Me: See you soon.
I wonder if we can actually withhold from seeing each other. I mean, it’s only two days away and I have faith.
TRUE TO OUR WORD, Jayden and I were able to stay away from each other. I have to admit it was a long two days, and I’m now pacing my living room floor as I wait for him to knock on my door. The box holding the cake for tonight’s dessert is on the table with my purse so I won’t forget it. Hell, I’ve already put my jacket on and have started to sweat just a little. Why am I so nervous? Maybe because it’s our official first date, and I'm preparing myself before I take him around all my friends. This was not a bright idea. Tonight we’ll have Jayden, Hatcher, Brody, Diesel, and all of us girls. It’s bound to be awkward. The thought of them integrating Jayden into the group has me breaking out in even more of a sweat. On the other hand, he can hang out with Diesel since they are the new guys to the group. When I spoke to Natasha this afternoon, she seemed a bit fazed by tonight. If I were in her shoes, I’d be just as nervous. It’s been years since she’s had a date that we’ve all met. Deep down I know she’s attracted to him, but the whole “instant mom” thing throws her a curve ball. I’ve seen her with her nieces and she’s a natural, but then you have to get her to drop the curtain.
I jump when I hear a knock on the door alerting me that Jayden is just on the other side. A long breath of air releases as I approach and greet him with a smile. “Hi,” I say as I wave him across the threshold.
“Hi, you look striking,” he says, placing a gentle kiss on my cheek. It’s enough to cause me to close my eyes for a moment. Just as I realize he’s pulled back, my eyes open and look up toward him. His regular ruffled hair is arranged in a tamed disarray. Tonight is meant to be casual and fun, and I love how he’s paired dark jeans with a button-up shirt that he’s left untucked. I want him to kiss me again, but decide that we need to get a move on it or we will never make it out of my apartment. “Thanks. Ready?” I ask as I grab my purse and the cake.
“Let me carry that,” he says, and I pass him the box as we walk out, and I lock the door behind us. Side by side we walk toward his car. When we approach the passenger side, Jayden balances the box and opens the door for me.
“Thank you,” I say as I slide into the leather seats of his Camry. It’s not fancy, but fitting for what I’ve seen of him thus far. He hurries to the other side and places the cake on the floorboard of the backseat and jumps in the driver’s seat. I throw out the address and give a few directions on how to get to Natasha’s.
“How have you been?” I ask.
“Busy, what about you?”
“Busy, but not like it’s been before. I like this downtime. It gives me time to relax and regroup.”
“I don’t know how you do it. Every time I’ve been in, you’re swamped.”
“I love it. That place is my life and dream.”
“You really are talented. Amy says if she ever leaves production, she’s coming to work for you.”
“Well, if Zara leaves me after the baby, I just might need a new employee,” I say with a fake laugh. This is one thing I am worried about. I know she wants to continue to work, but don’t they all say that?
“I’ll let her know. What’s the plan for tonight? Am I getting the friend inspection?”
I let out a sigh before I answer. “I hope not. I really don’t know. The other night all of us figured it would be fun to have the guys tag along for a little get together. We haven’t done one of these in forever.”
“Sounds fun.”
“You say that now, but at the end of the evening you might have different thoughts.”
“Your friends seem nice and laid-back.”
As Jayden announces that my friends are laid-back, I have to laugh at him. He doesn’t have the slightest idea how they can be. “Maybe Zara, but not Frankie or Natasha. Those two might give you a run for your money. Just know that I have warned you.”
“Noted.”
After the brief conversation, the air around us shifts. It’s as if his nerves caught up with him, not to mention mine are so strung out that I don’t know which way is up or down. Twenty minutes later we arrive across town at Natasha’s loft. She lives on the tenth floor of a brand new complex. Well, it’s not brand new, but you might as well say it is. She’s only lived here for a year now, and you would have thought she’d bought a mansion from her excitement.
