Magic Hands: Who should I be jealous of cuddling with you?
One of the many things that attracted me to Luke was his honesty. Every time we saw each other, his words got sweeter. When he walked me to my door last night, he whispered in my ear, “Your strength and inner beauty dazzle me.” He was the dazzler. I was falling hard, and there was nothing I could do to stop it, not that I wanted to.
Me: Addison and the laundry basket. What are you doing?
Magic Hands: Wishing I was a laundry basket
Me: No really
Magic Hands: Sitting here thinking of a way to see you today
I wanted to see him, too. But if my past relationships taught me anything, it was not to abandon friendships for a man. Chicks before dicks, and all that.
Me: Awww sorry I’m hanging with Addie today
Magic Hands: When can I see you again?
Me: You can run with me Tuesday morning before I see you at TRD
Magic Hands: How many miles?
Me: 10, don’t be a baby and run with me
Magic Hands: Well when you put it so nicely, fine I’ll run with you
Me: YAY! Enjoy your afternoon. Do your own laundry for once and call me later
Magic Hands: If I must.
“You’re blowing up over there. It must be lover boy. You look like Julia Roberts with that big ass smile.”
“Nothing gets by you, Kit. Yes, it was Luke, and he wanted to see me. I told him I was hanging with you today,” I said, still smiling like a hooker with a rich John.
“Thanks, babe. I miss you with all the training, and now dating the stud muffin. Once you two start knockin’ boots, you’ll never be around.”
“Not true.” Addison gave me the stink eye. “Okay, well, maybe for the first week or so. Sex with him is going to be epic. If last night was any indication, I may not leave his bed for awhile.”
“Just don’t forget to eat, and drink lots of water.”
I threw a pair of socks at her head. She fell over laughing at my sad attempt to be mad. But really, her advice was smart and useful.
*****
Luke
If I wasn’t careful, I was going to start irritating myself with my moaning and whining. This was not where I wanted to be, laying on the couch like a sad sack in my condo. I wanted to be hanging out with her. The memory of last night, her topless, spread out for me like a feast, here in this very spot, made me restless. I craved her, and my every thought circled back to her. No other woman had ever come close to affecting me this way. Yes, I wanted Alexa in my bed, but more importantly, I wanted to spend all my free time with her, get to know her more, and make her smile.
Over the years, I had had my fair share of girlfriends, but the relationships always revolved around the woman. I gave my all in every one, but never received anything in return. Alexa listened to me. She cared about The Rub Down and its success, and I wanted to be a better person. For her.
My phone dragged me out of my thoughts of Alexa. The name on caller ID made me smile.
“Hey, Mom. What’s going on?” I couldn’t sit still while I talked on the phone, so I got up to start my laundry. Alexa would be proud.
“Can’t your mom just call to see how you are? The girls told me there is someone new in your life.” She cleared her throat. “I want to know why I had to hear it from them, and not my favorite son.”
I was going to kill Jessica and Elle. Ever since I’d popped the heads off their dollies and flushed them down the toilet, they’d ganged up on me and told my mother every little thing I’d done wrong.
“I’m your only son, mom. And way to cut to the chase. I didn’t tell you because it’s very new. In fact, last night was our real first date.”
“Tell me about her. Your sisters made it seem like they were going to take you ring shopping soon.”
I loved my mom. She was by far the most amazing mother a kid could ever want. Kind, funny, loving, and more importantly, a hard ass, she taught me to go after my dreams, and never give up if life got hard along the way.
“Her name’s Alexa. She’s gorgeous inside and out. She owns a fashion consultant company with her best friend. She makes me smile bigger than I ever have before, so I constantly look goofy. Oh, and she’s running the marathon next week, which I think is incredible.” When I talked about her, my body came to life, and I loved the feeling it gave me.
“How did you meet her?”
Did my sisters really keep their mouths shut and leave out that major detail?
“She’s a client,” I mumbled, knowing my mom would be disappointed in me for this small fact. She was a huge fan of Danny and me keeping it in our pants when it came to the spa. Even though my mom was not a career woman, she was very business savvy, having completed a Master of Business before having kids and staying home with us.
“I’m sorry, what was that, son?”
Fuck, she heard me. I knew she did. She just wasn’t going to let me hide it.
“Do you remember Jeff from school? Well, he’s a marathon trainer now. She’s one of his runners, and she was having some muscle problems when she started to tack on the miles, so he recommended her to me.”
“Luke, what happened to not dating clients? You know this could burn you.” Mom’s voice was stern and accusatory.
“Mom, she would never. She knows all about it. We’ve only hung out casually. Last night was our first date.” I hated that I had to justify our relationship. “Danny and I’ve discussed it. He’s okay with it, as long as we behave professionally at the spa. Plus, the marathon is eight days away, and then she won’t need my professional services anymore.”
After a moment of silence while she mulled over what I said, she replied, “Okay, I trust you. Plus, your sisters like her, so she must be great. I just wanted to see where your head is at with this.”
“Wait, so you knew all this before calling me?” I knew my sisters couldn’t keep it from her. Our mom should have been a terrorist negotiator. She could get information out of anyone.
“Of course, dear. You can’t hide anything from me, and neither can the girls. When do I get to meet the woman who put the smile on my darling boy’s face that I can see from here?”
“Not sure, mom. Danny is in Philly for a few more days. An issue came up last week when I was there. Then the Boston Strong Gala is next Saturday, then obviously the marathon. I’ll check with Alexa, but how about the weekend after?”
“Sounds great. Be good, and call me later this week to confirm. I love you, son, and I’m very proud of you.”
“Love you, too, mom!”
Chapter Nineteen
Luke
Monday came and went quickly. Alexa and I spoke on the phone and texted all day. We talked a lot about the one-year anniversary of the bombing on Tuesday. Discussing the events, and the feelings she was having, helped her overcome some of her fears. Between the anniversary and the ceremonies in honor of the victims and survivors, it was inevitable that she was still scared.