Chapter 10

Erica

The night before ended too soon, but after the long day, dinner, wine and dessert, my head started to pound. I tried to play it off for a while as Matt and I finished eating dessert, but I had to excuse myself and get to bed shortly after we cleaned up. Whether we would have slept together was a mystery, but one probably best untapped. I would want more than a night of passion, and he was probably like every rich guy I'd ever met.

Love 'em and leave 'em was the theme. I wanted to think that Matt could be different, but I'd never seen him in a relationship. Not once since meeting him. There was something to be said about that. No way in hell a hot guy like him wasn't sleeping around if nothing else.

My phone woke me the next morning, and damn if I didn't have a remnant of my migraine still messing with me.

"What?" I grumbled into the phone. Only a few people were stupid enough to call me on Saturday morning before nine, and of course it was the one I hated to hear from most. My brother.

"Are you still going over to the retirement home to see Mom today? You said you would."

"Fuck, Dan. It's," I sat up and glanced over at the clock before falling back into the bed, "it's only seven. I'm pretty sure they don't let visitors come over there until nine. What's the big deal? If you're so worried about Mom, then change your schedule and get over there to see her. I'm not the only one that-"

"I didn't call to get a lecture, Erica. It's not a hospital. They'll take visitors anytime. Just make sure you don't forget. Text me later after you've been over there."

"And what do you want me to tell her when she asks where her son is?" And she would. She only cared about Daniel. I might as well have been one of the maids that cleaned her room.

"Tell her that I'm away on business."

"I hate lying to her. You know this." I pressed my hand to my head and rolled onto my side. Bacon. Was it bacon that I smelled?

"You're fine with it when it benefits you."

"Fuck you too." I dropped the call and left the phone in the bed as I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair. I had to look like hell, but it was what it was. Bacon was an addiction that I rarely fed.

The sound of music playing in the kitchen had my lip turning up in a smirk. I stopped by the door and watched Matt shake his cute little butt as he sang under his breath. He had on a pair of shorts that hit him mid-thigh and nothing else. His back was lined with muscles, but the little love handles on the sides of his hips were too cute. Where he was a little bigger than most of the guys I'd dated, I found it comforting. He was perfect.

"Shake it a little to the left. Your right ass cheek is getting all the attention." I laughed as he glanced over his shoulder and his cheeks burned pink.

"You're watching me dance?"

"Yep. I like it." I walked across the short space between us and moved up beside him, taking the fork from his hand. "Did you know that bacon is my favorite food in the whole world?"

"Nope, but I think I might love you a little now that I know it is." He smiled and moved over to the fridge, pulling out the orange juice and pouring us both a glass. "How's your head?"

"Much better. Sorry about last night." I reached out and took the glass he offered before letting my eyes run down his chest. He was all muscle, which surprised me a little. He never wore anything too fitting, so I'd always assumed he was fit, but not muscular.

"It's all good. Your couch is amazing, but I have slept in some shitty places, so I might be a horrible judge of good sleeping material." He was talking fast and fidgeting a little. He was nervous. I loved it.

"My bed's even better. You should have joined me." I pulled the bacon onto a plate he had sitting to the side of the stove. I laughed as I glanced over at him. His blue eyes were wide and mouth hanging open a little. "What? You can't tell me you didn't think about coming and poking me in the back last night. I'd never believe you if you told me that, by the way."

"Of course I thought about it, but I'm not sure what that would do to our friendship." He lifted his glass toward me. "I want to start there. I know there's something between us, but I need to figure out what that means for me, and what I'm going to do about it. With so many decisions in front of me, I just want to make sure I make the right choices."

"Of course. I'm happy being friends. You like your eggs fried or scrambled?"

He groaned and walked to sit down at the table. "You know how to cook fried eggs?"

"Doesn't everyone?" I turned to face him and fell a little bit harder for him as he gave me a goofy grin. The man was complex and unwrapping him would be my greatest delight. I just hoped that the stars would align in a way that let that be a possibility.

"No. No one does really. I hate it when Martha says she's going to make eggs and promises to fry them. She scrambles them every time."

"Martha is your dad's chef?"

"Yeah. She's great, but damn her eggs are nasty."

"I'm going to fry these for real. How many do you want?"

"Four?"

"Jeez." I laughed as he shrugged and downed his orange juice.

"What's up for the day? You want to go walk down by the harbor with me? I'd love to poke my head into some of the small art shops and see what new artists they're featuring now."

