He reaches over and pulls out tissue from his side of the table next to the bed. Then he cups it under me, then cleans himself.
After we're both done, I lay on my back, him still lying down on my left. He adjusts himself on his right side to face me, putting his hand on my belly. My hand finds his, and he holds it, both of our hands resting on my lower abdomen, just staring into the dark.
"Are we gonna stay together?"
There's quiet for a bit.
"Of course. I love you. You're mywife. You're my family. You're my best friend."
"You'remybest friend too," I whisper, though it comes out soft and unsure.
"Please don't lose sight of that, Gabby. I'm sorry that I was so stressed out and that I took it out on you. You didn't deserve that."
"I'm sorry if I took it out on you too."
"But I love you. Do you hear me?" He uses his hand now to stroke my chin and my face. Tears flow down my cheeks.
"I just feel like… I'm losing you," my timid voice whispers.
"You're not losing me. You couldneverlose me. It's gonna take the host of hell to pry me away from you, even when it feels like it. Just—" He pauses, leaning over to kiss my mouth before settling back down on his right. "Don't give up on me."
"... I won’t," I say, looking over to my left at him. "Just don't threaten me with divorce ever again. Even when you're angry, I don't wanna ever get used to doing that; threatening each other like that."
"I was scared. I thought you were gonna leave me, so I was just trying to be preemptive to give you a way out," comes his reply.
This makes me feel sad that he got to that place, where he actually believed that I would just leave him and not try to work things out. I'm glad we got to make love. Shifting to my left, I lie facing him, and he draws me in to hold me against his chest, and we fall asleep like that.
Finally, once again feeling safe in his arms.
-??-
Chapter 9
The rest of the week has been uneventful, but at least Lincoln has been coming home on time for the most part, around nine o’clock. Still late, but within reason. I’m trying my hardest not to let everything affect me, but after having that talk and then him going to work the next day, it really does feel as though he’s in a better standing, in a much better mood.
Well, today is Friday, a little over a week after we had our argument, and there’s supposed to be some party thing at his job, more like a dinner. This will be good. He had mentioned he was going to stay late at that time as well, but there’s nothing going on with me, so I decide to invite myself along, waiting to see if my husband would invite me, which he still hasn’t. He was off today for the most part, only having gone in for two hours.
"So what time's the party?" I ask.
"Seven PM," Lincoln answers.
I smile.
"What do you think I should wear?" I ask.
The look he gives me is so freaking weird. He looks shocked.
"Wear to where?" he asks.
"To the party," I say, confused.
"Wait. Did you think I wasn't gonna go?"
"I didn't think you wanted to go. It's just some work thing."
"Why would you think I didn't wanna go? Furthermore, why wouldn't you ask me?" I smile, not really feeling like it’s funny.
He just stands there shrugging.
