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Nice guys don’t get the superstars. Single dads definitely don’t get the superstars.
Maybe one of my brothers could pull it off. Not Archer. That guy’s even more of a cranky asshole than I am. Ronan, maybe. Or Felix. They’re the charming ones and that’s how they both ended up with amazing women. Darius, he’s got money, so at least that compensates for his perpetual bad mood.
But me? No one’s ever considered me a pretty boy—shit—or a rich one.So, with Inez, I’m just plain out of my league here.
I’m not angry about where I’m at in life. But I am angry that I lost my head last night. I’m angry that for a few fleeting moments, I forgot who I was. That I did something to ruin the decent relationship that Inez and I do have.
She’s important to me. And I don’t want to fuck up the opportunity to keep her around.
I pull on a pair of sweatpants with a plain T-shirt. I find that Inez is now awake and wandering around the kitchen.
My feet halt in the doorway. The sight of her now turns me on in an instant, making me mad at myself all over again.
I need to get out of here before I make things worse.Because apparently, that's all I fucking do now.
Ignoring Inez, who’s standing with her back to me, wearing another one of my oversized T-shirts, I quietly pivot on my heel and make a beeline toward the front door.
But then she calls out to me. “Nolan?”
I sigh, my feet stopping. I turn—shoulders tense—to look at her.
The sight of her pretty face is a punch to the gut. That’s how gorgeous she is.
She holds out a steaming mug, biting her lip and giving me a tentative smile. “Coffee? It’ll help if you have a hangover like I do.”
I eyeball the coffee mug. If I stay and have coffee with her, we’ll be forced to discuss what happened last night. That’s not happening.
“Nah. I’m good,” I brush her off, quickly rushing out and slamming the front door.
Wow. I’m an asshole.
I burst into my front yard, sucking in a huge breath. But my relief is short-lived when I glance over at the bare patch of my front lawn.
Shit. No car.
It’s gonna be a bit difficult making my great escape on foot. For a second, I consider putting on my big boy pants and going back inside to have an adult conversation with Inez.
But when I glance back toward the house, I find her glaring at me through the living room window. She’s wearing an expression that tells me she thinks I’m acting like a fucking idiot.
She’s not wrong.
All I know is, I can’t be trusted in there with her right now. So I hustle around the side of the house and grab my old all-terrain bicycle from the shed.
And then, I take off like a bat out of hell, my demons chasing me down the winding mountain road.
12
INEZ
This morning’s interaction with Nolan has left me feeling completely confused.
Did we get a little carried away last night? Yes.
Was the kiss a wee bit inappropriate? Maybe.
Yet, I thought we could at least be grownups about the whole thing. Apparently, I was wrong.
A simple conversation could have put everything to rest. Instead, he chose to run away, as if I’m spreading some sort of airborne disease. That’s not cool.
