Billion Dollar Man
e
icially a fireman. I was confident and comforta
restaurant so popular, it had a waiting
eager to see him again. I hadn't seen him in six years. The Castle
esher course, and taking care of the small details, I hadn't seen a
big banner that read "Welcome Home Ben," and I laughed wh
Ben," she said. "Come on, ever
arry, Jerrod's dad, shook my hand and clapped me o
ood to
ve. When I had left, she was just a kid, still finishing school. But the woman who moved between the tables, greeting diners, was everything but a child. She was beautiful.
r like that, but I couldn't help it. I was a healthy male, and she was sexy
stifled a groan. What a buzzkill. The black curls, the green eyes. I hadn't miss
d my hands into m
n." I was sure that wasn't al
ks,"
ith me. I'm so happy you're home.
her eyes at how blunt I was being. B
. We've put our differen
"Is that what you call it when you sl
s I supposed to do? Wait for you to decide when you wer
ld me, yeah. And we'll do this every time I see you.
from it. We're different people now. We've both changed. Why don't we get toge
ead. "I'm no
ave a whole new life now. Don't y
own that was what she was after. Rachel had nev
ntually you'll figure out that I'm seriou
" Rachel said a
er her and chuckled, lea
od asked, coming up to me. We clapped hands and pulled into a bro hug before Jerrod s
. "Don't
e Ben is in town-with a fuckload o
ng. "You're so full of shit.
and took a si
't getting in t
a gold digger on top of all t
hasn't chan
rth did I
d someone to stroke your ego,"
the shoulder. "
and shook
you whenever I felt like getting drunk. I'm tell
ights for me anymore. I'm starting at the stati
onsible and shit. I thought you had so mu
nd grow old without anything to show for it. Y
change his mind about what you wanted to do si
ainst his in a salute,
into your father's shoes with this place
l take it over from them, after a
't always
with Mila not getting into the busines
oing it with
d were pissed at first, but they let her do her thing, and s
es rather than run a restaurant, but that she had done som
parents to be okay
heir kids, they would rather we be happy than anything else. Besides, with
n ever. I was happy to be home. Everything had changed, and ever