Page 56 of Marrying the Gardener
She messages back immediately, and I smile at the cute little gif of two bears hugging before one of a little bear falling asleep comes through.
Ava…
She really was wide awake and waiting, wasn’t she?
If tonight’s taught me anything, it’s that my people—even the ones I never realized cared so much about me—are the absolute best.
Chapter 17
?
Please, for the sake of my sanity, let’s not miscommunicate like this.
Kaleb
Crimson in a bathing suit transitioning into Crimson in nothing but her underwear and a t-shirt we bought at the hotel store on the ground floor undoes me. Shortly after we got a room and stocked up on the things we’d need for the night, Crimson took a quick shower and changed into this bare nothingness.
Now, while I brush my teeth, she’s giving the room a safety check—including pulling up the sheets and checking the corners of the mattress. Seemingly satisfied—and oblivious to how hot she is—she climbs into the queen-size bed, folds her hands in her lap atop the comforter, and waits.
Against the pure white bedding, her blow-dried hair glows.
Red. So…very…red.
I can’t believe she asked me about redheads tonight.
I can’t believe she suggested that I could have fallen this in love with Vivia or Charlotte at a moment’s notice. I hope she doesn’t think it was just her hair that unraveled my atoms. Or just her hair and her freckles.
I can’t believe I mentioned the freckles.
I can’t believe I have now seen ninety percent of her skin…and know that the chances are one hundred percent of it is coated in constellations and galaxies as thick as the ink on my brother Zakery’s arms.
She’s so beautiful. And she’s soher.
Powerful. Confident. Surprisingly innocent.
Unlike Charlotte, who carries herself like someone small, and unlike Vivia, whose confidence seems most prevalent when she’s propositioning, Crimson is a force. I can’t stop myself from hurtling into her gravity.
Spitting in the sink, I set my toothbrush in the stand for tomorrow morning and slip out of the bathroom.
The second I’m across the threshold, Crimson tenses.
So I stop where I am beyond the doorway and arch a brow at her.
Still smiling, she says, “What now?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, glancing at the LED clock on the nightstand nearest me. “It’s almost four in the morning.”
“Do I…take off my clothes…or do you do that?” She twines her fingers in her hair while my brain shuts down. “In hindsight, it was probably silly to buy something to sleep in. We’ll both be naked in a minute anyway.”
“Whoa there,” I whisper, hoarse. “What doyouthink is happening tonight?”
She blinks. “Intercourse attempt number one. Hopefully a successful attempt.”
My brows launch up. I croak, “What? Why?”
“Because? You…want to?” She eyes me, growing suddenly suspicious. “Have I misunderstood something? Yesterday, you asked for this.”
Yes, I have asked for this. A lot. But yesterday? “Yesterday, I said we wouldn’t be looking into intimacy college until after everything with your family was handled and we had a chance to remarry for better reasons.”
