Page 16 of A Wife by Christmas

Cathy laughed.

“So, how are things going with you and Brick?” Willow asked.

“They’re, uh, they’re going good, I think.” This had to be the longest conversation she and Willow ever had.

“Look, I don’t know what the deal is between the two of you. I don’t know if it’s a good time you’re both after, or something else. Either way, I want you both to be happy.”

She wasn’t exactly sure what Willow meant.

“Brick’s looking to settle down,” Willow said. “He’s not after a good time, at least not with what he told me recently. He’s wanting the wife, the kid, the married life.”

“Oh,” Cathy said, and she tried to glance around the bar, but she couldn’t see him.

“He hasn’t told you?”

She shook her head.

“Crap. Look, I don’t know what this means, but don’t playwith him, okay? I know you’ve got your own shit going on with your sister and your family, and that ex of yours. Brick’s a good guy. He’ll be there for you no matter what.”

“It’s nice to hear you care for him.”

“But?”

“There’s no but. I’ve got nothing else to say.” She held her hands up in surrender. “It is what it is, but I guess Brick is not looking to settle down with me, because he hasn’t said a word about it,” she said.

Cathy tried not to let that upset her. Brick could do what he wanted. If she wasn’t the woman he wished to spend his life with, then that was fine. She’d been through a great deal of rejection in her life, and experiencing a little more was not going to be a problem for her.

She stood from the bar. “I’m just going to the ladies’ room. Don’t worry, I’ll wash my hands.” She tried to keep it light and easy. At that moment, all she wanted to do was run and scream, but she couldn’t do that either.

There were so many men from the club, Brick’s club, and she didn’t want any of them, or Willow, to give him a message that his date was having a meltdown. Walking to the bathroom, she stepped inside, and sure enough, there was a guy near the door, but with perfect sight toward the sinks to force everyone to wash their hands.

Cathy was sure to give him a smile and quickly rushed past him to go into the stall. She didn’t need to use them, but she closed and locked the cubicle door, took a seat, and then looked toward the metal door.

Brick was looking for someone to be with full-time. He’d not mentioned anything to her about settling down or being with her longer than through Christmas. They hadn’t talked about the future. They hadn’t even talked about the fact they were having unprotected sex, and now she didn’t know what to do.

Did she talk to him? Did she warn him there was a chance she could get pregnant? She didn’t want to be one of those women accused of trapping him in a relationship he didn’t want.

Running fingers through her hair, she dropped her head to her knees and took several deep breaths. This was hard. She didn’t know what to do or say next. What did Brick want? Nothing made any sense to her.

“Hey, babe, are you okay?”

She lifted her head at the sound of Brick’s voice.

“Brick?”

“Yeah, I went to the bar and you weren’t there, and Willow said this is where you’ve been.”

“Oh, uh, yeah, hello.” She got to her feet, slid open the lock, and opened the door. Part of her expected the words to just flow right out of her, to come out and ask him, but instead she struggled. She didn’t know what to say to him.

He looked so sexy with his hair slicked back from where he’d been running his fingers through. His dark eyes stared back at her intensely.

“Is there room for two in there?” Brick asked.

She stepped back and he slid into the cubicle.

“Willow said you looked a little upset?” he asked.

“I’m not upset.” She folded her arms beneath her chest, trying to give herself some comfort. In the back of her mind, she was trying to figure out what to say to him, if she should tell him the truth. “How was your club … thing?”

---