Page 39 of Thank you, Next

When they were younger, Will had been sure that Alex would find someone better than him when she went back to stay with her mom for high school. And he’d been sure that she would dump that guy for an even better guy during college. And he’d been utterly certain that she’d meet some dude in law school who checked all her boxes—someone who looked good next to her in a Sunday New York Times wedding announcement.

But from what he could tell, none of the guys she dated were worth shit. Of course, he probably could have guessed that any guy who let Alex go had a couple of screws loose, but he’d had no idea what kind of flotsam and jetsam she’d been wading through in the dating pool all these years. And he wasn’t mad at that.

If Alex had found a great guy after he’d rejected her, he never would have had a chance with her once he’d realized his mistake. And then he’d have to wade into the dating pool and hope he came out alive.

He hadn’t known that his wedding had upset her. And he hadn’t noticed her absence from the reception. Since they’d no longer been related by marriage at that point, she’d come with Lexi—and, he guessed, Ace.

As they climbed the stairs to Alex’s condo, it occurred to him that he might not have gone through with the marriage had he met Ace before the ceremony. Even though he’d been happy with April, he might have made a different decision if he’d known that Alex had feelings for him. If he’d known that Alex hadn’t met someone better and still felt something for him, he might have been sorely tempted to pursue it.

But then again, he might not. He’d been sure about absolutely everything back then. He’d never wavered in his decisions, which April had claimed made him the most stubborn being in existence. He’d thought that if he dug in his heels enough, April would do it, too, and they’d make their marriage work. But he hadn’t realized that their marriage was quicksand. By the time they realized that they didn’t want to be together and work so hard anymore, they’d already been up to their necks.

When they got to Alex’s door, off the open colonnade that overlooked a pool, she got the keys out and in the door without any fuss. He was relieved.

He hesitated before following her in.

Alex dropped her keys on a side table and hung her jacket on a hook. He’d been over to her place when Lexi had made him help move her in, but he hadn’t been there in years.

It was almost a miniature of Lexi’s Spanish-style home, with soft white walls and wood floors. The furniture was all white as well. But somehow it still had personality. Everything was obviously chosen with care. He was so used to thinking of him and Alex as opposites that he might have guessed that her home was going to be cluttered and messy instead of curated and ordered.

“Do you want something to drink?” Alex was looking at him expectantly.

He cleared his throat. “Uh, sure.”

“Any guidance as to what you want?” she asked. There was a hint of humor in her voice and it made him less worried that she was traumatized by the events of the evening.

“I’ll have what you’re having.”

He followed Alex when she walked into the kitchen. It looked a lot different than when he’d been here at first. “You did a lot of work in here.” As she took out a bottle of wine and two glasses, he looked at all the finishes. She had the kitchen of someone who could really cook.

She caught him out examining her stove. “You know that you’re not the only one in the family who can cook.”

“Yeah?” He quirked up one brow, wanting to play with her.

She winked at him, and he felt that. “You’re just the sucker who does it all the time so Lexi and I don’t have to.”

Testing out the waters, he reached out and put a strand of her hair behind her ear, pulling on the lobe. She leaned into his touch for a moment and then headed to the living room. He followed her.

When she sat on the couch, he decided to hope for the best and sit next to her. She turned to face him.

He wasn’t quite sure what to say. If her ex had been telling the truth, Alex’s feelings for him had been a lot deeper for a lot longer than he’d known. He didn’t know how to feel about it, but the last thing that he wanted was to hurt her. He cared about Alex, and he was attracted to her, but he wasn’t sure that he could be what Alex needed. He wasn’t sure that Alex wanted to commit to anyone, even him.

This thing between them was so much more complicated than an ordinary dating situation. There was so much more history and family and drama wrapped up in the story of the two of them. The attraction wasn’t new, but they’d both forced it to simmer under the surface for so long, it had ebbed and flowed in differing proportions and might overpower them.

And what if it was just the sexual attraction between them? What would happen when they’d slaked it? Would they be able to go back to being friends—sort of? And would one or both of them get hurt?

Will still couldn’t imagine losing the only family he had left.

“You’re thinking pretty hard.” Alex searched his face, and he knew he owed her some answers. Her ex had revealed more about her than she was comfortable with. He’d known her long enough to know that.

“Ace is a real asshole.” He smiled, but it felt creaky. “I hope you got the answers you need about why the two of you didn’t work out.”

Alex raised her glass and brought it to her lips. “Good luck to his wife, who apparently hates me.”

“I don’t know how she thinks you ‘broke him.’ ”

“I think he was broken before we ever met,” Alex said. “I mean, I might have thought to send him back to the factory for repairs.”

They were silent for a moment. Will looked at her, deciding that he had to try to do something he was bad at. “I want to kiss you again.”