Best Dating Rules: A Romantic Comedy (The Best Girls Book 2)

by Tamie Dearen

  “Uhmm, I actually have to help my father on a project tonight. I’m sorry.”

  She looked disappointed. Well, it was good she was disappointed, right? At least that meant she wanted to spend time with him. But he needed to keep her from suspecting anything, and it would be even more difficult when he started taking dance lessons. Maybe he could think of some plausible story to tell her.

  “It’s okay. I may just rent a movie.”

  “Okay. See you Saturday.”

  Confusion reigned in Emily’s head. Since that fateful Monday night at the pool when Grace had insisted Spencer loved her, she’d been fighting her emotions. Certain he would eventually move on to another girl, she’d done everything possible to avoid falling in love with him. But what if Spencer really loved her? Would he be able to break his old habits of flirting and dating multiple girls? And he was obviously more experienced than she was physically. Would he tire of her rule restricting their physical contact? Would he be so overwhelmed with need he sought relief elsewhere? She had no idea how long guys could actually go without having sex. The movies implied they couldn’t wait for long without having physical pain, but she didn’t know if that was true. And she was too embarrassed to ask someone. If he did find relief with someone else, how would she know? She simply couldn’t bear the thought of him with another girl.

  But then to further confuse matters, he’d been acting a little strange since Monday night. Instead of calling constantly and asking to spend time with her every night, he’d only made plans for one or two nights that week. Granted, she’d been mostly turning him down when he asked for more time, but only to avoid the temptation that came from being alone together. Especially since she’d proven to herself she had absolutely no ability to resist him. But now she saw him less and less. She couldn’t help but wonder if he was already getting tired of her or tired of all her dating rules. Further adding to her suspicions, he hadn’t been available to answer his cell phone the past two nights. He’d called her back within thirty minutes, but it was unusual for him not to answer.

  She really needed to talk this through with someone. But who? She considered asking Grace, but she was too defensive of her brother to ever believe he was up to something. She could ask her mom, but she was actually afraid her mom would be too frank with her. Steven and her mom already managed to embarrass her on a regular basis with their overt affection. She could talk to Charlie. But her sister was in a real funk over her relationship with Josh, determined to make a clean break with him before he ever had a chance to disappoint her. Charlie seemed to end most of their phone conversations in tears, a habit highly unusual for her carefree sister. Maybe she could talk to Steven. What was she thinking? She must be getting desperate.

  Her cell phone chirped. “Hey, Josh. What’s up?”

  “Hi, Emily.” He drug her name out, using the miserable voice he seemed to have adopted permanently. “I wondered if maybe I could hang out with you and Spencer tonight? Brad and Grace are getting tired of me lurking around, and all my single friends just want to go out and party.”

  Her heart went out to him. Charlie had broken plenty of hearts, and she seemed to have done an extra special job on Josh. Secretly, she thought Charlie was wrong not to give Josh a chance to prove himself.

  “Spencer’s busy tonight, but you could watch a movie with me at my place.”

  “Really? That would be so awesome. I’ll pick up a pizza and a movie. What do you want to watch?” He actually sounded almost happy. Poor guy.

  “Anything that’s not raunchy. I’ve hardly seen any movies, so I’m sure whatever you pick will be fine. I’ll pay you for half so we’re officially just hanging out instead of going on a date—according to house rules.”

  “Good idea. I need to make sure Charlie can’t accuse me of dating her sister. That is, if I can get her to talk to me.”

  “Didn’t y’all have a phone conversation last week?”

  The glum tone came back to his voice. “Yes. It was about ten minutes of me saying over and over I’d changed and I wasn’t ever going to be with another girl, while she insisted that was impossible and it would never work out anyway.”

  “Oh... Sorry.”

  “I promise not to spend the whole evening moaning about Charlie.” Then he added, “But probably part of the evening.”

