I Got You

Chapter 3

Here I am pacing in front of my closet at 10am.

I'm stressing over what to wear when Peter comes over for lunch.

I'm talking to Riley, asking him if this is OK. It's not a date, it's just lunch with a hopeful friend, someone I can talk to, share my fears with, my hopes, what I'd like the future to hold. Oh hell, it sounds like a fucking date.

I groan and plop down on the floor, wrapping my arms around my needs, rocking and crying.

"Riley, please give me a sign, a sign that this is OK! That I'm not making a huge mistake. I miss you so much! I'm lonely and just want someone who doesn't look at me with pity… Peter seems really nice, he's Jasper's friend, and plays on the same ball team, mom and Phil like him too. He's got a son who's 8 and played really good with the twins. He's going through something like I am, am I wrong for thinking about wanting more?" I cried and then felt a cold shiver run across my back, making me gasp and then suddenly a shirt drops to the floor. I crawl over to it and smiled, Riley always said this shirt made my eyes sparkle. I stand up and lay the shirt on my bed, pulling out a pair of skinny jeans and then hoping in the shower.

An hour and a half later I'm putting lunch into the oven.

I'd decided to make chicken enchiladas.

When I came home last night I had nervous energy and fixed the chicken and letting them soak in my tomato and chile mixture. I also prepared the pinto beans to make homemade refried beans.

When I woke this morning I finished the beans and made some cinnamon tortillas. I also make a big batch of those, the boys love nibbling on them.

I had the windows open and decided to set the table on the porch for lunch.

I was sipping my wine when the doorbell rang. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Peter, welcome." I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you! I think I might have to beat back the neighbors, I could smell the food from across town." He smiled widely, making me blush.

"Well, I can only hope it's as good as it smells." I shrugged.

"Trust me, anything is better than Hamburger Helper and frozen pizza." He pointed out.

I laughed and ushered him in.

"Oh, these are for you. I asked Jasper and he said wildflowers, I hope like hell he was not fucking with me." He looked panicked.

"I love them!" I headed to the kitchen to get a vase. "I don't do rose's, I'm not very traditional at all when it comes to that stuff. I don't even like diamonds." I laughed.

He shook his head. "Jasper said you weren't like Alice's friends. I'm so glad." He smiled a genuine smile.

"Yeah, he told me that you were me, with a penis." I laughed, causing Peter to laugh hardily.

"Your brother has a way with words." He shook his head.

I pulled the casserole out of the oven, took the cinnamon crisps out of the warm and placed some beans in a bowl.

"Can I help you carry anything?" Peter asked.

"I have the wine outside, if you could grab to two smaller things, I'll bring the casserole." I nodded my head for him to follow me.

"This is delicious!" Peter all but shouted.

"Well, Jasper did tell me you were from Texas, I hope I did it justice." I shrugged.

"You'd make my mama proud." He said sincerely.

We talked about our lives and how they changed since losing our significant others, the challenges and it was really hard for Peter to leave Atticus home with a nanny or his mom when she could fly out. He'd lost his dad the year after he went pro and has tried to get his mom to out here with him, she wasn't ready to leave the home he'd grown up in.

"Yeah, that'd be hard to do. After Riley died, his mom took the boys for a few days so I could grieve and it was hell being away from them. They all knew I wouldn't grieve properly if I had the boys, they're my everything." I teared up.

"I know your pain. I really do. Even though Charlotte didn't die, she might as well have. She changed everything so we couldn't find her. She even disowned all her friends, the last one she broke ties with said she was in Italy." He sighed shaking his head.

"So how does Atticus deal with all this?" I asked.

"He's a trooper. When I've got games and he has school he has a nanny, it's not the greatest, but it is what it is. Let's talk about something more upbeat and clean up, your brother told me they'd be here at 6 o'clock for dinner." He rubbed his hands together.

We laughed and talked some more while we cleaned up and decided to make a run to the store for dinner.

We decided on steaks, baked potatoes and grilled corn. Peter also asked if I'd make banana pudding. He called his mom for her to text the recipe and we gathered the ingredients for that.

I had plenty of drinks so we didn't need to get those.

We got back to my house and he marinated the steaks while I prepped the potatoes and corn, then started on the banana pudding.

"Bella, this smells delicious." He leaned over my shoulder and looked into the bowl of pudding I was mixing, pushing my hair to the side and kissed my cheek.

I shivered and smiled, blushing badly.

"Thank you." I replied.

"Bella, I really want to kiss you." He whispered from behind me. I was just getting ready to turn around when the doorbell rang.

I was so going to kill my brother.

AN:

Enjoy…

Yeah Jasper is a cockblocker…

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