Page 41 of The Promises We Break

The waitress comes by and slides our dinner plates in front of us. When the season starts, I always mind my food and eat lean meats and veggies, so her seafood pasta looks far more appetizing than my grilled chicken and broccoli.

She picks up her fork, poking gently at the greens mixed in with the shrimp. She only looked my way to insist about making payments for the rent. Other than that, she’s avoided all eye contact with me. She just continues to pick at her food, losing herself in the action. She’s so unpredictable it has me on edge. At this point, I just need her to be comfortable, because I’ll take her anyway I can get her.

“So, we do this. Live together. We can act like we are ahappily married couple until we divorce at the end of the season. In the meantime, we’ll be… friends, you know, do our own thing.”

Wait. What? That took a fucking turn I was not expecting.

“Friends?” I respond, disgustingly.

“Yeah, friends.”

Uh, no. I don’t fucking think so. I know I just said I would take her anyway I could get her, but are you kidding me?

Live with her and study every crevice of her body? Sleep next to her and not swallow her with my entire body? Walk with her on my arm, claiming her, without having her?

Hell no.

“Ember, we are not friends.” Her eyes shoot up to mine. “We are way more than friends.”

“I can’t, Hudson.” She nods incessantly, unnecessarily.

“Can’t what?”

“You make my head all fuzzy when you touch me. I can’t think straight, and that’s bad for me. This has to be completely platonic for it to work for me.” Her eyes are begging, pleading, in a desperation I can’t understand. “We both have a lot we’re working toward in our careers. That should be our main focus. So, this should be an easy, agreeable, business arrangement that benefits us both.”

We both have a lot to focus on, and yes, we are infused with each other in moments of passion. So much that I understand exactly what she’s saying. It’s consuming, all-encompassing, and I can so easily get lost in her. But how can we ignore this?

I have no control over my motor functions as my head bobs automatically, agreeing with her. She’s on the edge, almost ready to jump into this with me. My entire being, from the layers of my skin to the depths of my soul, agrees unanimously.

I guess Iwilltake anything I can get.

“So, we do this… as friends?”

“Absolutely. Friends,” I repeat, hating the way it sounds as it leaves my mouth.

She grants me a relieved smile that shines in her eyes. Like a load has been lifted and she can smile again without suffering.

Well, I’m wholly, fully, and entirely screwed, because I’ll agree to anything for her with a smile like that.

20

EMBER

“Idon’t know about this.” I appraise myself in the full body length mirror with a questioning look on my face and the same feeling in my stomach.

“You look fabulous, my friend. Gorgeous. Hudson is going to freak,” Cruz replies from the corner of the closet, as he pulls out the shoes I bought specifically for this dress.

Cruz is Elena’s assistant and pretty much knows everything about everything when it comes to Ford Enterprises and XConnect. Since we both work so closely with Elena, he’s been my go-to for everything, and we became instant friends because, well, he’s amazing.

Being that this is my first outing asthe wife, I asked for Cruz’s help, and to say I’m nervous is a complete understatement.

Sure, I’ve met his coach, who seemed to like me when we met, but I’ve only been able to attend a casual dinner with the team since then. It was actually a lot of fun. It was the first night that Hudson and I went out together as acouple.Fortunately, I spent most of the time meeting the other wives and girlfriendsof the team, who were all easy going and fun. I connected with them easily, and I was surprised by how much we all had in common.

The only other event I missed because I’ve been so incredibly busy with work, in the best way possible.

We’ve taken strides for XConnect, one of many of Ford Enterprises’ companies that Elena specifically hired me for.

XConnect is a platform that connects individuals for very specific things. “X” being the variable, plus connect, allows our users to choose who they are looking to get matched with. It can be as simple as looking for a book reading buddy or a workout partner, all the way to looking for specific sexual kinks.

---