  *****

  Anne was excited to be going by herself to a routine pregnancy monitoring appointment. Her first week back at work had gone well, except she was extremely fatigued. But she guessed that was to be expected. She couldn’t really remember how tired she was with Emily and Charlotte—it had been way too long. The oral medications seemed to be working well to control the nausea. She was certain she’d gained, and soon she’d be at least back to her normal weight.

  The doctor was listening for the heartbeat, and Anne noticed her brows pushing down over her eyes.

  “Is everything okay?” Anne’s tongue felt thick and wooden. Was the baby dead? Was she going to miscarry?

  “No, everything is fine. But I’d like to do an ultrasound today.”

  “But I thought you weren’t going to do an ultrasound until twenty weeks? Is there something wrong with the baby’s heart?”

  “No, I promise. The heart sounds healthy. Please don’t be concerned. But there’s no harm in doing an ultrasound to confirm everything is progressing normally.”

  “Okay, but we decided we don’t want to know the sex. We want to be surprised.”

  “That’s fine. We may not even be able to determine the sex at fourteen weeks. But if I can, I won’t say anything.”

  Anne was terrified as the doctor performed the ultrasound, despite her assurances. The doctor turned the screen away from Anne’s view at her insistence so she wouldn’t accidentally find out the sex. She watched the doctor’s expressions, but her face remained very neutral. “This is taking a long time. Do you see something? I mean is something wrong?”

  The doctor smiled. “Anne, I can’t detect anything wrong. I only needed to confirm what I heard with the Doppler. You’re still at high risk for birth defects. We won’t know for sure there aren’t any abnormalities just from an ultrasound. But so far, everything looks fine, the heart looks fine, and everything is progressing normally.”

  “So the baby looks healthy so far?”

  “Yes, so far everything looks good.” Then she moved over to hold Anne’s hand between both of hers. She smiled, nodding her head. “With both of them.”

  Anne paced across the apartment floor, glancing to the door every few minutes. She’d declined the doctor’s offer to call Steven and give him the news, choosing to impart the information herself. But now she was regretting her decision. She was afraid to tell him. Not because she thought he wouldn’t be thrilled, but because he was already so overbearingly protective. What would he be like now? He’d have a thousand questions she wouldn’t be able to answer. She should have let him find out from the doctor so he could grill her until he was satisfied.

  She heard the door opening and froze in place. Wait... She had to look normal. If she looked upset, he’d notice right away. He could read her like a book.

  “Hi, Sweetheart. How was your day?” She put on her best happy face.

  “My day was fine. You were with me for most of it, so you should know. How was your...” He turned toward her, and suddenly his face turned white. “What’s wrong? You look like something’s wrong. Is it the baby? Is something wrong?”

  “No. Nothing’s wrong. I promise.”

  He fairly flew across the room to wrap her in his arms. “What is it? What happened at your appointment today? Don’t lie to me.”

  “I’m not lying. I promise. Nothing’s wrong. But I’d like for you to sit down with me and talk to me for a minute.”

  He swept her to the couch and pulled her onto his lap. “Talk to me, Anne.”

  She sighed. Might as well simply say it. She wanted to find some funny way to surprise him, but he knew her too well. “The doct
or did an ultrasound today.”

  “She did? She wasn’t supposed to do that yet. Did you find out the sex? Is that what happened?”

  “No. She heard something when she was listening for the heartbeat, and decided to do an ultrasound. But everything’s fine. It’s just...” She choked. She couldn’t make the words come out.

  “It’s just what? Anne! What is it? We can handle anything together, but you have to tell me.”

  “There’re two!” she gasped.

  “There to what?”

  “There are two! Babies! Twins!”

  For a long moment, he was silent. When he finally spoke, his voice croaked. “Twins?”

  “She said women over the age of forty-five have about a one in five chance of twin pregnancy. And women with multiple pregnancies are more likely to have hyperemesis gravidarum, too. She missed seeing it on the first ultrasound, but today she thought she heard two heartbeats.” She paused to take a breath. “And it turns out she did hear two.”

