Birthday Girl

But Cole is an adult now, and Pike has been on his own for a while. What does he do when he’s not at work?

“I’d love to see some of the stuff,” I broach. “If you ever want to unpack it, I’ll help.”

“Nah, that’s okay.”

I knit my brow at how quickly he shoots me down.

“You mean I can’t even see old yearbooks and if you and Cole were twinsies at the same age?” I tease.

He lets out a quiet chuckle. “God, no. Back when the only important thing I had to do was my hair?”

I grin, but of course, he can’t see it. Was he a one-girl kind of guy back in high school, or did he have lots like Cole did before me?

I remember what Cole said about his father cheating on his mom, but for some reason it doesn’t ring true.

“The truth is, Jordan,” he says, “when you’re young, you can be really stupid. I don’t care to remember that time in my life. I want to move on.”

But you’re not moving at all, by the looks of it.

“You need some spice in your life,” I jab at him. “You should get a woman.”

“Yeah, and you should get back to your friends now,” he retorts.

I laugh. “Oh, come on.”

“What makes you think I don’t already have a woman, Jordan?”

His voice taunts, and I can feel it all the way down to my toes.

My mouth goes dry. “Do you?” I ask.

I mean, I was just joking. Wouldn’t it be awkward to have two women walking around the house? I already have my chores down, and I do most of the cooking. That butcher block island and I have a relationship now. I might get a little jealous if another woman touches it.

“You haven’t known me long,” he plays. “My needs do have to be taken care of once in a while. I am human, after all.”

My stomach flips, and I shoot my eyebrows up. His needs?

An image of what he looks like when he has to get those needs met flashes through my mind. I push them away.

Umm, yeah. Okay.

All of a sudden, he laughs. “I’m kidding,” he says. “Yes, I do go out from time to time, but I’m not seeing anyone now. You don’t have to worry about running into some woman you don’t know in the house.”

“Or women,” I say. “Right?”

He scoffs, and I can just picture his face. “Do you honestly see me being able to juggle more than one female? Ever?”

“No, you like your me-time.”

“Exactly.”

My heart warms, and I knew I was right. Cole’s mom fed him bullshit to turn her son against his father.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to say something about Cole, but if Pike confronts him about the lies his mom probably told, Cole will see it as me betraying his trust. And it might embarrass Pike. They’re not my family. It’s not my place.

A yawn stretches my face, and I let out a little moan, my eyes growing heavier.

“Well, I guess I’ll let you go,” Pike says. “You both have fun, okay? Be safe.”