Chapter Five

 

 

 

 

Megan

 

 

 

 

 

I’d almost kissed him. I wanted to so bad and was actually surprised I was able to stop myself. Between the look he was giving me, the way he smelled like a clean campfire, and everything he’d told me about himself, I had felt almost drunk. I pushed the door to the apartment closed and leaned against it, taking in deep breaths.

Kelly stared at me with her eyebrows raised. “Are you okay?”

I nodded and shook my head at the same time and she laughed.

“Good date with Alex?”

I shrugged and stepped away from the door. “It was okay. Dinner was great, but he was in a huge hurry to get me back to his place.”

Kelly sat back on the couch and picked up a pair of tweezers to use on her eyebrows. “Was Alex any good?”

I sighed and fell down on the couch next to her, making the tweezers jab her in the nose, and she let out a yelp before smacking my thigh.

“I did not sleep with Alex.”

She stopped plucking for a moment and turned to look at me. “Really? Why not? It’s been five dates.”

“He’d been drinking and I just wasn’t feeling it. Plus... His brother was there.”

“Yeah?” Kelly raised her half-done eyebrows. “They don’t share a room or something, do they?”

“No, it was just kind of awkward. His brother, as it turns out, is that guy who helped me with my tire.” I watched as my sister’s eyes widened.

“Wait. So your boyfriend’s brother is hot guy from the road? That’s crazy.”

I chuckled and nodded my head. “Yeah, a little bit.”

“Did have fun otherwise, though?” Kelly asked as she went back to her eyebrows and I nodded.

“Yeah, he’s sweet.”

“Ouch,” Kelly replied as she put her tweezers and the mirror down. “Only sweet? Still no chemistry?”

Not really. Kissing Alex was nice but it didn’t make me feel anything. When we’d been making out on the couch earlier, I’d wanted to feel something. I had wanted my body to come alive under his touch but it hadn’t.

“It’s still new.” I glanced at my sister. “Chemistry doesn’t have to be instant, right?”

She just shrugged in the most unhelpful way and I sighed. If only I could take whatever tension I felt with Simon and transfer it to Alex. Things would be perfect.

I stood from the couch and kicked the heels off I’d been wearing so I could slip my feet into my flip flops. “I like Alex. We might not have that spark yet but it’s still early.”

Kelly nodded her head in an understanding way. “True. How will you ever know if you don’t try?”

“Exactly.” I grabbed the leash off the sofa table and Simba immediately perked up from where he’d been sleeping on the floor. He and I took a twenty minute walk around the complex as I just lost myself to my thoughts. When we finally went back inside, I said goodnight to my sister and went to my room.

I slept restlessly that night and I was exhausted when I woke up. Kelly wasn’t awake when I started the coffee pot and I put my shoes on before taking the dog outside. As I walked, I called my father and he answered on the second ring.

“Good morning, sweetheart.” His voice was chipper despite the early hour and I knew I had inherited more than just his looks. My father owned his own insurance agency and had for more than twenty years. He had a great work ethic and he’d passed it on to both Kelly and me.

“Hey, Dad. How are you?”

He laughed slightly. “Hot. I cut the grass to try and beat the heat but I’ll be damned if it isn’t already ninety degrees.”

“It’s pretty warm,” I agreed with a smile. “Simba and I are trying to stay in the shade as much as possible.”

“Summertime makes me regret settling in the suburbs of Vegas but then the temperatures in the winter make up for it.”

“You wouldn’t ever live anywhere else,” I teased and my father just made a noise of affirmation. “Think you can help me with some car troubles today?”

“I swear, Megan,” he said with a sigh. “No one has car trouble like you. I’d blame the manufacturer but this has spanned ten years now. What happened this time?”

I smiled as his exasperation and tugged the dog back towards the apartment. “The alternator, I guess. It started when someone jumped me but died a minute later. I had to leave it in New Hope.”

“New Hope? Is it at work?”

I sighed and pushed open my front door. “No. I was on a date. The car is stuck in front of his house.” I unclipped Simba and waited for my dad to respond. When he didn’t, I let out a small laugh. “Stop it. I’m an adult.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” he grumbled quietly.

I poured myself a cup of coffee and added the usual cream and sugar before stirring it. “What do you say? Any chance you can save your helpless first born?”

My father laughed, causing me to smile. “You’re far from helpless, Meggy. I’ll come pick you up at noon. We can grab lunch before we head out there.”

“Thanks, Daddy. You’re the best.”

“Daddy,” he repeated with a scoff. “You little suck up.”

I laughed and we hung up the phone. I stared at it for a moment as I debated whether or not I should text Alex to let him know I was coming. I didn’t even know if he had realized that my car was in front of his house yet. I decided I’d call him when my father came to pick me up.

I ate a bowl of cereal, showered, and stretched out on the couch to watch some TV for a bit. It was after eleven when Kelly appeared from her bedroom looking like a zombie. She warmed up some coffee in the microwave before grumbling and heading back into her room.

It was right before noon when a knock sounded on the door and Simba barked twice as I stood to answer it. I opened the door and smiled at my father before stepping back so he could come in. He placed a kiss on my forehead and crouched on the floor as Simba immediately assaulted him with wet kisses.

“Who the hell is here so early?” Kelly asked with irritation in her voice. She came out of the bedroom, still in her pajamas, and her glare turned into a smile when she saw our father. “Good morning, Daddy.”

“So early.” My father straightened up and shook his head at my little sister. His chocolate brown hair was peppered with grey and his hazel eyes shined as he looked at his youngest daughter. “It’s lunch time, Kelly.”

