Chapter 84 Chapter 84 Girlfriend
“I want a cheeseburger!” he declares.
I pull out my phone and text Grant, asking if Ryan can have one. He replies yes, but to cut it up. I scoff and text back that I know—I’m not the moron sitting next to him. Grant bursts out laughing so loudly that people turn to look at him.
The waitress comes back and takes our orders. Dimitri is still staring at me, intense and unreadable.
“What?” I ask.
Ryan answers before he can. “He watches you like girls watch Daddy at the playground when he plays with me!”
We all burst into laughter. Tish grabs Dimitri’s shoulder and squeezes it, and he actually blushes—a shade of red I’ve never seen on him before. He leans back in his chair, his hand sliding down to my ankle, his thumb rubbing slow circles against my skin.
We’re a day away from vacation, and he already feels like he’s there.
Soon, we’re going to have to clear things up. I can’t keep doing this with him.
Our cake and mimosas arrive. I dig into mine, wanting to get a few bites in before Ryan’s food comes so I can focus on him. He watches me, eyes widening.
“Hmmm!”
“What’s up, baby boy?”
“Hmmm… so that’s what Dad is doing with that girl.” He goes back to coloring like he didn’t just drop that.
“What do you mean?”
“They’re eating cake in his room!!!” His eyes never leave his drawing.
Gemma practically explodes. “I love this kid. I keep telling you—the way you eat is ridiculous.”
“That’s not the only time she makes those noises,” Dimitri adds with a grin. “Muffled moans.”
I kick his shin under the table.
“I knew it!” Erika laughs.
“Yeah, things definitely changed after you guys got back from Spain,” Tish adds, smiling.
The waitress brings out Dimitri’s and Ryan’s burgers and fries. I cut Ryan’s food into small pieces while he watches me closely. Then, out of nowhere, he leans in and kisses me.
“Elle, will you be my girlfriend?”
Erika chokes on her cake, spraying crumbs onto the table. Tish folds over laughing against Dimitri, and Gemma just sits there grinning, eyebrows raised.
“Why do you want me to be your girlfriend?” I ask, barely holding it together.
“So I can kiss you and you can make me cookies!” he beams.
“That already happens!” I laugh harder.
He pauses, thinking about that, and then his whole face lights up. He slides out of his chair and runs back to Grant.
Grant picks him up, and Ryan immediately starts telling him that he’s my boyfriend and that we’re going to have another sleepover. I cover my face as laughter erupts around us.
“She makes the best cookies and pancakes and brownies!!!” Ryan shouts proudly. “And I get to kiss her whenever I want!!!”
Mason glances over and winks at me, their table caught up in the giggles too.
Ryan wriggles out of his dad’s arms and runs back to me.
“Come here and eat your food, you tiny flirt,” I say, grinning.
He climbs into my lap and finishes most of his meal. Not long after, he leans against me and passes out. He looks just like his dad when he sleeps.
I rub his back gently. He’s wearing the cutest little green polo, his khakis tiny and perfect. I brush his hair back and press a kiss to his forehead. His lips part slightly, making him look like a little fish. His chest rises and falls steadily, nostrils flaring softly with each breath. His hands fist in my sweatshirt as his head rests against me.
“Well, if his dad didn’t love you before, he definitely does now. Look at him!” Tish says.
I refuse to look at Grant.
I already know what it looks like—I probably look like a damn perfect stepmom right now.
My mind drifts somewhere else entirely.
I know what I want.
I want to be a mom.
Maybe a surrogate. Maybe adoption. But in a few years, I want one of these little humans in my life.
Tish, Erika, and Gemma head off to the bathroom, leaving Dimitri and me alone. I finish my mimosa and set the glass down, still holding Ryan close.
“Give me your phone,” Dimitri says.
I slide it across the table. He removes the case and carefully pulls apart the back—not completely, but enough to expose wires and components. He’s giving me my privacy back.
Then he stands, walks around the table, and drops my phone into my bag.
He cups my face, his thumb brushing over my cheekbone.
“We need to talk,” he whispers, so soft I almost miss it.
Before I can respond, he gently lifts Ryan from my arms without waking him and hands him back to Grant.
I watch as Dimitri pays the bill and walks out of the restaurant.
Something shifts inside me.
Dark. Uneasy.
I can’t quite name it, but it doesn’t feel right.
My girls return, and we gather our things. They walk slower so I can keep up. My knee needs the rest if I’m going to survive this trip.
Mexico.
The beach. Tequila.
And Dimitri—how he is when we’re on vacation. He’ll be the only guy with us.
“Elle?” Grant calls, catching up to us, Ryan still asleep in his arms. “Can I talk to you?”
“No, you can’t talk to her,” Tish cuts in.
“No second chances!” Erika adds with a grin.
I turn back to him. “Thanks for the sex. It was amazing. Stop picking up girls at the strip club and take care of my boyfriend. He’s precious.”
Grant doesn’t say another word as we walk out.
Dimitri is leaning against my car, waiting. He helps me in, careful with my leg. We drop each of my friends off one by one.
Then he reaches toward me.
“Hand.”
I place mine in his, and he just holds it.
I lean back in my seat, letting his warmth settle me as I stare out the window. Everything outside blurs past, but inside me, something keeps swirling.
“You wanted to talk?” I ask.
“Not yet,” he says. “I don’t want to ruin Mexico for you. I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have said anything yet. I just… need to clear up a few things between us.”
For the first time since I met him, I feel scared of what he’s going to say.
I run my fingers over the embroidered logo on my sweatpants, trying to ground myself.
It’s not working.
My anxiety spikes fast—too fast. My chest tightens, my heart racing, pain spreading through my body.
Name five things you see, I tell myself.
Yellow car. Tree. Street sign. Sun visor. Dimitri.
But my mind keeps spiraling. The butterflies in my stomach aren’t soft or exciting—they’re violent, chaotic, like I’m about to throw up.
His grip tightens slightly around my hand.
And for now… that’s enough to steady me.