Bittersweet (The Calvettis of New York 4)

He didn’t panic or push me away in his haste to get to work.

Once the call ended, he kissed me, told me that he’d be thinking of me all day, and then he got dressed and left.

I felt bereft the second he walked out the door, so I climbed back into my bed and closed my eyes with the hope that I’d dream about everything we’d done yesterday.

Joel breezes past me headed toward the kitchen. “He’s good for you.”

“I know,” I say as I follow behind him.

He glances over his shoulder to shoot me a raised eyebrow. “I’m not talking about the fact that you’ve been deprived of great sex forever, and he’s filling that void.”

I laugh. “I know what you’re talking about, Joel. He makes me happy.”

“And content,” he adds. “You look complete in a Jerry Maguire way.”

I laugh at the reference to one of our favorite movies.

Joel sets the bakery box on the island. When he glances at me again, I notice the instant shift in his expression. “I need to ask about her.”

“Brooklyn.”

“That’s her name?” He crosses his arms over his chest. “Brooklyn is the ex?”

I nod.

He stays silent while he straightens the light blue tie around his neck. He’s dressed to perfection again.

I, on the other hand, opted to wear jeans and a purple short-sleeved sweater. The sneakers on my feet pale in comparison to the expensive shoes Joel is wearing.

“He’s over her,” I say.

Joel clears his throat. “From your mouth to fate’s ears. I hope to hell you’re right because if she swoops back into the picture, that’s a complication neither of us needs.”

I smile because I love that he views this as an ‘ us ’ situation when it clearly isn’t. “I’m right.”

“Speaking of marriage, “ he starts.

“What?” I hold up a hand to stop him. “Who was speaking of marriage?”

“Me.” He jams a finger into his chest. “When I walked in, and you told me that he’s an orgasm machine.”

“Don’t call him that.”

“I call it as I see it,” he bounces back. “Or as you feel it.”

Holding in a laugh, I look him dead in the eye. “I’m not responding to that.”

“Anyways, “ he drawls the word out slowly. “He’s the type of guy you should be marrying, Afton.”

“I should be eating cupcakes,” I say in an effort to change the subject. “Then, I should be discussing what work I need to do today with my assistant.”

Joel pops the lid of the box open to reveal two red velvet cupcakes. “I need to stay in movie star shape, so these are both for you.”

“Both?” I ask with a hint of giddiness in my tone.

“Or one for you and one for Luke to eat later after he eats…”

“Dinner?” I interrupt with an exaggerated smile. “I’ll save one for him.”

He grins. “Such a couple thing to do. Someone is falling hard and fast for the fireman.”

I shove a piece of the decadent cake into my mouth and chew because there’s no way I can disagree with a word that Joel just said.

Chapter 35

Luke

“You’re not an easy man to track down.” My oldest brother wraps an arm around my shoulder. “You’ve been avoiding me, Luke.”

“Rocco,” I say his name with a grin. “Always riding my ass about something.”

He lets out a deep belly laugh. Those have been more frequent since the birth of his son, Bryant. My brother is acing this father stuff. It’s good for him, and his little boy lucked out.

I’ve always told Rocco that his name suits him since he’s been my rock for as long as I can remember. He’s never more than a phone call away, and he’s made it clear that if I need anything, be it money or time, it’s mine.

I earn my own money, so his time is the only currency I need.

I didn’t ask for this meeting, but I won’t turn him away, even though I’m dead tired after pulling a double shift.

He drags a hand through my hair. “Tell me what’s going on.”

I motion for him to sit on the couch in my living room. “Work is going on.”

He steals a glance at the screen of my open laptop.

Before he can ask what he’s looking at, I slam it shut.

“Afton Neal,” he says the name of the woman I can’t stop thinking about. “Let’s talk about her.”

I tug on the waistband of the black sweatpants I’m wearing before I take a seat across from him in a chair. “What about her?”

“She’s going to work on Marti’s site.” He narrows his gaze. “The recommendation came from you because you like her.”

The goofy grin on his face tells me that Marti had a hell of a lot to say about Afton, and not all of it was related to her skills as a food photographer.

“I do like her,” I admit. “She’s great at her job.”