“Gross.” She settled onto the couch and grabbed the remote. “You guys going to fix the car?”

I nodded and sat down so I could tie my sneakers. “We’re gonna get some lunch, too. Want to come?”

“It would take me an hour to get ready,” Kelly replied with a small smile. “Rain check.”

My father pressed a kiss to Kelly’s head before leading me out the door. He dropped his arm around my shoulders and I leaned into him as we walked down the pathway to the parking area but neither of us spoke. His Suburban came into view and we’d just made it to the hood when a car pulled up to park in the visitor parking next to my father. My jaw dropped when I realized it was my car.

Simon got out from behind the steering wheel with a smile on his face. He looked handsome in his jeans and light blue t-shirt and his hair was wet as if he’d recently showered.

“What is this?” I asked, not able to contain the grin that stretched across my lips. I caught the keys when he tossed them to me.

“You’re good to go.”

“Simon.” I shook my head as I tried to find the words I wanted to say. “I can’t believe you did this.”

Simon opened his mouth to say more but a red Dodge Charger pulled into the next spot and Alex was out of the car immediately.

“Hey, baby doll,” he said as he walked to where I was and immediately placed a small kiss on my mouth. He pulled back and flashed a smile at me. “We figured you’d need your car.”

I let out a small laugh and nodded. “My father was just going to help me achieve the same thing.” I looked back to where my dad stood about three feet behind me. His arms were folded across his chest and he had a surly expression on his face as he looked between Simon and Alex. “This is my father, James Gold. Dad, this is Alex and that’s his brother, Simon.”

Alex nodded towards my father as he wrapped his arm around my waist. “Nice to meet you, James.”

Simon took a few steps to close the distance, his hand outstretched for my father to shake. “Simon Owens, sir. It’s nice to meet you.”

I was impressed with his parental skills and I knew that my father was as well.

“Who replaced her alternator?” Dad asked as he accepted the handshake.

“Simon did,” Alex replied as he gestured towards his brother. “He knows his way around a garage pretty well.”

Simon shrugged and his gaze met mine before landing back on my father. “It’s been awhile since I’ve done an alternator replacement so I’d appreciate if you could take a look to ensure that it’s sound.”

My father grumbled something that sounded like an agreement and he followed Simon to my car. Simon turned to look at me and he caught my keys easily when I threw them back.

“Your father is kind of scary,” Alex murmured as he placed a small kiss below my ear. I shook my head and twisted so I could look at him.

“He’s a teddy bear. Just protective of his girls.”

Alex nodded and turned so he was facing me. His lips were stretched into a handsome smile and I couldn’t help returning it.

“The kids are going to be home tomorrow and we were going to grill out. Any chance you’re feeling brave enough to meet them?”

I blinked several times as I absorbed his words. Meeting the kids was a big step. I wasn’t sure what the protocol was for meeting your boyfriend’s children since I’d never dated anyone who had any. That was all new territory for me.

“Okay,” I agreed quietly. “That sounds great.”

Alex’s smile widened and he leaned in to place a quick kiss on my lips. We turned to look at where the engine was being inspected by both men. Simon was saying something that had my father nodding his head. My father said something in return and Simon let out a loud, genuine laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Alex asked as he dropped his arm from my waist and approached the car. I followed and stepped into the shade of a tree that was off to the side.

“My daughter,” Dad explained as he gestured to me with his hand. I narrowed my eyes, knowing what they were laughing about.

“It’s not my fault.”

My father and Simon both laughed again and my dad shook his head.

“You didn’t tell me about the tire.”

I glared at Simon. “You told him?”

“I didn’t know he wasn’t aware,” Simon replied with a chuckle.

I just groaned. “Because I changed it mostly myself and the tire place replaced it. There was no reason for my father to know. You’ve just provided him more teasing material for the next six months.”

My father laughed again and stepped back so they could close the hood to my car. “You did a good job. What do I owe you for parts?”

“No.” I stepped forward and gently elbowed my father. “What do I owe?”

Simon chuckled as he shook his head. “Nothing.” When I gave him an incredulous look, he shook his head again. “Really. I have a friend who owns a junkyard and he let me harvest the parts for free. Took me less than an hour to get it in.”

“I appreciate you taking care of my little girl,” my father said as he held his hand out for Simon to shake. He did the same to Alex, although his body language was more rigid with him. “I swear… She’s entirely independent except when it comes to transportation.”

I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head. “You’re too sweet, Dad.” I glanced back at the Owens brothers. “Thank you both, though. I really can’t believe you did this.”

I gave Alex a hug before turning to do the same to Simon. The air between us was different than it had been the night before, though, and Simon barely touched me more than he had to before releasing me.

“Nice meet you, Mr. Gold. I apologize for leaving so quickly but I have to be to work in an hour,” Simon said as he walked towards the passenger door of Alex’s car. “Good luck, Megan.”

Alex pressed a kiss to my cheek before shaking my father’s hand one more time and heading to the driver’s side of the Charger. “Five tomorrow, Megan?”

I nodded and gave him a smile. “See you then.”

We watched as they backed out of the parking lot and my father nodded approvingly. “I like him.”

“Alex is sweet,” I replied as I dropped my head to his shoulder. My father looked down at me and shook his head.

“That guy’s fine but I like Simon.”

I straightened up and let out a frustrated sigh. “Daddy. Be nice.”

“I am nice. I didn’t shoot the poor fellow, right?” He brought his arm up to squeeze my shoulders. “Let’s go get a bite to eat. I’m starving.”