We’re moaning each other’s names, lost in complete ecstasy, and it never fades until the very last drop of my come enters her.
* * *
Decline.
“I’m sitting right next to you. I can see you declining my meeting invite,” Belle spits.
Here we go again.
“You’re quite snippy for someone who just had sex… twice.”
“Jackson,” she huffs. “Can you be serious?”
I give an uninterested shrug. “I don’t need a calendar invite to speak with my wife.”
She slams her hands against the table and stands up, dumping her latte down the drain.
“Then fucking talk to me, Jack. Tell me to my face right now that you don’t want kids, and it will never be a discussion. Otherwise, we need to talk. You’re only dismissing me because you don’t want to hear my truth.”
She’s right. It’s the last thing I want to talk about.
I realized quickly that I made the wrong assumption about why Belle doesn’t want kids. For the last week, she’s been begging and pleading that it’s important and that she needs to talk to me about it, so I’ll admit I’m scared to hear her reasoning.
So instead of talking, I’ve been distracting her with lots of sex—not that she’s complaining—and plans that include outdoor activities.
I know I can’t put this off forever. Idowant kids, and I’m not getting any younger. They might have been a far-off fantasy for most of my life, but that was only because I was single. I’ve always known that kids would be part of the equation if I finally found my match
I sip my coffee and sigh. “Fine, Annabelle. Tonight.”
She pauses mid-step. “Oh… uh. Okay. Considering it’s a Saturday, I think I can work from here after my last meeting.”
“Your brother is back in the gym today, so I’m finally sparring with him. Then I can be home.”
Her head twists at lightning speed. “Oh God, don’t provoke him. Please. He’s been more high-strung than ever.”
“I can handle Theo, don’t worry.”
* * *
I block an uppercut. “Can you calm down, you cocksucker?”
“Me?” Theo roars and throws a right hook that I quickly duck under, thanking my lucky stars that my stealth movements are on point today. Theo’s on the warpath. “You don’t do monogamy. You’re known all around as London’s premier fuckboy, and I’m supposed to trust you with Annabelle?”
“Luckily for you, it’s not the nineteenth century. She’s her own woman, making her own choices.” I get in one quick jab when he gets annoyed.
“Fuck off, you cunt. You’re the last bloke I want around my sister.” That fucker gets me below the belt and I buckle over in pain.
“Ease off, you two,” the gym manager yells from his desk, giving me a second to stand and retreat to catch my breath.
“All right, we’ve been at this for a while. Can we get out of the ring and talk like civilized adults?”
Theo’s raging and trying to catch his breath, so I use the break to duck out of the ring and grab my water bottle. Call me a pussy for running away, but I’m not in the mood to die today.
He stalks after me, demanding answers, and I don’t blame him. I know how the outside world sees me, but he’s known me long enough to know that I’m true to my word and wouldn’t fuck around on Belle.
“So that’s it, there’s no fucking discussion. You’re with my sister? End of?”
“End fucking of, Theo. We’re not goddamn teenagers, and we’re both capable of making decisions, not to mention she’s fucking older than you.” I take a breath. I need to stay calm, otherwise he’s going to fly off the handle more than he already has. “Listen, Hughes. I respect you and your whole family. I’ve known you most of my life, so I wanted to tell you to your face, even if you guessed it at the wedding. Do you truly think, after all this time, I’d pick Belle just to fuck around on her? Not to mention how much that would hurt your mom?”
