Page 71 of Only You and Me

I swear I hear her mutter “Asshole” under her breath.

“Excuse us, ladies,” Finn says. Then he and Fitz saunter past the women with the second mattress. It’s annoying as shit how much easier of a time they have getting it up the stairs compared to me and Jack.Show-offs.

When everything is finally moved in, there’s still a few hours before we plan to eat dinner, so we all head down to Fitz’s private lake. Once there, Finn and Jack set up chairs and each grab a beer before sitting down to relax and the women walk to the other end of the lake to swim. Meanwhile, Fitz and I prepare our fishing rods and cast our lines out into the water.

I take fishing seriously. Usually. Today, though, it’s not even a close second place for my attention. Over the next few hours, I’m too caught up in watching my secret wife come in and out of the water several times in a teal blue bikini she’s completely rocking. Damn, it’s a sight to see.

When it’s time to head back to Fitz’s house for dinner, I volunteer to walk over and tell the ladies. I’m so glad I do because when I get there, I’m graced with seeing Trina more relaxed than I’ve seen her in weeks—since before the photographs arrived. And that, that right there, makes this day absolutely perfect.

As we all walk back, Trina and I linger well behind everyone else.

“You were killing me in that bikini today, Trina. You’re so fucking beautiful it hurts.”

She chuckles and her cheeks blush a rosy pink. “Whatever. I was too far away for you to get a good look.”

“Ah, you underestimate my perfect vision. I saw enough to make me have to hide a hard on from the guys.”

She turns her head and looks down at my groin, making me laugh.

“I don’t have one now. But I will if you keep looking at him.” She rolls her bright blue eyes, and I smile.

“You’re ridiculous. Your penis is not a conscious being. You don’t need to call it ‘him’.”

Loving the playful look on her face, I grin. “Hey,” I pause and cover my cock with my hands. She watches the movement. “You’re going to hurt his feelings.”

Trina howls with laughter so loud that it causes a few glances back at us.

“Nothing to see here,” I yell to our friends.

We spend the rest of the walk debating why I should and shouldn’t call my dick ‘him.’ And fuck if I don’t fall more in love with Trina when she lets this playful side of her shine through.

After we’re treated to a delicious dinner of stuffed manicotti, courtesy of Emily, we all go out to Fitz’s deck overlooking his woods. Trina walks over to the railing and leans forward, scanning the tree line. Fitz joins her while the rest of us sit a few feet away, having side conversations. I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but it happens anyway.

“You look more serene than I’ve seen you in weeks, Tri. Maybe I need to remind my neighbor you want first dibs when he’s ready to sell,” Fitz says. He bumps her shoulder with his.

Trina chuckles. “I’m pretty sureserenehas never been a word used to describe me before, but I’ll take it. God, I wish he’d sell. I love it out here. Though I’m not sure I’d be up for the type of rehab you had to do here at your place.”

“That’s what you’ve got me for. You gotta get something out of this friendship,” Fitz teases.

“You mean besides all the talks where we pour our hearts out to each other and share our deepest hopes and dreams?” she deadpans.

Fitz chuckles. “Yep, besides that.”

They continue talking, but I let my mind drift, thinking about how I never knew Trina wanted to live in a setting like this. I tuck that information back into my brain for future reference and force my attention to the conversation on my other side, where Finn and Jack are talking about sports and who they think is looking good in baseball this season.

After we decide to call it a night, we all say our goodbyes and make our way to our cars. When Trina climbs into my SUV, I feel the eyes of our friends on us and turn to see shocked expressions on all of their faces.I suspect everyone is just realizing we drove together since they were all already here when we arrived.

Trina hisses, “Get in the car, Benjamin. We aren’t some freak show for their amusement.” She tries to have some bite to her tone, but there’s an underlying amusement there as well.

As I climb into the driver’s seat, Trina already in her seat with the door closed, I hear Emily say to Shayna, “Holy shit, she’s even letting him drive.”

Trina’s huff tells me she heard it, too.

I’m pretty sure nothing could sour the amazing mood I’m in as I shut my door and drive to Trina’s house. When I pull into the garage and press the remote to shut the door, Trina tosses her head back on the car seat and lets out a low groan.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m just… just…”

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