Page 86 of Ramsey & Emerson

“Look, if you want to be an asshole, then fine,” I said. “However, I expect you to leave her ahugecash tip when we leave.”

Ramsey turned to look at me. “She tried to sit me on the other side of the booth.”

“You say that as if everyone is supposed to be aware of your mental issues, Ramsey,” I retorted. “You probably scared the poor girl to death.”

Just then, the hostess approached our table, and she looked worried as she said. “Uhm…I’m not your waitress.”

Refusing to let Ramsey make things worse, I said, “Yes, my husband realized that after you left, and we do apologize.”

However, because Ramsey was Ramsey, he said, “There’ll be a five-hundred-dollar tip for you and the waitress to share if you can just get our order in. We’re kind of in a hurry.”

I let out a choked laugh when her eyes grew comically large before she scurried away to go share her good fortune with the waitress. Though Ramsey had acted like a complete asshole, the tip was definitely going to go a long way to soothing any ruffled feathers.

I laid my head on his left shoulder before saying, “I love you, Ramsey.”

“Don’t try to sweet talk me,” he grumbled. “I’m still pissed.”

“You’re not even going to try to deny it, huh?” I quipped.

“Since when do I lie to you?” he retorted as his hand moved further up my leg.

“We’re in public, Ramsey,” I remarked unnecessarily.

“No one can see what I’m doing,” he replied easily, like getting arrested for public indecency wasn’t a problem for him.

“I work with children,” I reminded him. “Behave yourself.”

Ramsey let out a deep sigh as he squeezed my thigh. “I’ll let you make it up to me tonight.”

I let out another laugh. “How magnanimous of you.”

“I think so.”

Despite the easygoing banter going back and forth, Ramsey was genuinely pissed, and I knew it. He’d always been unreasonable when it came to me, and that hadn’t changed over the course of our relationship. I could remember kids in school not being able to so much as breathe on me, and Ramsey had married me immediately after we’d graduated high school,further staking his claim. He’d always been that way, and I couldn’t imagine him ever changing, which wasn’t a complaint. I was fortunate enough toknowthat Ramsey loved me, and that provided a certain level of security that most women would never experience. Ramsey was never going to cheat on me, he was never going to leave me, he was never going to take me for granted, and I knew it.

“I think we could both use a nice, long, hot bubble bath when we get home,” I said, lucky enough to have a tub big enough to accommodate the both of us.

Ramsey turned his head to kiss my hair. “That sounds doable.”

“Do I need to text the kids and let them know not to come over?”

“Yes,” he answered seriously, and it was amazing to me how he couldn’t see how much I loved him, even all these years later.

“I love you, Ramsey.”

His hand began running back and forth over my leg. “I know, Emerson.”

There was more that I wanted to say, but now wasn’t the time. Ramsey was in that dark place inside his head, and neither of us needed to engage in a public fight for nothing. Nothing, because Ramsey had no reason to ever be jealous of another man. In fact, it actually blew my mind that a man so confident, strong, and relentless could haveanyinsecurities. Honestly, no one outside the family would believe it if ever told.

The rest of lunch was spent eating our meals and just being together. When it was time for Ramsey to finally deliver me back to the CPS offices, he’d done it reluctantly, but he’d done his best not to make his issues my problem, to which I’d been grateful.

Walking into my office, I let out a heavy sigh as I took a seat behind my desk, my eyes automatically sliding towards the picture of my entire family, all nineteen of them, and that wasn’t even including the babies.

Chapter 9

Ramsey~

It was getting harder and harder to be polite, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I was going to be able to do this. It was bad enough that I couldn’t keep my hands off my wife on a good day, but ever since she walked into the living room earlier this evening, I’d been fighting to keep my hands to myself, and I was clearly losing the battle.

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