Jayden pulls us into the underground parking garage and finds the perfect spot near the elevators. I decide to not wait, and exit before he can come around and open my door. Doing this earns me a look, but I brush it off as I wait for him to join my side. After we step inside the cold elevator, I push the tenth floor button and wait. Each ding of the floors builds my anticipation. I can’t get over how the butterflies have invaded my lower stomach. The mixture of Jayden staring me down, him meeting the friends, and then the mix of having Diesel here. I did manage to get out of Natasha that his daughter would be with a sitter. This to me is a good thing, as their first meeting needs to not be inside her pristine house. At the alerting sound of the doors opening, I turn toward him with a smile. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
Natasha quickly opens the door and I can tell instantly that the smile on her face is fake. With a welcoming arm, I get a brief hug, and she smiles toward Jayden. “Come in, come in.”
“Thanks for inviting me, I like your place,” Jayden says, sounding a little more nervous than I am.
“You’re welcome. We can’t wait to get to know you, and thanks, I love this place. Jayden, will you place the cake down in the kitchen? It’s right over there.” She points across the room toward the open kitchen.
He nods and heads in that direction, where I notice Diesel is parked against the counter eyeing Natasha.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Why did you talk me into this? I mean, you girls are welcome, but why did I have to invite that man?”
“Who? Jayden?” I ask, knowing dang well whom she is referring to.
“Morgan, come on, you know who I’m talking about,” she says, and before I can respond, there’s a knock at the door. As Natasha goes to greet our next guest, I turn my head and notice that Jayden and Diesel have already hit it off. That makes me smile, as I hope he can get along with them all. Simon wouldn’t have been thrilled to join me for something like this, so we stopped doing these years ago. Well, not having a dinner party, but inviting the guys. The last time Hatcher was here was the day we moved her into this place.
“Hey, hey, people, the party has arrived,” I hear Zara announce, and I love how this pregnancy hasn’t slowed her down a bit. Maybe just a little, but she’s still keeping us all on our toes. Frankie is fast on her heels as they all enter. Hatcher seems a bit uneasy, and I make a note to check on him later. This whole baby thing has really done a number on him, and the sooner Zara will give in to his proposal, the happier he will be. Brody, on the other hand, currently looks like a fish out of water. He and Frankie need to jump the fence and become an item. I see the attraction they hold for each other, but I still don’t understand why he fights it.
I can hear Natasha doing the introductions, which causes me to skip across her hardwood floors toward them.
“Nice to meet you all,” Diesel says, and I notice his hand around her waist, which is causing a pretty funny facial expression from Natasha. I can’t help myself, and I bust out laughing, which earns me a glare from her and Frankie.
Zara must have figured out why I was laughing because the next thing I know, she’s following my lead. “You two just need to do it already, just like these guys here,” Zara says, pointing at me. “Once you jump in the sack, it’ll be better. Take this one for a test drive, she needs an oil change.” Zara glares at Natasha.
“Zara, you’re lucky you’re knocked up,” Natasha says.
“Oh, it’s the weekend and you need to let loose. Here, drink some wine,” Zara says as she shoves a glass in her hand and offers up a sweet ev
il smile.
The guys have seemed to hit it off as they’ve moved out to the living room, leaving us to chat in the kitchen. Natasha is still smug about Diesel, but I’ve noticed how she watches him and that just proves something is floating around inside. In time, she will come to terms, and as he pushes, she will push back.
“Frankie, what are you and Brody doing?” I ask. “I mean, you all rode together, I know, but come on, when are you going to just ask him?”
“I already did, but that man is just as stubborn as Natasha. Hell, they’d take over the world together if we allowed them the time. I just don’t know what to do with him. That guy from the photo shoot I was telling you about called and wants to come visit. I just might take him up on the offer.”
“You have to do what’s best,” I say. “Brody will either come around or not. We just don’t want to watch you waste your time. I know he likes you from the way he watches you, maybe talk to him and figure it out.”
“Maybe. We’ll see how it goes. Plus, I need to leave again for another shoot soon.”
