LAUREN
The door swings open, and the brunette from earlier comes in. “Hey, the door must have been stuck. Serena, this is my girlfriend, Lauren,” Austin introduces, curling an arm around me and bringing me in closer to him. “Lauren, this is the owner of this place, Serena.”
I smile at her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
She looks me up and down, the disdain obvious in her expression. “Hmmm, likewise.” She turns her attention to Austin. “We haven’t chatted or taken pictures yet.”
“Sorry, Serena, but we have to go. We took pictures earlier, and I’ll make sure that Scarlett sends them to you,” Austin says as he takes my hand and leads us out.
We make our way back to the booth that was reserved for us. Cooper is sitting there with Parker on his lap, John and Dani are sitting next to each other on one side, and Noah and Kaleigh are seated opposite them on the other side of the booth.
“Hey,” Kaleigh greets when she sees me. “Where have you been?” she asks, leaning over Noah to look at me. They slide over in the booth, giving us space to sit down. Austin sits first and then pulls me down on his lap. Kaleigh leans in and whispers conspiratorially in my ear, “You totally just had sex!”
I gasp loudly and look at her, denying it by shaking my head no. “Oh, yes, you did. You are glowing and have the ‘I’ve just been fucked’ face. Trust me, I know that look.”
Everyone is talking amongst themselves and the music is loud so no one is really paying attention to our conversation. “You’re crazy,” I tell her.
“I’m starving,” I say loudly, and everyone agrees.
“Pizza?” Dani suggests, standing up. “Let’s go.” We all get up to make our way outside.
I hold Austin’s hand as we leave the club. Some fans have spotted Cooper, and he goes over to them to take some pictures. While he’s doing that, the rest of us climb into a huge black party bus that Scarlett has ordered for guests who drink and don’t want to drive home.
“I can’t wait to take off these shoes,” Parker whines, propping her feet up in Cooper’s lap.
“You can wear flip-flops tomorrow when we go skating with Austin,” he tells her.
“Skating?” I ask.
“Oh, yeah. I was telling them about Gabe, and since Matthew is in town and wants to run drills with Cooper, we are all meeting at the rink at noon.”
“Oh, that sounds like fun. Can I come?” John asks from his side of the bus.
“Can you skate?” Austin asks.
“Well, not like you guys, but I can keep up,” he states as Dani laughs out loud.
“Honey, I love you dearly, but you can’t skate.” Dani leans over and kisses his cheek.
“I’m coming,” Noah announces from his seat.
They talk and make plans for the next day, while I take it all in. We spend two hours at the pizza place, laughing over their stories from the ‘old days.’
Austin asks me, “Your place or mine?”
“I’m going to Noah’s. So you can go home and have loud monkey sex without me hearing it.” Kaleigh runs up behind Noah, who has already flagged down a cab.
“Let’s swing by my house and grab some clothes for tomorrow,” Austin suggests, yelling at Noah to wait for us.
We wave good-bye to everyone as we cram into the cab. “You live near each other?” I ask.
“I couldn’t leave my boo,” Noah jokes.
We pull up on their street, a chic, modern neighborhood, where all the houses are three stories high.
We get out of the cab. I look at Austin’s house. It’s white with a brown, wooden door. There is a huge window above the door, trimmed in black, and narrow, long rectangular windows are on either side of it.
When he pushes the door open and the lights come on, I take in the modern, masculine space that looks like it could be in a magazine. “You live here?” I ask him, walking into the all-white sunken living room. The back wall is the showpiece of the room with its floor-to-ceiling windows.
“I live here.” He laughs. “Want to come see the upstairs?” He holds his hand out for me to take it.
We head up the stairs, which are black and look like they are held together with wire. “Should I take off my shoes?” I ask him when we make it to his room and I see the plush white carpet. His bed sits in the middle of the room, overlooking a wall of windows. He walks in, touching something on the wall so that the lights turn on. Walking further into the room, he opens the door to his walk-in closet, except it’s the size of a bedroom. “Jesus, how many suits can one person own?”
“Should I ask about your shoe collection now?” He turns to me while grabbing his bag from the shelf, throwing in a couple of pairs of pants, then going to the wall that has drawers, where he opens a couple and pulls out socks and shirts. “Should I pack boxers?” he asks with a smirk.
“I don’t know. Should I go to work on Monday without panties?” I smile back at him and yawn.
