Page 121 of The Future Play

Sniffing, I lean back and look up at him. “Thank you.”

“Got your favorite wine too.”

He takes my hand and helps me onto the bed, then hands me the glass of wine.

Once we’re both sitting, he clinks his glass against mine. “To you.”

“Thank you.”

“So, I probably don’t have a right to ask, but… I’d love to hear about the event if you’re willing to tell me.”

I stare at him for a moment. An earnest, apologetic look shimmers in his eyes.

“Okay.”

Though my heart is hurting, I believe he’s sorry and truly wants to know about the event, so I get cozy with him, dive into the sushi, and tell him all about it.

It’sone of those mornings where I don’t want to open my eyes and let the daylight filter in. I’m still exhausted, even though I slept like the dead. Jamie and I stayed up late eating sushi and talking about the event, then I fell asleep in his arms.

The remnants of my hurt from last night are still there, especially as I reach for him and find nothing but the cold bed next to me.

No falling back to sleep now.

Slowly, I peel my eyes open and sit up. As usual, the first thing I do is reach for my phone, but my hand hits a piece of paper. Pulling it to me, I see it’s a note from Jamie.

Go check your office. There’s something you need to see there.

X- Jamie

I guess that means it’s time to get up.

My legs ache as I swing them over the side of the bed. And then my feet howl in pain when they touch the floor. I’m going to be on a regiment of heat and ice today. No more heels for events. I know better, but I did it anyway.

I grab my silky floral robe and wrap it around me as I walk out the master bedroom door and down the hall to the spare room, which is also my office. It’s long, but a little narrow, and feels too office-y for me. I love the one at our apartment in Ida because it’s a little cocoon of creativity. It’s warm and cozy and brings out the most creative parts of me.

Oh well.At least I have an office here. At school, I work out of a small bedroom in the lake house I share with the hive mind. I have a small desk there, but after a couple of weeks, it’s usually overflowing. This isspacious, at least.

I look around, remembering that Jamie sent me in here. Then I notice a new photo frame on the wall. Only it’s not a photo inside it. It’s a newspaper clipping.

A newspaper clipping talking about the success of the event—and me.

I glance at the clock and see it’s around nine. That means Jamie went and found a newspaper and framed this before I even woke up.

“You deserve to be celebrated.” I spin at the sound of Jamie’s emotion-drenched voice. “I’m sorry I failed at that last night. As usual, you are a mesmerizing force of nature, and I’m honored to be your partner.” He crosses the room to me, a bag from my favorite local bakery in hand. “That is to remind you of your success and your passion. You have the ability to grow your business into something even more incredible than it is now, and I have no doubt you’ll do it.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, gratitude sweeping through me. “What’s in the bag?”

He gets that sheepish boyish grin. “Breakfast sandwiches and hash browns.” I groan at that, and he sets the bag down on my desk and wraps his arms around me, burying his face in my neck. “I love you so fucking much. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

I hold him close, curling my fingers in his hair. “I love you too, and I know.” Sucking in a breath, I lean back and look up at him. “I forgive you.”

He rests his forehead against mine, then pulls me tight to him again.

And most of me revels in it. But deep inside me, there’s a painful pinch of something else. Discomfort. There’s a tiny piece of me that feels a little uncomfortable about how vulnerable I was with him last night. I almost feel stupid about it, like I was somehow overreacting, even though I wasn’t. And being vulnerable with him now is an entirely different situation. A part of me wants to stop myself from doing it, and a little piece of my heart shatters when I realize why. He broke my trust last night—at leastpart of it—and despite how apologetic he’s been, being vulnerable with him now comes with fear. Fear that he won’t be careful with my vulnerability, and he’ll hurt me again.

Is this the way our relationship is going to go now? He’s always been my safe place, and the thought of losing that absolutely crushes me.

So I hold him tighter, trying to push all those thoughts away, because I don’t want to let one bad night form a fracture between us we can’t recover from.

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