“You’ll figure it out, I know you will.”
“Help me set the table. Everything’s warmed up,” Natasha says as she walks past us toward the dining room with a tray of lasagna. Yes, she ordered it from the Italian restaurant a few blocks away, as our sweet friend doesn’t like to cook. I take a whiff as she passes by. It smells divine. I grab the salad bowl while the others grab the breadsticks and wine. I know this is killing Zara since she can’t have any. She’s not a big drinker, but she enjoys a nice glass or two with her meals.
We all sit around the long mahogany table. Jayden’s next to me with his hand resting on my knee. Hatcher’s next to Zara, and they seem to be enjoying a moment together. Then we have Frankie, Brody, Natasha, and Diesel. This has to be the awkward moment that I’ve been waiting for. Diesel slides Natasha’s chair out and waits for her to sit. He seems to be the perfect gentleman. It’s shocking to view him as being gentle. Here he is at least six feet tall, shaved head, and covered with tattoos on both arms. He’s cleaned up nicely, so different from the grease-covered man I met at his garage. It shows that people always have two sides to them, and that we shouldn’t judge them with one glance. I’m curious about his motives. Does he only want a replacement mother? Or does he truly have feelings for my friend? Before I stick my nose where it doesn’t need to be yet, I’ll just sit back and observe.
Just as I’m lost in thought, Jayden leans over and places a gentle kiss on the side of my head, tightening his grip on my knee. He’s so different than the ones I’ve dated in the past, but it’s a welcoming attraction. There are so many differences between him and Simon that I can’t even compare them. If I did, it would be like comparing apples to oranges. Jayden is just Jayden, and the best part about it is that he allows me to be me. He hasn’t made any crazy demands or requests; well, at least not yet. At this point, I’m just going to go with the flow and not get ahead of myself. I count my lucky stars each day that I don’t hear from Simon, or the push from my mother to fulfill the commitment she thinks needs to be fulfilled with him. This is a hopeless cause, and the thought that Jayden will have to fight against her to win her approval in the end is useless.
“Diesel, tell us about your daughter,” Zara asks, causing Natasha to whip her head in her direction so fast that I’m sure she’s dizzy.
“Cassidy’s my little princess and has her father wrapped around her pinky. Here’s a picture of her,” he says with a proud smile as he hands over his cell phone.
Zara takes one look at her and shoves it in Natasha’s face. “Oh my, look at this gorgeous face.” And then hands it to Hatcher so he can look and pass it around to us all. I have to admit, once the phone is placed in my hands, the biggest smile comes to life as I take in the view. It looks to have been done at the shop. Diesel is in his uniform and has his arm wrapped around her as she sits on his knee. Complete admiration is written over both of their faces. You can witness the love they have for each other here. Something strange stirs deep within me, something I’ve never felt before as this sudden desire to have the same hits. I take a chance to look up at Natasha, giving her a silent push that she needs to take a chance here. As soon as she meets this precious girl, she’ll fall in love with her just as her dad has. Deep down I think this is what scares her the most, not the fact of entering into a new relationship with him. It’s what happens when she does fall for her and the relationship doesn’t work out. To Natasha, that’s possibly worse than recovering from a broken heart. She’s fierce on the outside, but her interior is mush. On an average relationship, I would intervene, but I think I’ll take a step back and let her come up with her own feelings. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll support her in whatever she chooses, but it needs to be her choice.
“She’s beautiful,” I say as I hand him back his phone.
“Thank you, she’s my angel and doesn’t let anything stop her. I’m hoping Natasha will be able to meet her soon,” he says as he turns toward her, waiting for a response.
At least a minute goes by before she answers. “Let’s play it by ear, okay?”
“We can do that.”
