Remembering how she left the hospital, she tugged gently on the sleeve of Bryce’s button-down shirt. “Congratulations, you’re going to be a dad. Sorry I walked off like that. I thought I was good in emergency situations, but since I married you, I’m realizing I’m only calm in emergency medical situations.” She gave a soft, self-deprecating shrug and looked up at him. “It wasn’t until I was in the shower that I realized I’d just walked off without saying anything.”
“Thanks,” Bryce said softly. He brushed a kiss against her lips, still getting used to the freedom of doing that whenever he wanted. “I’m pretty excited. But when you got home, it was clear you were in shock.” His mouth curved into a crooked grin. “I meant what I said at the stairs. If you want to even the score, I’d be happy to strip for you.”
Beth gave him a dry look, but her lips twitched. “I’ll keep that in mind for the future. But right now, I think maybe we should finish the conversation we started the night I moved in—ya know, before Brock gets back.”
Her words sounded more like a question than a statement, her eyes searching his.
He nodded.
Unfolding from beneath her, Bryce moved to the kitchen, poured a mug of coffee—brewed while she was in the shower—and brought it over. Instead of sitting beside her, he perched on the edge of the coffee table to stay close without crowding her.
“You might need this,” he said gently, offering her the mug.
“Thanks.” She curled into her usual spot and accepted it, her fingers trembling slightly as she took a sip.
Bryce exhaled. “I’ve been praying and trying to figure out how to tell you about my past. There’s no easy way to say it—or hear it. I know it might change how you think of me, but I hope it doesn’t change how you feel. I really hope it doesn’t make you regret telling me you love me.”
Beth gave a small nod, listening.
“After Abby, when I turned away from the Lord, I was crushed in ways I didn’t know were possible. I didn’t want to give anyone that kind of power again. So, I made my own rules. Everything was on my terms—no strings, no expectations. If a woman thought she could change that, it wasn’t because of anything I promised.”
“Like Crystal?”
“Like Crystal,” he said quietly.
Beth took a breath. “What exactly were your terms?”
“A good time. If the chemistry was there, sex. No strings.”
Her stomach twisted. “Have you slept with every girl you’ve dated?”
“No. But most of them.”
Her voice wavered. “How many are we talking about?”
“From work?” he asked.
Beth nodded—then blinked, realizing the distinction. “Wait. If you’re only telling me the number from work, does that mean the total number is higher?”
Bryce nodded solemnly.
“What… what’s your total number?”
“Twenty. Maybe twenty-five.”
“You don’t know?” she asked, stunned.
“I wasn’t keeping count. It wasn’t about that.”
She shook her head slowly. “I think it’s more shocking that you don’t know the names than the number.”
“I do. All but a few... the times I was drunk. If you want an exact number, I could figure it out.”
“I don’t think I want to know.”
He nodded again.
“And from work?”
