Her hand is soft and much smaller than mine. I feel the urge to keep touching her, but she smiles sadly and slips her hand out from beneath mine. Did she not like the way I was doing it? Or does she just not likeme?
Once again, I feel bad about this morning and my overreaction. My head is all over the place, and sometimes I can’t control what comes out of my mouth. But as I sit here looking across the table into the gentle eyes of the woman who is my wife, I vow to try.
It’s not long before I notice how many people are staring. And whispering.
Ava notices too. “Ignore them. This is a small town. People here just love excitement and drama. And I’m sure after seeing us together, the rumor mill will be in full force.”
A guy who looks familiar walks over carrying take-out bags.
“Nice to see you again, Trevor.”
I look between him and Ava, hoping someone will tell me who he is.
“This is Tag Calloway,” Ava says. “My friend Maddie’s husband. He was at the party.”
“Oh, right. Yeah, nice to see you.” I tap a finger to my temple. “Sorry about this. Were we friends?”
“Friends?” Tag thinks on it. “I suppose. You were… are… friends with my younger brother, Jaxon. But we hang out as couples sometimes. We should do that soon.” He holds up his bags. “Better get this back before Nora gets too hangry. See you around.”
I lift my chin at Tag, then ask Ava, “Who’s Nora? I thought he was married to Maddie.”
“Nora is his assistant. He owns a sports marketing firm.”
“Maybe you should make me a list.”
“A list?”
“You know, of everyone I’m supposed to know. Their names. Who they are to me. Their spouses. Their jobs.”
“You want a list of everyone you’re supposed to know, but you don’t want to know aboutus?”
She looks sad, like she’s resigned herself to being second-best in my recovery plan. And that makes me feel like a dick for even saying anything.
“I was joking, Ava.”
Our food gets put on the table and she picks at it. I’ve clearly upset her.
“Okay, fine. Tell me something about us.”
“You don’t have to patronize me.”
I scoop a forkful of macaroni and cheese into my mouth and smile. “Jesus, thisisgood. And I’m not patronizing you. I’m learning. Tell me something. Anything.”
She pinches her brow, and for a second, she looks like she’s going to drop a fucking bomb on me. Maybe tell me she is, in fact, having an affair with Jason. Or that the business is going under and we don’t have two dimes to rub together. Or that she thinks I’m a complete douche.
She hesitates for a long moment, even tasting her meal, then she shrugs a casual shoulder and says, “We liked to have sex in the morning.”
I choke on a piece of bacon as I laugh. “That is not what I was expecting you to say.”
Suddenly, it’s almost as if I’m seeing her in a new light, and I remember what Carter said about being able to sleep with her for the ‘first time’ again.
I let my eyes trail over the curves of her face, down the cords of her neck, to her barely showing cleavage. I wonder what her long honey-brown hair would look like all mussed up after a night of sleep. My mind races, trying to decide what she sleeps in. One of those short nightie things? A camisole and sleep shorts?Nothing?
I’m amused at my semi-erection. Maybe I’m not as far gone as I’d thought. It immediately deflates, however, when I think of how much worse this could have been for me. Imagine waking up, not knowing who you are, and finding out you’re a garbage man, married to an unattractive woman with chin hairs, and have three snotty-nosed kids who have zero boundaries.
Under the table, I kick her foot playfully. “How come we liked having sex in the morning?”
“Shortly after we moved in together, you told me waking up next to me was your favorite time of day. I liked making youhappy and wanted to make your mornings even better. It just kind of blew up from there.”
