Fool For You (Made for Love Book 4) (57 page)

“Do I look all right?” she asks, looking down at herself before she brings those light brown eyes up to meet mine.

I slide my arm around her waist, dropping my hand down over her ass as I pull her against me. She flashes me a shy grin as she giggles, her hands sliding underneath my sports coat and around my waist.

Adorable and alluring.

Cute and sexy.

Fuck—what is she doing to me?

“You look exquisite, Teddy.”

“I’m nervous,” she murmurs, holding me tighter.

“That’s unnecessary.”

“Maybe so, but that doesn’t make it any less true. What if she doesn’t like me?”

“She will.”

“But what if—”

I cut her off with a kiss, knowing her arguments are irrelevant. Eddalyn will love her, this I know without a doubt. Yet, even if she didn’t, it wouldn’t change the way I feel. This woman owns me. I am her fool, and I’m not going anywhere. I try and say as much, twisting my tongue with hers as I deepen our kiss. It’s only when she sighs, gripping the back of my shirt in her small hands, that I force myself to pull away.

If I don’t, we might not make it out of the damn house
.

“Let’s go.”

She nods, seemingly placated for the moment, and goes to fetch her purse.

Twenty minutes later, after I secure a parking spot about a half a block away, Teddy and I walk into the gourmet Mexican restaurant that Aunt Eddalyn chose for the evening. I know, by the way Teddy is clutching my elbow, I’ll be ordering her a margarita; it’s what this place is known for, and I need to calm my woman down.

I spot my aunt right away, sitting across from the hostess stand, one leg folded over the other as she sits messing with her phone. Guessing by the look on her face and the posture of her back, whatever she’s doing is business related, but I don’t hesitate to interrupt.

“Aunt Eddalyn.”

She looks up immediately, her blue eyes catching mine before they settle on Teddy. The smile that spreads across her face seems to ease Teddy’s nerves a bit, and she loosens her grip around me.

“Well, hello,” Eddalyn says as she stands, promptly dropping her phone into her purse. “You must be Theodora.”

“Hi, Ms. St. Michaels,” Teddy replies politely, extending her hand.

“Oh, please,” Eddalyn says, wrapping Teddy’s hand in both of hers. “Call me Edda. As the woman who has managed to steal my nephew’s heart, you’ve earned the right.”

With a blush, Teddy looks up at me—an endearing twinkle in her eye—before she returns her attention to my aunt.

“Well, you can call me Teddy if you want.”

“I’ll do that,” she replies, finally letting go of her hand.

As soon as it drops to her side, I wrap it in mine, nodding toward the hostess stand. “Are they ready for us?”

“Yes! And I’m starved. Let’s eat.”

We’re seated right away, and it’s not long before the ladies are sipping margaritas while I nurse my beer. I find myself in and out of the conversation, depending on the topic and who is speaking. When I’m not listening, I’m admiring Teddy—engrossed in her every move. I like watching her as she interacts with Eddalyn. My aunt has her eating out of the palm of her hand—my shy girl hungry for every word she has to give. I remember I used to be like that. Sometimes I still am. Eddalyn St. Michaels is a fountain of knowledge and intelligence—an expert in her field. It’s not often someone Teddy’s age can appreciate that. But Teddy is mature beyond her years, cloaked in the innocence life has seen fit to keep intact. It’s beautiful.

She’s
beautiful.

And she’s
mine
.

While I remain observant throughout dinner, I’m not left out of the conversation entirely—both women dragging me in as often as they’d like. We enjoy our meal, the camaraderie between all three of us both surprising and comfortable. Yet, despite our pleasant evening, I’m relieved when the bill arrives. I have plans I’m anxious to get to. Plans that involve Teddy—
naked
—sprawled out across my couch.

As we stand to make our exit, Teddy apologizes before she excuses herself to the restroom. Eddalyn shoos her off, insisting that we’ll meet her out front. When Teddy is out of ear shot, I look down at my aunt, waiting for the appraisal I know is coming.

“She’s
lovely
, dear.”

“I know.”

“A little younger than I imagined, I must say.”

I offer her no more than a shrug, sliding my hands into my pant’s pockets.

“Not a critique, Judah—just an observation,” she replies with a knowing smirk.

When she doesn’t say more, I raise my eyebrows at her in question. She returns my unspoken question with a shrug of her own, making me frown.

“That’s all? She’s lovely and young—that’s
all
you have to say? You surprise me.”

“Oh, I have plenty more to say. I’m also quite clever, Judah. I know that you are not ready to hear a bit of it.”

“Is that so?” I challenge. She nods, and a spark of impatience ignites within me. “And when, exactly, will you deem me
ready
to hear what you have to say?”

“I’m not quite sure,” she laughs. “That’s up to you. Whenever your heart is ready to admit the truth.”

“What truth?”

She reaches out to squeeze my arm and then sighs. “I imagine you should expect a call from your mother this week.”

And just like
that,
our previous conversation is locked away—entirely out of my reach.

I stifle a grunt, partly because I want to know what
truth
she’s speaking of—partly because I know her last statement is spot on.

“At least do me the curtesy of speaking only to my mother. Don’t mention this to Benjamin, or I’ll never hear the end of it.”

She laughs once more, nodding in front of me as she says, “Something tells me you have another informant you need to keep quiet. I’m not the only one with a sister.”

I follow the direction of her gaze, a small smile tugging at my lips as Teddy makes her way towards us. She stops only when she’s at my side, slipping her hand around my elbow.

