“Ow. Ouch.”
“Nah, it was a compliment from her. She absolutely loved being a mother and wanted me to have the same experience. Little did she know, I drive away men as soon as I open my mouth.”
“I’ve done my share of that too. Over and over again. I thought it was hopeless that I’d ever find someone who got me as I was and vice versa. But Oliver’s different. We know each other so well. Probably why we bicker so much.”
“You like bickering. So, it’s good you found someone to match you.”
“It is. Am I asking for too much? I know him, Kelsey. I know his limitations and mine, and maybe I just can’t expect more from him. This is all so new between us, and he’s trying, he really is. He gave me this necklace. Isn’t it beautiful?” I held it out for her inspection and she let out a little wistful sigh.
“If you decide you can’t deal with his assholish behavior anymore, can I take a turn, or would that be a friendship killer?” I growled, and she laughed. “Just kidding. I don’t poach. But that’s so pretty.”
“There’s more.” Swallowing hard, I
picked up my purse and tugged out the origami animals I’d found in my mailbox. I’d pried them apart so carefully, desperate to see what he might have written inside.
It had been days since we’d talked—okay, fought, yet again—and I missed him so much. It was insane. When had arguing with Oliver…and sleeping with him…and hearing his laughter…and holding his hand…become such a vital, integral part of my day?
My entire life?
“Oh,” Kelsey murmured as I carefully nudged the origami creatures across the table. “Those are—what’s it called?”
“Origami.”
“What are these for? You do these?” She picked up the dragon far too recklessly, and I had to bite my lip to keep from admonishing her about crinkling the paper.
“No. He does. Oliver does, for me.”
I swear, she melted in front of me like a bar of chocolate on a hot summer day. “You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
“That’s possibly the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. And you let this man get away?”
“I just got those today. He gave me one before when he came into the diner for lunch. I think it was an offhanded thing he used to do and never realized that I’d fall in love with it.”
“You’re not in love with his origami. You’re in love with him.”
“The origami is pretty persuasive,” I said in a small voice, letting out a little screech when she bent the dragon’s wing the wrong way. “Here, let me. You have to be very careful.”
She waited while I retrieved the dragon and the fox and opened them painstakingly, barely breathing during the process. It had taken me many attempts to do this correctly. That was why I’d only had a few minutes to get ready to meet Kelsey. I’d been too busy folding and refolding my precious animals to even break for dinner.
Who had I become? Usually, I never let anything come between me and my meals. And I was pregnant, which added an extra layer of food savagery.
“He writes notes inside too? Oh my. What do they say?”
“They’re short. The flaps don’t allow much room. But in the dragon, he asked me out.”
“Asked you out where?”
“Nowhere in particular. Just ‘Sage Evans, will you go out with me?’” My voice stayed even, a minor feat.
“Wait, he knocked you up, right?”
“Indelicately speaking, yes.” I sighed and opened the fox. “But we never really went out on regular dates. We just did everything backward. I gave him a blowjob before we even had our first kiss.” Once the words were out, I covered my mouth. “Um, so about those Mets?”
Kelsey laughed so hard I thought she’d need assistance. “It’s probably good you’re already spoken for. If we ever tried to go man slaying, the guys wouldn’t know what hit them when it came to our mouths.”
“Do you mean verbally or vis a vis blowjobs?”