Dax peels one eye open, then the other, and brushes my hair from my neck, letting his fingers linger on my back.
“My deepest, darkest secret is that I love using Q-tips in my ears,” he finally says. “I know they’re supposed to be terrible for you, but I don’t care. I do it at least twice a week. What about you?” He adjusts his arm, pressing me even closer. “What secrets have you been hiding?”
I don’t need to think too hard about my answer. It’s the one thing I’ve wanted to tell him since I figured everything out. “I’m from a parallel universe.”
Dax kisses the top of my head. “Well, that explains a lot. What is your universe like? Do you eat pot roast for breakfast?”
I know he thinks I’m joking. I never intended for him to think otherwise, but it feels like a small weight has been lifted from my chest.
“My universe is the same as this one, except in mine, we’re just best friends.”
Dax lets out a long yawn. “Well, I think I like this universe better then. Don’t you?”
If I had any reservations about staying here, they’re gone. This place, with Dax, is so much better than I ever imagined. There’s no reason why I have to leave. I’m happy here, I have my family, and I have Dax. My mind is made up.
“I do,” I finally answer, but Dax doesn’t hear. He’s already fallen asleep.
Chapter 20
“Seriously, Gems, what the fuck?”
Kiersten is waiting on the stoop of my store, glaring at me and my morning latte.
“What?” I reach past her to fit my key into the front door. She steps aside to let me flip my sign to open and awesome, though I secretly hope that no one shows up for at least ten minutes or until I’ve had the chance to make a good dent in my coffee.
Kiersten follows me inside, still giving me laser-beam eyes that I swear I can feel boring into the back of my head.
“Where were you last night?” she asks. “I called you, like, ten times.”
She is not exaggerating. I accidentally left my phone at home yesterday, and when I finally found it this morning, there were eleven missed calls and a long string of progressively angry text messages.
“I temporarily lost my phone,” I explain. “What’s the problem?”
Kierst folds her arms across her chest and glares at me. “Hello. You didn’t show last night?”
I rack my brain for the significance. “Was I supposed to?”
“You promised me you’d babysit.”
I have a vague recollection of agreeing to do this. But wasn’t it for Sunday? Shit. Yesterday was Sunday.
“I’m sorry.” My apology is genuine. “I got a little caught up in everything that’s been happening lately, and I completely forgot.”
“I was counting on you.” The angry bump in her brow softens to an expression I’m not used to seeing on her. “I had a really important meeting last night, and I had to switch it up and do everything virtually, and it’s hard to look professional when you have a two-year-old in the background and she’s not wearing pants.”
“A meeting? For what? You don’t have a job.”
The moment the words leave my mouth, I know I’ve fucked up big-time. If I was getting the laser eyes before, I am getting death rays now.
“I mean, besides raising your three beautiful children.” I attempt to backtrack. “That’s like having two jobs.”
Kiersten continues to glare, then slowly reaches for my latte on the counter, lifts it to her lips, and takes a long, drawn-out sip.
Finally, she sets it down. “It’s like having three jobs. And it doesn’t matter what I was doing. It was important to me, and you bailed.”
I know. And I hate that I’ve let her down.
“I’m sorry, Kierst. Really, I am. It was a jerk move. I am a terrible human. Can I make it up to you?”
She huffs loud enough to communicate she’s still annoyed but shakes her head.
“You’re not a terrible human, just an occasionally inconsiderate one, and it’s fine.” Her words suggest forgiveness, but I’m not entirely convinced.
She gives me an obvious up-and-down. “If you’re going to stand me up, at least tell me you’re well sexed. The fact that you’re walking around like you rode a horse all weekend makes me think it was a good one?”
I open my mouth to tell her all of the wild and wonderful things that have happened since discovering my best friend has an incredible penis, but I’m momentarily halted when the bell above my front door chimes, and a new but familiar customer walks through.