I stood. “No, my birthday is in March. But wow, those are gorgeous.”
He smiled. “Well, then someone must really like you…”
I opened the card pinned to the side. Oh boy. The arrangements weren’t from someone who liked me, it was someones. Unlike the flowers Julian had sent, this card was handwritten, and for some reason, I just knew the slashy, bold print was Christian’s.
Bella,
Until tomorrow...
X
Christian
My cell rang, and the name that flashed was just what I needed at the moment. Miller. I swiped to answer. “How did you know I needed to talk to you?”
“I read about it in the Post. And I’m pissed that’s how I had to find out. Give me all the deets, woman.”
My forehead wrinkled. “What are you talking about?”
“You didn’t see this morning’s New York Post?”
“I don’t read the Post. It’s too much sports.”
“Ummm, sweetheart, you own a football team now. But that’s another conversation. You and Hunka Hunka Burning Love are on Page Six.”
“Still on your Elvis TV binge?”
“Yeah, and I’m pretty sure Elvis was singing about Christian Knox when he sang that song.”
As usual, our conversation had gotten off track. “Back up, Christian is in the Post?”
“You’re both in the Post. And the way his big hand is wrapped around you, tucking you close to his side, is hot as fuck.”
Oh God. That paparazzo from last night. “Can you send me a pic of the photo and what it says?”
“Sure, hang on.”
Thirty seconds later, my phone buzzed with a new text. I opened it to find exactly what Miller had described. Christian and I were walking toward my building, his arm wrapped snugly around me. We looked like a couple. But in case people didn’t view the photo that way, the caption beneath sealed the deal.
Contract negotiations at midnight?
The New York Bruins’ star quarterback’s contract is up this year. Are Christian Knox and new team owner, Bella Keating, deep in negotiations at midnight?
Ugh. As if I didn’t have enough trouble with people taking me seriously around here. “Shoot. Don’t these people have anything better to do?”
“The last time I talked to you, you were going on a second date with Julian last night. Instead you went out with Christian?”
I leaned back in my chair with a sigh. “I actually did go out with Julian last night. But Christian showed up and sort of crashed my date.”
Miller cackled. “I fucking love that dude! There is nothing sexier than a man who knows what he wants and goes after it. Except maybe a man who knows what he wants, goes after it, and has a big dick, which I bet he does. And oh my God, you better not be a tight ass with information like you usually are. You have to spill on this one. How big is it? I bet it’s eight inches, at least. He’s circumcised, right? I’m not into a hooded warrior. How was his manscaping? I saw a picture of him on the Internet the other day, and his chest hair is cropped tight. The curtains should match the rug and—”
“Take a breath, crazy man,” I interrupted. I probably should’ve started with the fact that I had no clue how big Christian’s dick was, but I was too curious about something else. “You just happened to see a shirtless picture of Christian online the other day?”
“Yes,” Miller said primly. “I wasn’t even looking for it. I went to add something to my kitchen-redecorating Pinterest folder, and my Christian folder popped up instead.”
“You have a Christian Pinterest folder?”
“Trent started it. We were going to collect them for you, but then we realized it was a fun hobby for us. Looking at pictures of him is better foreplay than watching The Vampire Diaries for the eighth time.”
I laughed. “You’re seriously warped, you know that?”
“Don’t change the subject. How big is Hunka Hunka Burning Love?”
“I wouldn’t know. He crashed my date, and then we went out for dessert, and he dropped me at home. I didn’t sleep with him.”
Miller sighed. “God, you’re boring.”
I leaned back in my chair. “I’m so confused, Miller. Julian is right for me. I know the way I picked him might have been a tad unorthodox, but I was starting to settle into the idea of having a real relationship for the first time. We were such good friends; taking the next step wouldn’t have been that hard. But I wasn’t even upset that Christian crashed our date.”
“Things change.”
“But Julian and I are perfect for each other.”
“Perfect on paper doesn’t always make a love match, sweetheart. I know you’ll find this hard to believe, but you can’t feed a bunch of data into a formula and decide who you should fall for. Love is illogical.”
I frowned. “I hate illogical.”
Miller chuckled. “I know you do. You like things to be orderly and sensical. It kills you if something happens that you didn’t see coming. But sometimes the best things in life are the unexpected ones.”