“That’s the shittiest advice you’ve ever given me. I feel personally offended by what you just said.” I shoulder-checked him and walked toward the door.
“Ashton.”
I snapped around. “No. We’re not best friends right now. I need a break from you because you don’t understand me or anything I’ve said.”
“You need to stay away from her. You’re losing your man card the more you talk about Sage.”
“I’m going out on a date with her on Friday night.”
“Good. Fuck her and be done with her already. I’m tired of hearing you whine like a lost puppy.”
I deeply sighed. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I do need to just rail her and get it over with. That makes sense. She’s like the forbidden fruit I want to eat and make come down my chest.
“And finally, he sees reason.”
“You’re a good friend, man.”
“I do what I can.”
“So are you going to see Aspyn again?”
He smiled, spewing…
“She’s riding my face tomorrow.”
Chapter 12
—Sage—
I blinked, and it was Friday.
The date I had been thinking about all week was finally here, and I was trying my best to not freak the hell out about it. We texted on and off all week. The truth was I couldn’t be more excited to get dressed up to the nines and just be a normal woman my age for the night.
Not the mama of twins.
“Sage, honey, you look beautiful,” Mom declared as I walked into the living room, doing a little twirl in place.
I felt young.
Carefree.
Light as a feather.
I was wearing a light-blue spring dress that hugged my curves perfectly, subtly flowing out around my knees. My hair was curled and tied to the left side of my head, with a few strands framing my face. Aspyn helped me with my makeup, going heavy on the eyes with dark black eyeliner and thick mascara. Some blush and a soft shade of nude for my lips.
“Wow, Sage … you look… Jesus… I hope this guy is worth it, or he’s going to have to answer to me,” Brady spoke, eyeing me up and down.
My brother had always been protective over me. Ever since I could walk, he was right there by my side. He'd put Memphis in the hospital the night I told my family he didn’t want anything to do with our babies. That was the last time I saw him. I was eight weeks pregnant at the time.
Brady said he came over to hang out with Haiden and Haven, but I knew he was lying. Mom was cooking dinner, and he never passed up a home-cooked meal by our mother. She was the best chef, and I had learned a lot about cooking from her over the years. My kids always ate my food, and they were picky eaters.
Haiden was sitting on the couch playing his Xbox, glancing over at me from the television. “You look nice, Mom. Where are you going?”
“Oh… I’m going out with Aspyn.”
He looked over at her. “But she’s not dressed up.”
Knowing I was keeping this date from the twins, Brady replied, “She doesn’t need to get dressed up, bud. She looks good in whatever she wears.”
“Facts,” Haiden agreed, turning his attention back to his game again.
Aspyn bent her body into a flirty pose for my brother.
See … fucking weird, right?
I gazed into the foyer mirror, reapplying my lipstick before I kissed my kid’s goodbye. Aspyn left with me so the twins wouldn’t get suspicious. She was driving me to the address Ashton had text messaged earlier this week.
“You really do look amazing, Sage. You nervous?”
“Is it that obvious?”
She laughed. “Stop letting your thoughts get the best of you. Just let down your hair and have a good time.”
“That’s the problem. Me having a good time.”
“What’s wrong with you having a good time?”
“I’d be having a good time with Ashton, the eternal playboy.”
“So what? You act like that’s a bad thing.”
“It’s the worst thing.”
“Why?”
“I’m going to want to see him again, and I’m already falling for the guy whose last name I don’t know.”
“So you get to know him.”
“He’s not the type of man you get to know, Aspyn.”
“Sage, he asked you out on a date, so he obviously wants to get to know you too. Why do you find it so hard to believe this guy might actually like you and want to get to know you too?”
“What if he does?”
“Now you’re worried if he likes you?”
“It’s not just me he has to like…”
“Oh, you’re nervous about him liking the twins?”
“Of course I am.”
“How many times do I have to tell you that your twins are the best, and he’s going to fall for them as well?”
“I don’t know. He’s a man. Men don’t usually find kids a positive, especially when they aren’t his.”
“You’re jumping to conclusions before you’ve even given him the chance.”
“Maybe you’re right. I’m just nervous. I’ve never lied about being a mother.”