“You know, we could stay here and then go back to your place tomorrow.” He shrugs off his jacket and kicks off his shoes, pulling his shirt out of his pants and unbuttoning it from top to bottom before shrugging the shirt off and throwing it in the basket in the corner. His pants are next to go. “Sleep with me in my bed?” I look back at the huge bed with its thick, white covers and think that it looks like a cloud. “I want you in my bed. I want to roll over when you’re not here and still smell you on the pillow.” I take the pins out of my hair, letting it fall down to my shoulders.
“Are you going to do dirty, dirty things to me?” I ask him, unclipping my outfit so it falls to the floor. I kick it over to join his pants. “I just need to take off my shoes.” I walk out of the closet to the bed, bending down at the waist to unclip my shoes when I hear him groan behind me. “Like the view?”
“Change of plans.” He picks me up and throws me on the bed. “I want to feel those heels digging into my back when I fuck you hard.”
“Well, since you asked so nicely”—I spread my legs wide—“let’s put those marks on you.”
By the time we finish, I think I see the sun coming up, my body is well used, aching in places that I will feel all day. My shoes are gone, long ago thrown somewhere in the room.
I turn to look out the window, Austin curling around me, where we both fall into a deep sleep.
The alarm next to his bed wakes us up, both of us snuggled under his blankets that really do feel like a cloud.
“We need to get to your house.” Austin kisses my neck while he cups my breast.
“I need to call Jake and ask him to bring Gabe early.” I yawn, blinking my eyes to stay awake.
I get up from the bed to call Jake, who sounds as tired as I am, and he doesn’t argue with me about dropping the kids off early.
I borrow a pair of his basketball shorts that are so big they go down to the middle of my calf, even rolled at the waist, and a blue Hugo Boss t-shirt. My shoes dangle in my hands as I make my way from his car to my front door.
Thinking that this is what they call the walk of shame, I look over my shoulder at Austin. He is dressed in blue jeans, a tight t-shirt, and his aviator glasses. He didn’t shave this morning, so his face is covered in light stubble. The thought that there is nothing shameful about spending the night with him crosses my mind.
“Remember the last time we were at this door?” Austin asks while gripping my hips. I, of course, move fast before my neighbors get the chance to experience a replay.
I unlock the door, walking straight up the stairs to my room. “I need a shower so bad.” I dump the clothes in my hands on the bed. Austin is already without his shirt by the time I turn around. “What are you doing?”
“Conserving energy,” he answers while he picks me up and tosses me over his shoulder.
The shower lasts until the water coming out feels like ice pellets hitting our skin, my legs are limp, and I need a nap. Having awesome sex is freaking exhausting.
We are both now dressed and downstairs having coffee together. He sits at my table, reading the Sunday paper, while I flip through the living section. Every now and again, he takes my hand and kisses it.
It’s almost as if we have been doing this forever. The doorbell rings, and I get up to answer it. “I think the kids are home,” I tell him, getting up to answer the door.
Opening the door, I’m tackled by Gabe and Rachel, who run to me.
“Mom, is it true we are skating with the Cooper Stone and his son, Matthew?” Gabe rushes out without taking a breath.
“It is. Austin is friends with him.” I ruffle his hair and kiss him. “He’s in the kitchen. You can go say thank you.”
“Sweet!” He runs into the kitchen, yelling.
Rachel has her head on my stomach and her hand around my hips. “I need a nap,” she says.
I look up at Jake, who looks like death. He’s wearing a baseball hat, and his face is a greenish pale and unshaven. He looks ragged. “Why are you so tired?” I ask her.
“The babysitter put her to bed at one a.m.” Jake takes off his hat to scratch his head then puts it back on.
“Okay.” I look over at him standing there. “Go put your things away while I talk to Dad.”
I watch as she heads into the kitchen and then hear her greet Austin in her special way. “Hey, Asshat, you’re here.” I laugh quietly when I hear giggling coming from Rachel and then Austin telling her he’s going to tickle her till she gets his name right.
I look back at Jake, who I’m assuming has heard that Austin is here. “You okay?” I ask him, my hand on the doorknob as I lean on it.
“Camilla and I have ended our engagement.” He looks at me and then to the side.
I don’t say anything, because what can I say at this point?
“I’m so sorry, Lauren, for everything. I ruined it.” He looks back at me. “I ruined everything, and for what? For a woman who collects fathers.”