  She could see the wheels turning in his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but she stopped him. “Before you pepper me with endless questions, let me tell you this—she said we don’t need to do anything differently at all. At least not right now. You can call her on Monday and ask all those questions that are churning in your head.”

  “But you have to answer a few questions tonight.” He leaned down, kissing her cheek. “Will they be identical or fraternal?”

  “Most likely fraternal.”

  “So we could even have a boy and a girl at the same time?”

  “Yep. Or two boys or two girls.”

  “And are you going to get really big?”

  “She said I’d only need to gain an extra ten pounds, but I’ll probably look pretty big.”

  “I think this means I’m especially virile. Right?” His dimples danced.

  “There’s never been any doubt about that,” she chuckled. “But I really think it just means I’m old.”

  “I have one more important question.” He nuzzled her neck, sending a little thrill down her spine. “Is it okay to celebrate being pregnant with twins? I mean, is there any chance we might accidentally create a few more babies in there?”

  “There’s no danger. In fact, I’m almost certain the doctor recommended it.”

  *****

  Emily was glad to not be spending the evening alone, but Josh was still pretty glum when he arrived. They decided to eat first, as neither one was really in a movie-watching mood, despite their plans.

  “Has Charlie said anything about me?” asked Josh hopefully. “Wait. If it’s bad, I’m not sure I want to know.”

  “She still doesn’t trust you, Josh. She’s been hurt before. I know how she feels—I feel the same way. It’s no fun. I don’t want to do it again.”

  “If it feels anything like this, I totally understand. I never knew a girl could make me feel so miserable. I almost wish I’d never met her. No, that’s not true. As long as there’s a chance, it’s worth it.”

  “Let me ask you Josh, why should she trust you?”

  “It’s true enough she doesn’t have any reason to trust me. But I’m willing to prove I’ve changed.”

  Emily suddenly realized Josh could provide some of the answers she’d been looking for. “Can I ask you some questions? And will you promise not to laugh at me?”

  He grinned. “I’ll do my best. But I can’t even imagine what you’re going to ask. Go ahead.”

  “So... Uhmm... How long can a guy go without having sex?”

  A chuckle escaped before he could stop himself. “I’m sorry. But that’s not what I expected. Are you serious?”

  She nodded, knowing her face must be bright red.

  “Well, you’re probably asking the wrong guy. I’ve never really had to go without before. But, let’s see. How long ago did I meet your sister? Like four weeks ago? I can say for sure a guy can go four weeks.” He laughed, and then laughed louder at what must be a horrified expression on her face.

  What if Spencer couldn’t wait? Maybe he already hadn’t waited?

  “Hold on, I’m teasing you. Don’t get upset!” His smile disappeared. “A guy can go a lot longer than that. We just usually don’t want to, but we won’t die from going without. I’m prepared to go without for a long time to prove myself to Charlie.”

  But exactly how long was a long time?

  Josh interrupted her thoughts. “You’re not very experienced are you?”

  “Not very.”

  “And Charlie? Is she like you? Innocent, I mean?”

  “Josh I don’t think I should talk to you about Charlie.”

  He groaned, “She is, isn’t she? No wonder she doesn’t want to have anything to do with a guy like me.” He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. “I’d go back and change my past if I could. Do you think it’s a lost cause? Will I ever be good enough for her?”

  “What would you do if I told you no? If I told you tonight there was absolutely zero chance she’d ever come around and be able to trust you, what would you do?”

  He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. He sat forward and caught her gaze, all the humor gone from his face. “I’d do exactly what I’m doing now. That man is gone, the one who slept around, going out with women only for sex. I won’t be able to sleep with a girl I’m not in love with—one I’m not willing to commit to. Not now. I know Charlie doesn’t believe it and you probably don’t either, but I love her. I decided I love her and once I make a decision I stick with it.”

