I love her.
I love her.
I will love her if we have more babies one day. If we don’t. If she gets tired of me and sends me away. If she lets me love her every day for the rest of my life here, in her house, as part of her family.
I collapse on top of her as my orgasm fades, rolling so I don’t crush her, but I don’t go far.
I can’t.
Not touching her—it’s impossible.
“I love you,” I whisper into her hair.
“I love you too,” she whispers back.
And that’s the last thing I hear before I tumble off the cliff into the most solid sleep I’ve had in weeks.
38
Emma
Jonas stayed.
We had sex—no,made love, and he stayed.
I didn’t realize I was still afraid he’d disappear in the morning until I feel him rubbing my arm gently as the first light of day breaks through my window.
“Emma,” he whispers. “Bash is awake. I’m gonna go get him. You can go back to sleep, but I wanted you to know I’ve got him. And I love you.”
I absolutely fall back asleep.
With a smile.
My entire body feels like I slept on a magical stress-relief cloud. There’s no tension anywhere.
There’s simply this sensation that all is right in my world.
Jonas loves me. He loves Bash. He has Bash. My house is overflowing with love.
And when I wake up again an hour later, it’s because the two of them are laughing too loudly outside.
“Dick-dick saygaaaawwwwk!” Bash crows.
“I was trying to feed her,” Jonas replies, softer, with definite indignation in his voice.
But he also sounds happy. Amused, even. Like he can somehow be annoyed with my chicken yet also be enjoying himself here at the same time.
“Dick-dick no wike Dona.”
“I’ll still feed her even if she doesn’t like me. That’s the job when you’re a grown-up. Or a chicken owner.”
“I get egg!”
I creep to my window and peer out.
Jonas and Bash are both inside the coop with the chickens. Jonas has the entire pail of chicken food with him, which feels right. There wasn’t much more left than one feeding’s worth. Bash is chasing the chickens, dressed in his dinosaur pajama shorts and a kitty T-shirt that he undoubtedly picked out himself, getting distracted from his plans to check for eggs.
The chickens have decided Jonas is the enemy.