“I don’t know what you want me to tell you, Jake.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“I was a fool. She played me.” He takes his hat off again to scratch his head.
“You wouldn’t be the first,” Austin says from behind me. “Sorry to interrupt.” He puts his hand around the back of my neck and kisses my temple. “The kids are getting ready.”
“I should go,” Jake says. “Tell the kids to call me later.” He walks away from us with his head hanging down.
I wrap my hands around Austin’s waist, while he uses his foot to close the door. “Do I have anything to worry about?” he asks while hugging me. My face rests against his chest, listening to his heart beating faster than normal.
“Not in this lifetime,” I tell him honestly. “No matter what happens between us, Jake and I are over.”
“Okay.” He squeezes me.
“Asshat, can I do snow angels again?” Rachel yells from upstairs, her voice coming closer.
I hide my face so she doesn’t see me laughing, then I turn around. “Rachel, it’s Austin.”
“I know dat, Mom.” She’s coming down the stairs, chanting, “Asstin, Asstin Asstin.”
I continue laughing and so does Austin. “Well, it’s better than Asshat.”
Half an hour later, we walk into the arena and see Cooper standing in workout clothes and chatting with a bald man, laughing at whatever they are talking about.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Austin says to Craig as he moves in to hug the old man.
“I couldn’t miss my two best boys on the ice again.” He looks at both Cooper and Austin.
“Hey,” Cooper greets Gabe, who is standing next to me, gawking shamelessly. “You must be Gabe. I heard you’re really good.” He ruffles his hair. Gabe continues to stare and has still not said anything.
I nudge him with my hip. “Um. You’re Cooper Stone,” he whispers, and everyone laughs.
Cooper laughs, too, and is about to reply when he looks over at Rachel. “Do you skate, too, or are you just a princess?”
“I’m a princess, and I only skate if I can make snow angels.” Rachel smiles.
Parker walks in with Matthew and Karrie following her.
“Hey, guys,” she greets us as she goes to Cooper’s side. “Who are these guys?” she asks me.
“These are my children,” I say, smiling at her. “This is Gabe, who, believe or not, never stops talking.” I hug him sideways. “And this is my girl, Rachel.”
“She’s a beauty.” Parker smiles at me in return. Rachel leaves my side to go tap Matthew’s leg. He stops talking to Karrie and smiles at her before squatting down in front of her. “Hey there, Princess.”
“Will you be my boyfriend?” Rachel asks, while I gasp out loud and Austin groans beside me.
“Um,” Matthew mumbles.
“Rachel, what are you doing?” I question, going to her.
“Well, Auntie Kay has Noah as her boyfriend, and you have Asshat.” Cooper bursts out laughing. She looks at Austin and smiles. “Sorry, Asstin. So, I want one, too, and I want him.” Rachel points her thumb at Matthew, who is in stitches.
“I would really, really like to be your boyfriend, but Karrie is my girlfriend, and it wouldn’t be fair to her.”
“Oh, that’s totally okay. I give him to you,” Karrie says to Rachel. “No take backs, either.” Cooper and Parker are now laughing even harder.
Matthew stands up and glares at Karrie. “I’ll show you no take backs later.” His tone is fierce, but Karrie looks at him and then down at her nails. “Can’t. I’m busy.”
“You’re busy, huh?” he mocks. “Really? With no phone, no car, no purse, no wallet?” He smiles at her.
“Matthew,” Parker whispers. “You didn’t.”
“He must have lost the handcuffs,” Cooper chimes in. “Okay, why don’t we go get ready to skate?”
“How about the girls go out for cupcakes and coffee?” I ask them.
“Is Noah coming?” Cooper asks while walking to the rooms in the back.
“I would love to go for coffee,” Karrie says. “You guys can be my getaway.”
“You can run, but know that I’ll always catch your ass and drag you back,” Matthew warns with a wink, then turns and jogs into the back.
“That man is a…” Karrie stutters. “He’s a…he’s a…”
“He’s an asshat,” Rachel helps her out, smiling at me and then Parker and Karrie, making everyone laugh.
“Okay, babe.” Austin kisses my lips. “Come back, and for the love of god, whatever you do, make sure you bring Karrie back with you.”
I look at Karrie, who looks like she is about to blow steam out of her ears, just like in the cartoons. Before she can explode, Parker goes up to her, seemingly averting that crisis. “Honey, I’m so, so sorry.” With that, we all head out to go have chocolate cupcakes and coffee.