Page 52 of The Problem with Players

Or maybe I hated and loved him. Perhaps both things could exist at the same time, and that was what upset me. I hated that I loved him, and I loved that I hated him.

After I stayed beneath the surface as long as I could, I came up for air and raked my hands through my hair. Willow’s flower petals fell from my strands and landed in the tub.

I didn’t even want flowers in my hair. I hated flowers in my hair. It felt so far from me, but I wanted to be right for him. I wanted him to look at me and call me beautiful.

A beautiful bride.

Nathan.

Oh gosh, I’m in Nathan Pierce’s bathtub on my wedding day!

I instantly slipped back underwater.

After the longestbath of my life, I climbed out and dried myself with the towel that Nathan slipped into his towel warmer. Yes, he had a towel warmer. I wanted to mock him about it, but it felt like stepping straight into heaven. I tightenedthe towel around my body and poured the remainder of the wine into my glass as I walked over to his sink countertop. I looked at myself and saw how my makeup was smeared from how many times I sank beneath the water’s surface.

I looked awful.

As bad as a person who was left on their wedding day would look, I suppose.

Without permission, I grabbed one of Nathan’s black face towels and began cleaning my face using his face wash on the countertop. I scrubbed every drop of makeup away, and a small, broken smile fell against my face as I looked at my reflection. At least I looked a little more like myself again. A little more like Mama.

I began digging through my hair, pulling out the million and one bobby pins. Once I was free from the bondage of pins, I shook out my wet hair and searched Nathan’s cabinet drawers for a hairbrush.

As I opened a drawer, I paused when I saw condoms sitting stacked in the drawer.

With haste, I shut it.

With curiosity, I reopened it.

With more haste, I shut it.

With more curiosity, I reopened it.

Magnum.

XXL.

Heavy on the XXL.

I picked up the pack and read the side. For extra length and extra width.

“Geez!” I muttered, tossing the condoms back in the drawer and shutting it for good. When Nathan and I were younger, we never crossed that line. I was waiting until marriage. However I often wondered what equipment he was working with. My imagination took me to all kinds of places, but my goodness.

XXL.

I shook my head, trying to erase the thoughts from my mind. The drunkenness was kicking in as I downed the rest of the wine in my glass.

Leave it to Nathan Pierce to be packing on his backsideandhis front. Just more reason to hate him.

“You good in there?” he called out, almost as if he knew I’d found out his dirty little secret. Okay, his dirtybigsecret.

“Fine!” I shouted, trying to shake off the bashfulness landing against my cheeks. “I’ll be out in a second.”

“Want me to order some dinner? I can get wings and tater tots.”

“Yeah, okay.” I shook my whole body, trying to remove the butterflies. “With?—”

“Extra ranch and honey mustard?”

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