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I managed to make it through the rest of the day without losing my mind, though at the end of the day, I caved and texted Jesse.
H: We should talk to her tonight.
J: You have absolutely no chill, man.
H: I’ve been waiting for this moment for nearly a year. I’ve been patient.
J: All right. She said she’s been craving zucchini noodles, so I’ll find a place and order in. Bring your A-game.
Decision made, I decided to pull into a strip mall on the way home. It had a florist, and flowers could only make things better, right?
The mall was bustling at four in the afternoon, and I noticed a baby store halfway up the collection of storefronts. Before I knew it, I was stepping into the giant building. It was a kaleidoscope of pastels, and there was so much stuff. Surely babies didn’t need all these things.
I drifted toward the toys, and there were aisles and aisles of things. My eye snagged on a little red knitted race car in a bin filled with bunnies and bears. As I picked it up, it rattled softly, and I smiled. Could I be someone’s dad?
Immediately, I knew the answer was yes. My dad mightn’t have been around a lot when I was growing up, but he’d been a wonderful role model. He was always tired, but there was never any doubt in my mind that he loved me and my sisters with everything in him.
I wanted that. Tucking the toy under my arm, I took it as a sign that I was doing the right thing. After paying for it—and avoiding the gently interested questions of the girl at the register—I went and picked out a bunch of flowers from the florist as well.
Driving home, my palms started to sweat. I was nervous. Maybe more nervous than I’d ever been. I was out of my element, and it was equal parts exciting and terrifying. I didn’t have any doubts about Jesse, though. I’d meant what I said to Tally the other day; I trusted no one more than I trusted Jesse. He was the best man I knew.
His truck was in the driveway next door, but the place appeared to be locked up tight. You only got your lumber stolen once before you learned to keep that shit stored away.
I climbed from the car, grabbing the flowers and the toy. Fuck. Was this weird? Maybe flowers were weird. I mean, as far as she knew, we were just friends right now. I dropped the flowers on the porch swing. Maybe I could come back out for them if the conversation went well.
Pushing open the door, I yelled, “Honey, I’m home!” Then cringed. Man, how I’d ever gotten laid in my entire fucking life was a miracle.
Jesse poked his head around the wall separating the kitchen from the living room. He raised an eyebrow in an expression that clearly said what the actual fuck?
Tally laughed, and I shifted my focus to her. The golden-brown of her hair poked out in fizzy little curls from the bun on top of her head. She had a dirt smudge on her cheek, and she looked tired. But that soft little smile hit me right in the chest.
I held out the toy to her. She reached out to take it, her tongue dipping out to wet her lips. “For the baby,” I said. Obviously. I could hear Jesse snort a laugh in the kitchen, and I glared over my shoulder in his direction.
Tally shook the soft toy with a smile. “Thank you. It’s perfect.”
Jesse appeared in the doorway. “Dinner’s warming in the oven. Creamy lemon-zucchini noodle bake.”
Her face lit up. “I’ve been craving that all day.”
I looked at Jesse, and he gave a barely perceptible nod. Sitting at the coffee table across from her, I physically held myself back from reaching out to grip her hands. I didn’t want her to feel pressured in any way. “Tally, Jesse and I were wondering… uh, do you remember what we were talking about yesterday?”
“Shifting aerodynamics in NASCAR?”
“No, after that.”
“Whether a snake that had just eaten a golden poison frog before it bit you was venomous or poisonous?”
“Uh, no.”
“When we were talking about the idea of polyamorist relationships,” Jesse interjected, looking between us like we were insane. Hey, we’d burned through a bunch of topics. “What Hayes is trying to say—without much success—is that we think you’re fucking amazing. Beautiful, funny, tough.” He squatted down so they were eye level. “In the last month, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. I want to take you out, make you smile.”
She was blinking wildly, and I leaned closer. “I’ve been completely smitten by you since you won your first race. You climbed from the car and did this little happy dance, and I thought I’d never seen anyone more beautiful in my entire life. I still haven’t.”
“And Hayes is my best friend. I knew he was totally whipped by you, and I love him more than any other person on the planet. I wanted him to be happy. Which meant you had to stay firmly in the friendzone. Until last night.”
She swallowed hard. “Last night?”
“If you’re open to the idea, both Jesse and I would like to take you out on a date,” I said, and there it was. All out there.
