Our Favorite Days (My Favorite Mistake #3) Read Free Page A

ignoring me, but then he looked up and nodded as I slid a fifty into his hand.
    “If this gets me laid, I have you to thank,” I said and he cracked a smile as he finished the piece. The silence was almost deafening. A waiter came over to see what was going on and the piano man explained the situation. Fuck, I only had so much money to pay these people off so I could do this.
    Fortunately, the waiter seemed to be on board and even brought me a stool and moved the mic for me.
    “Hello, everyone,” I said, a little nervous, but telling myself to calm the fuck down. “I’m sorry to disturb your dinner. I’ll only take a few moments of your time.” I adjusted my guitar and hoped that no one could tell that I was freaking out inside.
    “I just wanted to play a little song for my girl, Taylor, over there. She agreed to come here with me tonight, even after I wasn’t very nice to her. This is part of my apology. I hope you like it.” I hadn’t been able to look at her up until then. She was blushing and it was cute as hell. This whole thing was worth it just to see that.
    I started the song and let myself get lost in the music, as always. I could feel her eyes on me. Everything else disappeared and it was just her and me.
    I couldn’t explain why the song made me think of her, but it did. Something about the melody and the intensity that built throughout and then it went back to soft at the very end. A whisper and a storm all at once. Her eyes watched me the whole time and the look on her face was worth potentially angering all the other people in the restaurant. She saw me. And not just as an irritation that she had to put up with. Not just the guy who was always trying to get in her pants. She saw me as a guy that she might be proud of. A guy that she might have feelings for.
    Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on my part. I half-expected her to want to punch me when I got back to the table. Still worth it.
    “I’m sorry, Missy. Thank you for listening,” I said after I’d finished to some polite applause. I didn’t care what anyone else had to say. Just her.
    But she was silent as I sat back down at the table.
    “Well?” I asked when I couldn’t stand the suspense anymore.
    “I don't really know what to say.” That almost made me laugh.
    “You’ve never been at a loss for words in your life. Let me have it. You hated it.”
    “No, I didn’t.”
    Her fingers slipped on the strings and she stopped, frowning.
    “Keep going,” I said and she startled as she looked up at me. Her face lit up and my heart stopped again.
    “Stop judging me, Mr. Musical Prodigy. I hate it when you watch me like that.” Still, she was smiling as she said it and I went to join her on the floor. Loud voices came from the basement where I assumed Renee, Paul and Dusty were probably playing Call of Duty . Dusty might as well move in, since he was here all the time and his apartment was a shithole.
    Napoleon, his cat, was already a permanent fixture at Yellowfield House and absolutely spoiled rotten by all of us.
    “How was your day, dear?” I asked Taylor as she handed over the guitar.
    “Fine, my darling. I got an email about working at the crisis center and I get to start training next week.” This time her eyes lit up for a different reason.
    “That’s great. They’re going to be lucky to have you.” She rolled her eyes at my compliment, even though it was true. She was majoring in women’s studies and couldn’t wait to get her feet wet and get some experience helping women and children. My Missy Girl was wonderful like that. She helped everyone she met, even if she didn’t know she was doing it. Including me.
    “Hey, so I was thinking we can go down and have dinner with my family this weekend?” They all adored her and I was pretty sure my aunt, Hope, loved Taylor more than she loved me. I knew my cousin Harper definitely did and it wasn’t just because Taylor had the same name as Harper’s favorite