thing?” she asked.

  A sudden understanding lit the dark-haired man’s face and he smiled, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “I’m sure Travis will be more than happy to cancel his thing. In fact”—he looked at Josh—“wasn’t he saying at poker night a few weeks ago how he wasn’t too sure what to do about it?”

  Josh smirked. Why did I have a feeling I was missing something? “That’s right. He did say that.” Josh leveled his grin at me. “So it’s settled. You and Travis are joining us. I’ll send him the info.”

  “I can’t believe how much she’s grown,” Fanny said, her gaze back on Lily.

  Josh patted his daughter’s head. “I swear her nanny is feeding her Miracle-Gro for toddlers.”

  “Hi,” Lily said to me and waved again.

  “By the way, Emma,” Holly said as the three older women fussed over her daughter. “This is Kelsey and Trent. We’ve been dying to visit your store ever since you told me about it.”

  Trent laughed. “You and Kelsey are the ones who’ve been dying to come here. Josh and I are just here as the supportive husband and fiancé.”

  “Because you know the two of you will benefit from this as much as Kelsey and I will—especially this weekend.”

  Kelsey gave her fiancé a shy smile that practically left him drooling.

  While Fanny and her friends continued to fuss over the great-granddaughter she wished she had, I showed Holly and Kelsey around the store.

  “So that’s how you persuaded Travis to do the Magic Mike routine for the fundraiser,” Holly said. “It’s because you’re dating him. Pure genius.”