Reaching into my purse, I took out a pen and grabbed Doug’s arm as I wrote down my address. “See ya at eight, handsome.”
The second I turned to walk away, I wanted to spin around and tell him to forget it. That I forgot I had plans with a friend. Worrying my lip, I continued to walk toward the exit door.
No, Grace. It’s time to move on. What I needed was one evening of pure fun, and Doug was the one who was going to provide it. Noah was married and I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself. What we had shared was amazing and I let it spook me. I pushed away the only man I’d ever truly loved.
It was time to move on.
Tonight I was getting laid.
“What do you mean you have a date?” Alex asked with a stunned look on her face.
I took a bite of my taco and shrugged my shoulders. “You know, Alex. That thing you do when you’re single and haven’t had normal sex in I don’t know how long. Even my vibrator wants me out of the house.”
Alex giggled as she quickly looked around. “You’re terrible, Grace Hope Johnson.”
Shrugging my shoulders, I said, “Hey, you’re getting dick every night. I wonder if I should get a Brazilian wax?”
Laughing, Alex shook her head. “That was random as hell.”
“I just got to thinking, I think I want my hoo-ha to be smooth for tonight.”
Alex started choking on her taco. “What? Grace, you can’t do that today and then have sex tonight!”
Pulling my head back in a shocked expression, I asked, “Why not?”
“Have you ever had anything waxed on your body before?”
Tilting my head, I thought about it. “Nope, I can’t say that I have.”
Leaning in toward the table, Alex motioned for me to come closer. “Grace, it hurts like hell to get waxed for the first time. I don’t think you want your hoo-ha to be tortured before you dive back into the whole sex thing again. I mean, I get the whole, I just want mindless sex thing, but do you really want to mistreat her like that all in one day?”
About to state my case, I heard someone clear her throat. Alex and I both turned to see a mom staring at us with her daughter sitting there with her mouth dropped to the table. Smiling, I said, “I’m not going to have mindless sex tonight . . . well actually I am, but I always use protection and . . . ouch!” I called out as I felt a stabbing pain in my shin from where Alex kicked me. Turning back to her, I yelled, “What the hell, Alex?”
Alex’s eyes were widened as she shook her head. “Grace, stop talking.”
The mother stood and motioned for her daughter to follow as Alex sat back and moaned. “Great, some mother I’m going to be.”
Letting out a laugh, I shook my head and said, “You’re going to be a kick-ass mother. Just like Ellie. Hey, so we never really got to talk about how your parents and Will’s parents reacted to the big baby news.”
Alex shrugged her shoulders. “I think they were all in shock. My father’s biggest worry was school. I’m so glad we’re all graduating this December.”
Taking a bite of my taco, I nodded my head. “Yeah, I’m glad too.” After swallowing the taco, I worried my bottom lip. I had been trying to figure out how to ask Alex if she had changed her mind about our plans.
Alex reached across the table and took my hand in hers. “The baby doesn’t change anything, Grace. I want to still follow our dream of opening up Wild Flower. We’ve been dreaming of opening a flower nursery for years. Nothing is going to change that.”
I instantly felt my body relax. Our whole focus throughout school had been to open a nursery between Fredericksburg and Mason. The news of Alex having a baby had scared the piss out of me. Smiling, I said, “I’m not going to lie, I thought I might be doing this on my own and I was scared as hell.”
Letting out a chuckle, Alex shook her head. “No way. Will and I have already talked about it. I fully intend on pursuing our dream, Grace.” Shrugging her shoulders, she said, “Besides, we will own the place! I can bring the baby. She’ll learn to dig in the dirt probably before she learns to walk.”
Sitting up straighter, I let out a gasp. “Oh my gosh! We can build a little baby nursery beside your office. I mean, I’m sure y’all will have more kids in the future. I bet my dad or your dad could easily add that into the design. Move the storage space somewhere else.”
Alex’s eyes lit up as she nodded her head. “Grace, that’s a great idea! This will be perfect for both of us.”
Narrowing my eyes, I let out a confused chuckle. “How is a baby room perfect for me?”
Giving me a sly smile, Alex said, “For when
you have kids.”