Page 39 of In a Pickle

“I’m glad. I would never cheat on you. I never have cheated on anyone and never will. I’m not afraid to see her because I know I feel nothing for her. But, knowing her, and knowing… how jealous she gets, I wouldn’t put it past her to try to do something to piss you off and thereby piss me off. And I’ll protect you, but I still don’t want you in an uncomfortable position. So if you want me to uninvite Mary Grace, I will. Just say the word.”

“You think I can’t handle a mean girl?”

“I know you can,” he hastened to reassure her. “I saw the way you brushed her aside in high school. I would just feel guilty for putting you in the path of her misdirected anger.”

“James,” she kissed him. “Don’t think about Mary Grace. Pretend she’s not coming. Would you want me there?”

“Of course.”

She nodded resolutely. “Then I’ll be there. Don’t uninvite Mary Grace. It’s fine. More money for charity is a good thing.”

James let out a little whoop of victory and gathered her into his arms, kissing her thoroughly. He suddenly pulled back, looking sheepish. “Sorry for calling you my girlfriend earlier. With Kels, I mean. I kind of jumped the gun on that one.”

“Don’t be sorry. It made me really happy. I was hoping it was an actual Freudian slip, something you wanted, rather than just a figure of speech.”

“Oh, I wanted it, all right. But even now that we’ve talked made things official, do you want to tell her? Tell people in general?”

“That I’m with you? I definitely want to tell anyone who will listen,” she said, and he laughed.

“Same. Maybe shout it from the rooftops. Maybe make a sign that says ‘Liana Abrams is my girlfriend.’ Not to bring to a pickleball tournament or anything, just to carry around on a daily basis.”

“You kind of wear your heart on your sleeve,” she teased.

“So I’ve been told.”

“I like it,” she said, and snuggled into him.

“Liana?”

“Hm?”

“Will you stay over tonight?”

She pulled back to look at him, surprised. She had figured they were in their last few minutes of post-sex cuddling before she would start getting ready to leave. It hadn’t crossed her mind that he would want her to stay over. “You really want me to?”

“You know the whole heart on my sleeve thing? I kinda just tell people things when I’m feeling them, you especially. And yeah, I want you to stay over. I want to wake up with you next to me. I want to cook you breakfast, make you coffee.Not just tonight.” Despite herself, Liana’s breath hitched a little nervously.

James said quickly, “Don’t worry. I know it’s too soon to talk about the future. I’m not asking you to move in with me or anything. I just want there to be a lot of other nights like tonight.”

Liana exhaled a little sigh. She was on the same page.

He continued, “I just can’t help telling you where my head is. Did I scare you?”

“No,” she said. “Not at all. I’m usually pretty cautious, but you make me want to throw caution to the wind. My own feelings are scaring me a little, but you’re not scaring me. I really like you.”

“I’m right with you,” he replied and kissed her. “But don’t get scared. We move at our pace, remember? Right now, I’m only asking about tonight. Will you stay?”

“Yes, I will.”

He smiled and stood up, walking to his chest of drawers. He retrieved a pair of boxers and pulled them on. Next, he pulled out a T-shirt, but instead of putting it on as Liana had expected, he moved back to Liana on the bed. “Sleep shirt?” he asked. “It’s really soft, I promise.”

“Yes, thanks.” She held out her hand to take it from him, but to her surprise, he lifted it gently, tucking her hair over one of her shoulders with care as he pulled the shirt over her head. He ducked into the en suite bathroom and returned a moment later with a glass of water, which he handed to Liana. He placed an unopened toothbrush on the nightstand beside her. “No rush,”he said, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. “Whenever you’re ready, feel free to use anything of mine in the bathroom.”

As she walked to the bathroom, Liana was surprised to find herself grateful for his ministrations. She couldn’t remember a guy whose aftercare had been more than perfunctory.

She felt a strange twist in her gut as they brushed their teeth side by side. The domestic scene simply felt right.

A few minutes later, she settled back into the bed, James having asked her how many pillows she liked, if she needed extra blankets, and what temperature she preferred the room. Liana had never really been one for cuddling while sleeping, but she found herself oddly comforted as James pulled her into his side and she rested her head on his shoulder.

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