“Ready?” I ask her.

“Yes,” she answers with a smile before shifting her focus onto Eddalyn. “It was really nice meeting you, Edda.”

“Same to you, Teddy. I hope this won’t be the last time,” she replies, squeezing Teddy’s hand before winking up at me. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Judah.”

We say our goodbyes as we follow her out; then when she goes one way, we go another.

“Oh, my goodness!” Teddy gushes, reaching up to squeeze my arm with both hands. “I cannot believe you’re related to her. Well, no—I take that back. I totally can. You’re amazing, so it makes all the sense in the world that your mentor would be so incredibly brilliant. But—seriously—Judah, she’s—I can’t even—I mean, to work for her?”

I chuckle, amused by her inability to finish a sentence. She sighs in response, propping her head just below my shoulder.

“Thank you.”

“For what, sweetheart?”

“For letting me see that part of your heart. I know you two are close.”

I don’t say a word in response. I had it in my mind that tonight was about Eddalyn meeting Teddy; it was about granting the request of my dearest aunt—I didn’t see it from the other side. This was never about
me
. Except, perhaps, maybe it was.

“So, what should we do now? It’s not too late.”

“Did you have something in mind?”

“No. Did you?”

I slide my arm out of her grasp before reaching up to grip the back of her neck, encouraging her into my side. She wraps her arms around my waist, and I give her a gentle squeeze.

“
Yes,
” I mutter, my voice just loud enough for her to hear.

I can feel it when her pulse starts to speed up, and my chest tightens at the taste of my forthcoming victory.

“Jude—you’re insatiable,” she replies, her voice airy, belying her own need.

“Yes. For you, sweetheart, I am.”

Me:
I love you.

Judah:
Tell me again tomorrow.

Y
esterday afternoon, a nice man with grease stained hands dropped off my car. When he came into the gallery to give me my keys, I inquired about my bill, only to find out that it had already been paid. He then explained to me what work had been done—all of which went in one ear and out the other—and I was quick to call Jude as soon as the mechanic left.

I might not know anything about cars, but I know that to fix an old one isn’t cheap. I was dreading the price I’d have to pay to keep Agatha running, but I never, ever,
ever
expected that Judah would foot the bill for me. When I called him to tell him as much, he wouldn’t hear a word about me paying him back.

Not. A. Word.

I tried, repeatedly, until he threatened to hang up on me. Then I thanked him, repeatedly, until he threatened to hang up on me. Then I asked if I could see him after work, and he told me that he had to work late—that our weekend together had put him behind, and he had to play catch up. I certainly wasn’t surprised, so I shouldn’t have felt so disappointed, but I couldn’t help it.

After three nights in Judah’s presence, I missed him like crazy all evening. I tried to make myself go to bed at a relatively early hour, hoping that if I could fall asleep, I’d forget how much I ached for him. But my
ache
wasn’t just an emotional one. My whole body longed for his. My bed felt cold, and I felt alone, leaving me restless. I thought about calling him, just to hear the sound of his voice again, and then I realized just how pathetic I had become.

No man has ever made me feel so needy—and just when I began to question my sanity, I wised up and called my best friend. I see him almost every day, but last night, I needed him in a different capacity than my nine-to-five Geoff. It was late by the time I reached out, and I pulled him from his sleep. We only spoke for about five minutes—but that was long enough for me to remember that while I’m hopelessly in love with Judah, my whole world doesn’t revolve around him. While he might be my favorite part of life these days, he’s not the
only
part.

Hearing Geoffrey’s groggy voice warmed my heart, reminding me of the many nights I’ve spent sharing a bed with him. I then realized that it has been a couple weeks since we’ve gone out, just the two of us, so I suggested we hang out at The Tap Room after work the next day. He agreed before grumbling something about sleep and hanging up on me.

Feeling a bit more grounded, a day’s worth of exhaustion finally catching up with me, I sent Judah a text, telling him I loved him. His reply came before I drifted off to sleep, and as I stare at it now, it still makes me smile.

“I swear, baby girl, if you could see your face right now,” says Geoff, pulling me from my thoughts as he leans on top of the reception desk, his back to the entrance.

I black out the screen of my phone, turning it face down before he can catch a glimpse. I haven’t told him that I’ve told Judah that I love him, yet. I haven’t told anyone. Right now, that truth is just
ours
, and I feel like keeping it that way for a little while longer.

“Hmm? What did you say?”

“That man turns you to mush, and it’s just too fucking adorable. I can hardly stand it.”

I almost miss the slight edge to his tone—
almost
. Then it dawns on me that I’ve been so wrapped up in Judah, I haven’t been keeping tabs on how Geoff is doing with his break-up with Reeve. I know it’s been a couple of months now, but they were together for a couple of
years
. That’s not just something someone
gets over
.

“Dammit,” I murmur with a deep frown. “I’ve been a horrible friend. Here I am, practically rubbing my relationship in your face, and I haven’t done a very good job of checking up on you. I’m sorry, babe.”

“No. Don’t apologize to me. You’re finally
living
, Teddy—you’re finally opening yourself up to things you’ve always wanted, but have never been brave enough to go after. I get it. I do. And I’m happy for you. More than that, I’m
proud
of you. I hope you know that.”

I nod, a small smile playing at my lips before I reach out my hand. He wraps his fingers around mine and I give them a squeeze. “Thank you. But I don’t care what you say—I owe you. Tonight, it’s just you and me. Like old times. I promise.”