  “But, Josh. She might never even give you a chance. I’m sorry. I’d love to tell you she’ll finally listen to you some day, if you wait long enough. But she might not.”

  “Then some day, I may really be able to answer your question about how long a guy can go without sex,” he said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  Josh felt his heart die a little. Charlie was innocent and he didn’t deserve her. How could he even ask her to be with him?

  “Josh... Do you think a player really can change? Can he really stick with one girl? Or will he eventually revert to his old ways?”

  Emily was watching him intently, chewing on her lip. “You’re not asking about me and Charlie, are you? You’re asking about Spencer. Right?”

  She looked down. “Yes,” she whispered.

  “He’d be stupid to want to be with anyone besides you, and I don’t think he’s that stupid. And he can wait a lot longer than four weeks. He’ll wait as long as he needs to. Okay? Feel better?”

  “Okay,” she agreed. But he could tell she wasn’t really convinced. If Emily wouldn’t trust Spencer, what chance did he have of ever getting Charlie to trust him? Did it matter? Could he ever actually be good enough for Charlie Best?

  “By the way, Emily? Does Spencer know I’m here tonight? I’m a little surprised he was okay with it.”

  Her eyes widened. “I... I didn’t think. Do you think he’ll mind? Surely he won’t care.”

  “Of course not. But, I don’t want him to beat me up because he thinks I’m chasing you again.”

  “Ohmygosh! You’re right. I should call him now. I don’t want him to think I’m hiding something.”

  He nodded and watched her pull out her phone to call Spencer. She waited and then her face fell when it went to voice mail. “Uhmm. Hi, Spencer. It’s Friday night, and I know you’re helping your dad with some project, but call me if you get a chance. Josh came over to keep me company.” After a pause, she added, “And so he could moan about Charlie, of course. Anyway, call if you get a chance. Bye.”

  “How was that?” she asked, screwing her face to one side.

  “I guess we’ll find out. If he comes over with a gun, I think I might be grateful. He could just put me out of my misery.”

  Spencer cursed under his breath. He’d missed a call from Emily at eight o’clock. It was already after midnight, way too late to call her back. He listened to her message, and cursed a little lo
uder. He didn’t want her hanging out with Josh when he wasn’t around. But how could he insist she sit around alone when he was secretly working? And now, she was going to wonder why he didn’t call her back.

  Rather than risk waking her, he sent a text. “Sorry I missed you. Accidentally turned ringer off. Project went long. Call you in the morning.”

  He’d had a great night in tips so far. One Friday or Saturday night was probably worth two weeknights. But he couldn’t give up many weekend nights with Emily, or she’d get suspicious.

  “Hey, Spencer! Can you get this one?”

  Every car was one step closer to getting a ring for Emily. “I’m coming!”

  *****

  Becca scanned the hiking group, searching for Spencer. She was totally frustrated. He hadn’t come on a single hike in a month, not since the day he’d come on the hike looking for Emily. What did he see in her? She was so flat-chested she barely even looked like a girl. All the guys appreciated Becca’s assets and let her know about it. She was very popular, except with Spencer. She hadn’t been able to get his attention, and it really bothered her. Now her phone calls went straight to voicemail, and he never called her back. He seemed to be really angry with her, and it wasn’t even her fault.

  It was all Emily’s fault. All she’d done was let him know Emily was going out with another guy. She’d never cheat on Spencer like Emily had. Emily claimed they were only friends, so she was obviously leading him on. She didn’t deserve Spencer. And then Mr. Gherring filed charges against her for slipping a ruffie in Emily’s wine. It was a good thing she’d gone home and flushed the extras down the toilet after he made some remark about her attempting murder. She wasn’t trying to kill Emily. Granted, she put three in the wine glass instead of one, but Emily wouldn’t drink the whole glass of wine. It took her over an hour to drink the first glass. And it wasn’t that dangerous, either—she’d used them herself and always had fun. Emily had probably faked being sick to get attention from Spencer.