Page 35 of Impending Consent

“She’s not pregnant, and I’m the one pushing for this, not Sail. I just need you to accept her as my wife because that’s not changing…”

For the next year and hopefully forever.

“Okay.”

“Okay, that’s it. You’re going to play nice.”

“I’m going to trust that my son. It’s what you asked, right?”

I grinned. She wasn’t happy about this, at all.

“Yeah, Ma, that’s what I’m asking.”

“Then yes, okay is all I have right now. When can I meet her?”

“I’ll let you know.”

“Alright then. I love you, Rival, and I pray you love yourself enough not to do anything stupid, but I fear it’s too late.”

I chuckled. “I love you too, Ma, and I promise I’m good just…”

“Trust you.”

“Yeah, trust me. I’ll call you soon.”

After I ended the call with my mother, I tossed my phone on the bed and headed to the bathroom to shower. By the time I was done, my mind was made up to talk to Sailor so we could navigate this thing with her family in a civil way. As a man, Ididn’t function from a space of immaturity and wouldn’t start now. Not with the woman who was now my wife, my support system, and the person I would have to rely on for peace and security.

We weren’t there, might never get to that space, but I would move with immaturity and pursuit as if we already existed in a solid, healthy marriage. One thing my mother taught me was to live the life you wanted, adopting the mindset of the person you want to be. So I was going to think and move like a husband who wanted a successful marriage, which meant shutting Sailor out wasn’t an option.

When I reentered my bedroom, I was a bit surprised to find the woman in question sitting at the foot of my bed. She was dressed in an oversized T-shirt that stopped mid-thigh so I couldn’t see what was beneath it. Navy fuzzy socks were on her feet and her hair was in two, loose french braids. She wore glasses, which meant she had removed her contacts for the evening, and fuck if this version of her wasn’t my favorite. Relaxed, unguarded, and comfortable in her own skin. This was the Sailor that hid from the world in labels and makeup.

“What’s up, Sail?”

She lifted from the bed and crossed the room until she was close enough to take my hand in hers and lead me back to where she had been.

“Have a seat…” I arched my brow and she huffed a sigh.

“Please, Rival. Sit down.”

I decided to see where this was going so I settled onto the foot of the bed and expected her to fill the space next to me. Instead, she kneeled between my legs, yanked my towel open, and went right for my dick.

“What are you doing?”

I was made aware of her plan when she positioned her hand at the base of my dick. My eyes lowered to our connection.

“Attempting to fix my fuck up.”

“You used marriage to manipulate me into having sex without and now you’re using sex to manipulate me into not being angry with you.”

“Mhm.” She added her other hand and began stroking me slowly in a circular motion, moving from the base of my dick toward the crown. I thickened and grew hard in a matter of seconds, smiling down at my wife.

No argument about me blatantly calling her out on the manipulation. Interesting.

“Sex doesn’t fix problems, Sail.”

“I know, but according to my brother-in-law, it’s a really good start.”

I stilled and grabbed her chin, lifting her eyes to mine. “You had sex with your brother-in-law?”

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