Page 278 of New York Love Stories: Vol. 1

“Tell her you’re all good and taken care of.” He winks, and I melt a little on the inside.

“He’s taken good care of me, so no need to worry,” I speak into the phone. “Our food’s here, so I’m going to let you go. Oh and no need to worry. Harrison is safe with me here.

“Tatum,” she replies, giggling. “Oh my God. Have the best time tonight.”

We have already. “Thanks. We will. Now go have fun with your hubs, and we’ll talk tomorrow at the office.”

“Every detail, Tate. I mean it.”

“Block off the morning. We have so much to talk about. Good night.”

“Night.”

He hands me a plate with two slices of pepperoni on it and then sits back in bed again. I ask, “She made you promise her details?”

“Yeah.”

“She’s living vicariously these days. The baby adds to her fear of missing out.”

His eyes are directed at the TV screen. He hasn’t started the show, but he’s checked the volume and coloring. “Eh, we should all be so lucky to have what they do and a baby on the way to boot.”

“There will be no booting of the baby on my watch.”

Turning to me, he chews his bite, but I can see questions populating in his eyes. Just as I take a big bite, he asks, “So you’re warming to the idea of being a godparent?”

“I am. I don’t want to think about the tragedy that would place this child in our home, but I’m kind of excited to play such an important role in their life. How do you feel?”

“I feel the same.” His fingertips run along the veins of my forearm. “I like knowing I’m in it with you as well.”

“Yeah, I agree. It’s not so overwhelming when you split the duties.”

When I lean over to give him a kiss, my hip pushes the play button, and the show comes back on. We’ve talked enough about it to know where we stand. I feel good, even better being in the trenches with him. Their child will never lack love or support. I’ll be there for every event and celebration in their life.

We binge, both food and the show, and then fall asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

Pain permeates my muscles, a soreness developed from a great workout or sex with Harrison. It’s the latter, and I’ll take it over and over again. But it sends me to the bathroom, slinking over to the medicine cabinet to search for pain relievers.

Naturally, I have sex with a machine of a man and think there will be no repercussions afterward. Not complaining. My hoo-ha may be exhausted, but I feel more relaxed than I have in a long time.

I’ve been busy, and there’s been a lot of pressure coming from my current clients. The release was needed, and Harrison did a stellar job—three times to be precise. I pop two pain relievers and take a sip of water from the bottle I left on the nightstand before climbing back into bed.

His presence gives me comfort—his body warm and protective. I lie down and focus on him instead of the ache between my legs. My lids grow heavy, and it doesn’t take long until I’m falling asleep again.

Unfortunately, this time, like earlier, I don’t wake up to the smell of bacon or a hot-ass chef cooking me breakfast. I do have the pleasure of watching him shower, though, and that is pornographic.

I open the door to give him a kiss, and he tries to pull me in. “Join me. I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Mmm. You are so much trouble for me.”

His lopsided grin stirs inner desires. No, I must stay focused. “I wish I could, but I don’t want to get my hair wet because it will take too long to dry. I’ll just take a quick shower after you.”

He soaps his body, spending a little extra time on those incredible abs of his. I’m not sure how many crunches he does to define those, but it’s a session I need to sit in on soon. “You sure?”

“Barely,” I sigh longingly. “But today is the first day of the rest of my life. I have a plan in place that I am ready to put into action, so I need to get to the office.”

“Sounds exciting. Hope to hear more about it when you have time.”

“Really?”

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