Our banter goes around the table as we catch up. Hatcher explains that he’s buying a house in the burbs for his new family, which causes Zara to almost choke on her food. This is going to be entertaining to watch. She’s a total city person, and I never pictured her living in the suburbs. I shouldn’t say never, as Hatcher has his ways with her. Hell, I never thought those two would settle down with each other, and now the joke is on me. Whatever he does works, and I’ve never seen either of them happier. Actually Zara would be happier if he would stop asking her to marry him. She’ll come around when she’s ready. That might be years from now, but when I look at the future, I see them still together with more children. Zara might not agree with this, but Hatcher wants a big family.
“Frankie, will you help me in the kitchen for a moment?” I ask as I stand and let Jayden know that I’ll be right back. I’ve noticed that she’s been real quiet and that’s not her.
“Spill it,” I say quietly as I lean up against the counter and fold my arms across my chest.
“Spill what? I have nothing to say.”
“Oh, yes you do. I’ve been watching you sulk since we sat down to eat.”
“Fine … It’s just that everyone is starting a relationship, having babies, and I can’t have that.”
“What do you mean you can’t have that, because you can,” I say, giving her a sympathetic smile.
“You know my condition, and the doctors are sure I’ll never be able to. I think that’s why Brody is so stand-offish with me. He wants what Zara and Hatch have, and knows I can’t be that person. Which is why I’m working more out of town. I can’t stand knowing that the one person I want more than anything thinks I’m damaged goods.”
“Frankie, you’re not damaged, broken, or any of the other stuff I’ve heard you call yourself. I really think you need to talk to him, explain this to him, and while you’re at it, you need hope. Things change, and research changes all the time.”
“Brody doesn’t want someone like me. He deserves to have everything he dreams of.”
“I don’t want someone like you? Are you crazy, Francesca?” Brody asks, scaring the crap out of us both. He’s leaned up against the door frame with a plate in his hand boring holes through Frankie.
“Not now, Brody,” Frankie says.
“Yes now; I think this is the best place to air it all out. Plus, they can hear the truth, since you have me pegged as some ass that doesn’t care about you.” He sets his plate down and walks toward her. Brody stops inches away from her, placing a finger under her chin to raise her face up to look at him. It’s at this moment that not only am I confused by this affection, but my heart warms as I watch how tender he is with her.
“Francesca, you need to listen to me. I’ve said this once, and I’ll keep saying it to you. I don’t care about a family. When the tim
e is right, we can adopt or just have each other. What I want is to build a relationship with you, and only you. No, we haven’t figured it all out, but that’s because you run off to another town instead of facing me.”
“Hold on. I’m confused.” I say, interrupting them.
Brody turns around and leans back against the counter to look at us. “This one here seems to think that we’re going to continue to play cat and mouse. I know you guys think I don’t respond to her, but I’m not big on everyone knowing what’s going on. Especially when I have no idea, since she wants to fight against it all.”
“So let me get this straight. Brody, you really do like her, she likes you, and you aren’t scared of her problems?”
“Correct, it’s just something we have to work through and I’ve been doing some research. Like I told her the other night, things are different than when she was eighteen and diagnosed. But … as always, she doesn’t listen, so maybe I should have you all tell her.”
“Frankie,” Natasha says, “I think you need to wake up and stop pushing him away. You two are perfect for each other, and I can tell you might have met your match with this one.”
As I study Frankie’s face, I can tell she’s fighting back the tears. She tries to not let it control her, but sometimes our emotions get the best of us.
We didn’t know each other back then, but I’ve heard the horror stories. She was eighteen when they diagnosed her with endometriosis. She’s had several surgeries to control the pain as they remove scar tissue after scar tissue and scrape her insides like they were nothing but a dirty dish. It’s been six months since her last surgery, and that was the worst we’d seen her afterward. When they told her one of her ovaries looked to be dying, and might have to be removed on the next one, we witnessed the most heartbreaking pain from her. All these years she’s kept positive, searching for the good in it all, only to be crushed in less than five minutes. Frankie hasn’t processed it all, and she needs Brody to push her to open up. We’ve tried, but it’s something none of us talks about. Her rules, not ours.
Frosted Sweets (A Taste of Love Series Book 1) Page 18
