I watched Alex as he drove. He was everything Sean wasn’t. He complimented me constantly. He treated everyone with respect, from the waitresses at Mr. and Mrs. K’s restaurant to the homeless guy who sometimes huddled at the far end of my apartment building. He didn’t complain, and he’d never made me feel bad for any reason, not even when I didn’t text him back or forgot to call.

“Well,” Alex said as he pulled into a parking spot. “That was a shitshow.”

His voice was so calm, so serious, that I burst out laughing.

“That’s an understatement,” I replied. “I’d rather go to the dentist than do that again.”

“I’d rather slide into second again,” Alex mumbled.

“I’d rather fly internationally three days in a row,” I replied.

“I’d rather eat my sister-in-law’s cooking every day for a month.”

“She’s that bad?” I asked.

“No,” he confessed. “But she used to be. It was disgusting.”

“But you ate it anyway?”

“Well, I didn’t want to hurt her feelings,” he said simply.

I think that may have been the moment I knew I was in love with Alex Evans.

Chapter 7

Alex

Do you still want me to come in?” I asked as we sat in the quiet truck.

The entire night had been such a nightmare. I felt bad that I’d agreed to the whole thing and dragged Sarai along with me. The way Sean treated Hailey was disgusting, and I was embarrassed that my connection with him was how I’d met Sarai.

“Yeah,” Sarai said, sending me a small smile as she unbuckled her seat belt. “I still want you to come in.”

I smiled back, hiding my nervousness, and got out of the truck, hurrying around the hood to open her door. I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous. The chemistry between us was electric, and I knew that the sex would be, too, but part of me worried that when we actually made it to bed, things would go south. What if it didn’t go well? What if she did something that I hated? More importantly, what if I did something that totally turned her off? I really liked Sarai, and I knew she liked me, but this was uncharted territory for us, and I so badly wanted it to be great that I was psyching myself out. Hell, maybe nothing would happen beyond some kissing on the couch and I was worrying for no reason.

I led her quietly to the front door, holding her hand until she reached for her keys. As she unlocked the door and led the way inside, my hands found her hips, and I smoothed my thumbs up under her shirt to the soft skin of her back.

“Do you want something to drink?” she asked, reaching for the light switch in the kitchen.