Page 18 of For Her

“What’s wrong?” He looks worried as he continues to steal glances over at me while trying to stay straight on the road.

“Nothing,” I squeak, vigorously shaking my head. “Totally fine.”

“No, Sweetheart, you look like you’re about to cry. What’s the matter?”

Finally a sob escapes.What the hell?

“You and the baby are going to be buddies and start your own little father-son band and bro-out and you’ll forget all aboutmeeee…” I pathetically whimper.

Oh my God.

“Whoa, whoa, Baby what makes you think that?”

I don’t freaking know!

“You’re so excited it’s a boy and thinking up names that rhyme with yours,”

Oh. No…

“Oh, Sweetheart, but that’s not how it’s going to be,” he soothes with tenderness in his tone and his expression is heart meltingly sweet. He reaches for my hand and interlocks his fingers with mine.

“You guys will have your fun, and I’ll just be that woman in the house that feeds everybody!”

Is this nonsense really spewing out of me?! And tears? Tears?! I’m really fucking crying?! Why am I crying? I’m possessed. That’s the only explanation there is. Now how can I signal to Jack that some crazy emotional demon has made me its host?

“You’re never going to be just someone in the house, Baby,” Jack kisses my hand as he continues to drive down the road. His voice is level in hisI’ve got everything under controlsort of way, but he’s not doing as good of a job of hiding theWTFlook on his face as he thinks he is. Regardless, he continues. “You’re the love of my life. I’m crazy about you, and our son will be too.”

“But you won’t be attracted to me anymore,” my voice wavers and I wipe at more tears falling down my cheek as my psyche takes a left turn down a gnarly, unpaved road, deeper into Crazyville.

“Now that is craziness right there,” he tells me.

See?

He maneuvers the truck one-handed into the foot of our driveway and grabs the remote to open our security gate. He pulls the truck to the top of the driveway before putting it in park.

“Stay right there,” he orders in a sweet but firm tone before getting out of the truck and rounding the front to my side and opening my door. “Look at me,” he says tenderly, bringing his warm, rough hand to the side of my face and stroking his thumb across my cheek. Even though I’m feeling rather idiotic at the moment, I comply, and bring my eyes up to meet his dark blues. “There will never be a time I don’t want you. You hear me?” I nod, because I know he’s being real with me. Well, my brain knows it, but my hormones seem to have commandeered it. “I’m always going to be attracted to you, no matter what your body looks like, because I’m too damn in love with you not to be.”

Oh my God, that’s so sweet. I’m going to cry again, shit.

“You’re sweet, you’re intelligent, you’re funny, and you brighten my world. You’re going to do the same for our baby boy. You’re going to brighten his world. You’re a sharp-ass writer, a kick-ass dancer, the best wife in the world, and you’re all mine. There’s no way you’re going from all that to forgotten about and unwanted, you understand?”

I nod again, wiping more tears away before hugging my arms around his neck and he wraps his tightly around me. I rest my head on his shoulder and breathe in his wonderful leathery scent that always makes me feel secure… with a side of turned on.

“Come on, let’s get you inside,” he suggests, taking my hands and helping me out of the truck.

Once inside, whatever weird energy that came over me in the truck seems to lift, leaving me standing in our entryway, feeling like a complete idiot.

What just happened back there?

After Jack stores both our jackets in the coat closet, he turns and comes over to me.

“We should celebrate,” he softly declares. “Just you and me. What do you want to do?”

“Do you think I’m crazy now?” I ask sheepishly, looking up at him. He rests his hands on either side of my neck as he looks dead in my eyes.

“No,” he replies firmly. “Your hormones are all over the place and fucking with your emotions. That’s not your fault,” he places a tender kiss on my forehead.

“I feel stupid.”

---