Page 7 of A Simple Love
“Yeah, it was very out of character for him. But also, kinda hot.” I chuckle, causing Hayley and Pauline to both smirk at me.
“Oh yeah, Vic? You like a man who’s in charge, huh?” Hayley teases, nudging me with her elbow as we walk into the kitchen. I make my way over to the freezer to pull out the ice cream and toppings from the fridge, desperately trying to hide my embarrassment.
“In all honesty, I don’t know what I like. But I didn’t hate the way he took charge and cornered me in the hallway at the bar.”
Pauline and Hayley both perk up at my admission, my cheeks instantly become hot as I realize what I confessed.
“He cornered you? Wow.” Pauline shakes her head. “I might have to get Dean to pull some information out of his brother,” she jokes.
“Oh God! This is going to be a disaster, you guys!” I roll my eyes as my mind revisits the way Mike’s fingers felt on my cheek as he grazed my face last night. The tingles come back full force as I fight to regain my composure.
Hayley just laughs. “No, it’s not. It’s going to be fine. You need this Vic. You have a month and a half with nothing to distract you from focusing on your feelings. Two gorgeous men want to date you. You are a beautiful, single woman who deserves to be wined and dined. Just take a deep breath and see what happens. I know that’s hard for you, but your life is yours now. Take a leap of faith and see where it lands you. It might be the furthest place from where you thought you would end up. But it could also be exactly where you are meant to be.”
Hayley and Pauline start making their sundaes while I let Hayley’s advice swirl around in my brain for a minute. She’s right. I have no distractions for the next six weeks to cloud my mind, allowing me to focus solely on my dates with both men. Ben, the handsome and clean-cut bartender who never crossed my mind until yesterday. Mike, the boy and now a man, that has always held a place in the back of my mind and undoubtedly my heart as well, for years. The rugged man who has the power to destroy me or cherish me for years to come. Dating two men is something I never thought I would do in my entire life. It sounds so complicated. But could it really be that simple?
Chapter 6
Mike
“Read ‘em and weep, boys!” I shout as I lay down my full house on the table, effectively sweeping the round of poker and robbing my brother and Tyler blind of their money for the evening.
“Damn it! You’ve got to be cheating, Mike! You’ve never won like this before!” Tyler bellows into the game room while pointing his finger at me. An evil grin flashes over my face while I soak in our boy’s night at Dean’s house, the house we both used to own, but he now lives in with Pauline. I sold over my half of the mortgage to him when they found out that Pauline was pregnant and after I found my house with my shop. The whole house has been redecorated to reflect a womanly touch, except for this room. This room still screams all man.
“Nope, just winning in every aspect of my life right now, boys,” I tease, scooping up the chips in front of me that I organize into neat stacks.
“So I take it last night went well then?” Dean asks as he makes his way back over to the table from the custom-built bar I made with a beer for each of us.
“Well, yes, and no.” I shrug and drop my gaze back down to my winnings. I’ve been struggling with my feelings about how last night unfolded all day long. There wasn’t enough wood to be cut or hammered to help me sort through my frustration.
“What do you mean? You asked out Vic, right? Please, for the love of God, tell me you didn’t chicken out again!” My brother rolls his eyes as he takes a long drag from his bottle.
“No, I didn’t chicken out. There was just a slight wrench thrown in the plans, but I made the most of it.” I move to stand as my brother grabs my arm, pulling me back down to my seat. I’m met with eyes and a face that mirror mine, the two of us looking more like twins than brothers separated by less than a year.
“You’re not going anywhere until you spill. What happened?” Dean’s elbows hit the table as he leans in to listen.
I let out a long sigh and recount seeing Vic with Ben, his lips meeting her cheek before he walked away. The anger and desperation I felt threw me for a loop, causing me to abandon my plan for the night. I recall Vic’s reaction when I demanded a date too but left out the details of me stalking her down the hallway, even though I am beyond proud of my confidence at that moment.
“So did you ask her out then?” Tyler interrupts my story, not fully convinced I secured the date.
“No, I told her it was happening, and she nodded in agreement. I was not about to let Ben weasel his way in without me getting my chance too. I mean, this isn’t exactly how I envisioned our relationship starting, but I’m not giving up you guys. I can’t.” I look back and forth between my brother and Tyler, who’s also become a close friend. The three of us can hang out and shoot the shit, but when one of us needs our head pulled out of our asses, we offer that service as well.
Dean dips his head before speaking. “Damn right, bro. Fight for your woman. Lord knows I wouldn’t be where I’m at with Pauline right now if I had given up. By the way, you guys still set to help me with the proposal next week?”
Dean has been waiting until the end of June to propose to Pauline on the day he first kissed her many years ago. I’m beyond happy for my brother that the two of them could work through their shit and come out on the other side utterly in love and now expecting a baby. Pauline doesn’t want to get married until after the baby is born, but he wants to put a ring on her finger before the birth, and I don’t blame him. I’d put a ring on Vic’s finger right now if she’d let me and people didn’t think I was crazy.
“You know it, bro. We’ve got you.” I look over at Tyler, who agrees with a handshake before clearing empty beer bottles from the table.
“So how is this going to work then? You and Ben both dating Vic? Will there be games or competitions? A point system?” My brother chuckles through his joke, which only serves to piss me off.
“Fuck you, bro! I get that this isn’t ideal, but what was I supposed to do? Just sit back and watch them fall in love? I had to stake my claim too.” My chest is rising and falling rapidly while I attempt to control my fury. “I honestly have no idea how this works, but all I know is I’m going to do everything in my power to show her that we belong together.” The huffs escaping my mouth cause the surrounding air to warm, or it might just be the heat coming off of my body from the rise in my blood pressure. But I know my brother is just trying to get a reaction out of me and it’s working.
“Hey, calm down, okay? I was only kidding. I get it, Mike. This sucks that now there’s another guy in the picture. As long as you focus on the two of you though, he won’t matter. Everyone knows you and Vic belong together. You just need to prove that to her.” Dean pats my shoulder and squeezes, releasing some tension I was holding there.
“How do I do that though? How do I not think about him taking her out, holding her hand, touching and kissing her?” Just thinking about it right now makes my skin crawl and fists clench. I shake my head while downing my beer. I need to get ahold of myself.
“Well, you need to be different. Ben has money, not that you don’t, but he will probably try to buy her, show her the finer things, you know?” Tyler chimes in. “But you understand Vic better than he does. You need to focus on the things that matter to her. That’s how you win her heart.” Tyler tips his beer towards me, solidifying his advice. When he had to convince Hayley to give him another shot, he went all out and showed her how he felt by building her an easel and stool for her painting hobby. Knowing my way around wood, I helped with that, of course.
I take a minute to absorb Tyler’s advice. He’s right. Money won’t impress Vic. Extravagant dinners and expensive gifts aren’t the way to her heart. She likes the simple things, and I’m going to need to do some digging into our past to make sure I come up with the perfect way to show her how easy being with me should be.