Page 114 of The Man I Hate

“Because,” I said. “Human beings have a propensity to lie. But a kiss will always tell the truth.”

He grinned a prideful grin. He got up and sauntered into the kitchen. He opened the cabinet underneath the sink and pulled something out. With his hand hidden behind his back, he walked back to where we were seated.

He dropped the object beside the mashed potatoes. It hit the table with a bang!, bounced, and the handle landed in the mashed potatoes.

“See that?” he asked, nodding toward the table while holding my gaze.

“Can’t help but see it,” I replied. “It’s two feet long, bright red, and in the mashed potatoes.”

He picked it up and wiped the potatoes with his finger. He admired the hammer before licking his finger clean. “Guess what I was going to do with it.”

“I have no idea.”

“I was planning on whacking you in your rock-hard head with it.”

“You’re out of your—”

He leaned over the table. “That’s exactly what I told you I was going to do if you got me infected,” he argued. “I hoped it’d knock some sense into you, too. It was going to be a two for one. Payback for making me sick, and maybe I’d knock the dumb out of you at the same time.”

“Put the hammer away, Old Man,” I said with a laugh. “I’ve already apologized and the dumb’s long gone.”

He glanced at Anna, grinned, and then gave me a condescending look.

“Guess time will tell.” He took his seat. “But if you do anything stupid, remember, I know where you keep the hammer.”

Anna

Abstinence was oddly reassuring. It eliminated sex from the relationship’s equation. As a result, I was left to believe that Braxton wanted me there for reasons other than satisfying his sexual desires.

Until we had the celebration dinner, I wondered how much of my presence in Braxton’s life was due to his appreciation for what I’d done while he was sick, and how much might have been out of guilt’s sake.

Following Hap’s presentation of the hammer, I believed I was where I was for one reason, and one reason only.

Braxton cared about me.

The moon’s faint blue glow was all that prevented the bedroom from being completely dark. On my back with my head buried deeply into my down pillow, I stared at the ceiling fan for some time contemplating my future.

Many of Hap’s remarks from earlier in the day came to mind. I wondered if they were seeds that he’d intentionally planted, or if I only perceived them as such. I decided it didn’t matter. The end result was the same.

I rolled to my side and tapped Braxton on the shoulder. “Are you awake?”

“I am.”

“Remember after you got your test and you kissed me and then we talked about being in a relationship but I said there were going to be rules and you asked what those rules were and then I told you that we weren’t going to have sex until it was the right time?”

“That was a run-on sentence if I ever heard one,” he replied.

I slapped my hand against his bare chest. My open palm hit him with a thwack!

“Answer,” I demanded.

“Vaguely.”

I slapped him again.

He sat up. “Yes,” he said. “I remember.”

“It’s time,” I said.