Page 7 of Baby, It’s Hot Inside

“Damn.”

“Yeah. I was naive. Stupid.” I shrug against his shoulder.

He lifts my head briefly to snake his arm around me, and then pulls me back to him. “It’s not naive to assume your partner is being faithful. I’m assuming y’all were sleeping together?”

I sigh. “He was my first.” And only, but I leave that part out.

“You haven’t dated anyone since?”

“I’ve had a handful of first dates, but that’s it. I never seem to click with anyone. I tend to attract older men who have a gross young girl fetish—I guess because I’m short they can pretend I’m younger than I am. Only went out with one to figure that out.” A shudder creeps through me.

The double doors leading back to the examination rooms open and my mom comes out. I jump to my feet and run to her, and she squeezes me tight. She looks over my head and smiles at Brock.

“Thanks for bringing her.”

“Of course. My parents went to get coffee, do you need anything?”

“No, I’m good. Thanks, Brock.”

“So what is going on with Dad, is he okay?”

My mother’s cheeks tint pink and she looks down at the floor. “Evidently he has a minor heart issue that has been undiagnosed thus far, and it interacted poorly with his ED medicine.”

“Fuck,” Brock whispers from behind me.

“ED?”

“Erectile dysfunction,” my mother says looking me straight in the eyes.

I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole. OH. MY. GOD. I’m pretty sure I look like that shocked-face emoji right now. Or maybe the blushing one.

“Now then,” my mom continues as if she did not just talk about my father’s malfunctioning penis and their sex life all in one breath. “Today is the second day of the fundraiser and I’m not sure when I’ll be able to leave here. You know how hospitals are. I need you to handle things for me at the beach.”

My brain isn’t quite working yet because I’m still stuck on the fact that my mother said erectile in front of me and Brock. But I can be mature about this and I pretend the last three minutes didn’t happen. “What’s on the agenda today?”

“It’s the build-a-sandman competition, down on Windsor beach. I’ve already set up everything. Judy can’t help today because she’s got to get all the baking done for the gingerbread competition in two days.”

“Are you sure I can just leave you here? You don’t need me to stay?”

My mom smiles. “No, baby, I’m fine. Promise. And your dad is fine. Though I might kill him if he keeps causing trouble. He’s trying to get the orderlies to coordinate a wheelchair race with the patients.”

Brock barks out a laugh. “That sounds like your dad.”

I ask her about my siblings and she assures me everyone has been notified. Then Brock’s parents return and our moms immediately start in on the plans for the remaining days of the fundraiser.

“We’ve got it under control,” Brock says. Then he’s grabbing my arm and tugging on me.

I let him pull me away and it’s not until we’re in the elevator that everything hits at once. I double over in a fit of the giggles.

“Oh my God, I did not ever need to know that,” I say in between my laughs. I swipe at the tears streaming down my face.

“Me neither,” he agrees. “About your parents. Or anyone’s parents, for that matter.” Then he shrugs. “Though I guess it’s good to know we can have sex well into marriage.”

We.

WE?

We can have sex.