"That sounds great actually. I have to stop by this morning to see my mom at the retirement home, but I can catch up with you when I'm done visiting with her." I cracked a few eggs and tried to ignore how good it felt to have him watching me so closely.

"No, I'll go with you unless it's a private visit and you need some time to yourself with her."

"No, I'd love for you to go. I'll warn you ahead of time that she doesn't care much for me."

"What? That sounds crazy. Who wouldn't wanna be around you?" He scoffed.

"My mother. She prefers my brother, Daniel, who's a lawyer here in Seattle. She thinks art is stupid and doesn't like the fact that I followed my dreams in some capacity."

"What were your dreams?" He stood up and moved up behind me, standing a little closer than I would consider comfortable for friends.

"To do what you're doing. To paint and have my art hanging on the wall in a major gallery." I glanced over my shoulder as he breathed in deeply.

"Those look so good."

I glanced down at the eggs and then to my breasts. "What looks good?"

He chuckled. "The eggs look good. You look incredible, but you know that already."

I turned to face him as he moved toward the cabinet and pulled down two plates.

"Why do you assume that I already know that I look good? Maybe I have no clue how other people think I look." I put my hand on my hip and cocked my head to the side. "It's nice to hear a good-looking man tell you that you look good."

"Not good. Great, and I'm not good-looking. I'm just me." He patted his chest and nodded toward the stove. "Don't burn the eggs. A lot is riding on how these turn out."

I laughed loudly. "Oh yeah? This is an interview?"

"It is now."

"And if these are the best eggs you've ever had in your life?" I turned back to the stove and plated them for him.

"You got a spare ring around here that I can use to propose?"

The very idea of Matthew Bryant getting on one of his knees and asking me to spend the rest of my life with him left my pulse racing and my knees weak. It was a pipe dream and a half, but it was one that I was happy to entertain.

"You're so silly." I walked over to the table and sat down, reaching for the bacon as he started to cut his eggs.

"I like silly." He took a quick bite and closed his eyes. "I love them. Marry me?"

"Yep. Let's do it today. My insurance is great at M&B, but you need to buy us a bigger place." I glanced around as he chuckled.

"There is a softer side to you. I like it." He reached out and brushed his fingers over my hand. "Why aren't you following your dreams? I have a sneaking feeling that your work would be just as good as my own. Why not pursue it?"

"I don't know." I ran my fingers through my hair and pulled my legs up into the seat with me. "My father would have wanted me to, but it wasn't like being an artist was something I could do if I wanted to pay the bills right out of college. I made different decisions."

"And you're happy?"

"Yes, very." I stood up. "I met you, didn't I?"

"You lucky, lucky girl." He turned and glanced over his shoulder as I stopped by the stove.

"I'm going to go change. You really don't have to go with me to the retirement center if you don't want to."

"I know I don't, but that's the thing. I wanna go. I'd love to see if you got your looks from your mom or dad."

I lifted my eyebrow as curiosity raced through me. "And why would that matter?"

"I just need to know who to thank. You're clearly the most attractive woman in my world."

"You don't get out much." I turned the corner and walked back to the bedroom to the sound of him talking smack. It would be so nice to visit my mother with someone else there. She usually took to berating me the minute I walked in the door, but with Matt by my side, there was no way she would show her ass. Why Daniel made me go was beyond me. It had to be because he disliked me as much as she did. I disrupted their orderly world and brought color in amidst the grays and blacks they loved so much.

I changed into a long skirt and a fitted top before working my hair into a bun and slipping sandals onto my feet. I put on a little bit of makeup, and earrings. A yelp left me as I turned to walk out of the bedroom and ran into my handsome weekend visitor.

"Sorry. I need to change if you don't mind." He ran his hands over my shoulders slowly as his eyes moved around my face. It was an odd side of him, and yet I was quickly falling for anything he might be willing to give up. I'd wanted those hands on me for the last two years, and now that I had a taste of them, I couldn't seem to imagine a life without more of his time, his attention, his affection.

"Sure. And just so you know. You owe me, and I'll be collecting today."

"What? What do I owe you?"

"I played girlfriend to you last night in front of Jonathan. I need you to play boyfriend in front of my mother so I don't have to answer a million questions about who you are and why you're tagging along with me today."

"Sounds good to me." He moved around me and popped my butt, surprising me again. "My women show more skin. How about you put on a shorter skirt."

"You wish, buddy." I laughed and walked back toward the living room.

His women? I couldn't see Matthew sporting a handful of women. One would be nice, especially if she were me.