Chapter 25

Trust me to ruin a perfect moment.

I was subdued the rest of the meal,though to give Jaiden credit,he didn’t seem to care about the mess I’d made.But I did,and I felt so stupid.Things had been going so well…

“Alister,”Jaiden said,his tone sharp.

I looked up at him,surprised.

“Stop worrying about the champagne.I don’t care.So you’re a little clumsy sometimes.So what?No one’s perfect.”

“But I wanted to be…to impress you.And now…”

“We’re having a nice meal and enjoying each other’s company.Has that changed?”

I shook my head.

“Did I run away screaming when the champagne spilled?”

I shook my head again.

“Then there’s no problem,is there?”

“You don’t understand.The day we met,I spilled hot chocolate on the counter.Our first lunch,I had an incident with a sandwich.And now,the champagne.It’ll only get worse.”

“Or it may not.”He put down his fork and grabbed both my hands in his.“Don’t worry about it.And I repeat,I don’t care.I like you just the way you are,spills and all.”His slow smile made me want to believe it.

“You’re sure?”

“Absolutely.”He kissed my hands,then went back to eating.“I have two older brothers—Joseph and Jeremy—and a younger sister,Beth.They live on the other side of the country,all of them married and with kids,adopted or otherwise.My eldest sibling,Joseph,is gay,and he and his husband have five children.His oldest kid,Hank,just graduated from college,top of his class.We’re all overachievers—Joseph is a lawyer;Jeremy is a chemical engineer;Beth is a pediatrician.My parents are retired university professors.We can’t seem to help ourselves.”

I smiled reluctantly.“I guess not.”I fiddled with my fork.“Do you visit your family often?”

“Twice a year on Thanksgiving and Christmas.If I don’t see some of the family on one holiday,I’ll see them on the next one.It’s always noisy and chaotic,but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Sounds lovely.”I probably sounded wistful,but I didn’t regret the quiet and fervent times my grandpa and I had when we celebrated the holidays.And I still remembered those times fondly.

“It is.”He grabbed the dessert menu.“I think I’ll have tiramisu.What about you?They have cannoli,cheesecake,gelato—”

“Definitely cannoli.I don’t care if I have to run three more miles than usual this week,it’s worth it.”

Jaiden grinned as the waiter showed up to clear our table.He gave the man our dessert order and asked for more champagne.When he disappeared,Jaiden said,“Let’s talk about exes.I have a few,but none of them were ugly breakups.Just,time to move on,you know?”

“I really don’t.Uh,I’ve never had a boyfriend.All my infrequent hookups are just that.It never happened for me.”And there I go being pathetic again.

“Nothing wrong with that.Some guys prefer it that way.And others are just biding their time until the right moment,which I think,for you and me,is now.”Well,that was bold.

“Is that right?”I said after our dessert was placed before us.

“I guess we’ll find out.”He winked at me and took a bite of his tiramisu.His moan matched mine as I chewed the cannoli.“This is to die for.”He cut another piece with his fork and held it in front of my mouth.“Taste it.”

I did,licking my lips slowly,eyes locked with his.“You’re right.It’s good.”

He swallowed.“Unless you want me to do something that would get us thrown out of this restaurant,you need to stop.”

“Party pooper.”

We finished our dessert,and after he paid the bill,Jaiden drove me to my apartment.

“I had a wonderful time,”I said as we stood outside my door.“I’d invite you in,but I’m going to be a dork and say I have to work tomorrow and I need my beauty sleep.”

“Can I get a kiss good night?”he asked while crowding me into the door.I didn’t mind in the least.

“I would do you bodily harm if you didn’t—”And then all thought was lost as my mouth was taken in the best way possible.

When Jaiden finally pulled back,my eyes were shut and my mouth was slightly open.I felt him place a finger under my chin and I opened my eyes.“On second thought,”I said,after catching my breath,“maybe you should come inside,and screw my beauty sleep.”

He chuckled and kissed me again before taking two big steps back.“Tempting,but I am still recovering from my trip and many late nights,so let’s do this again,say,Friday night?Bring an overnight bag‘cause you’ll be staying over.”He started walking backward down the hallway.“Lunch tomorrow?”

“Sure.”My voice was a little hoarse,so I cleared it.“See you.Have a safe trip home.”

“I will.”He blew me a kiss,then headed for the elevator.I waited until he got on,then let myself inside the apartment.

The evening had gone well,despite my snafu with the champagne.Maybe we couldmake this,whatever it was between us,work.