Page 115 of Playing the Game
Anxious waves take over the pleasure of our kiss. I pull away and calm my breathing, knowing we still have a lot to work through. I’m well aware this is the honeymoon stage.
I gesture to my bedroom. “Before I drag you back to bed and you miss saying goodbye to Melanie, let’s get back on track.”
She rests her hands on my shoulders. “You’re right, but this communication thing seems to be working.”
“Just think of how far we’d be if we had started this way.” I slide my palms under her shirt and run them over her velvety waist. “So, what do you think about having kids?”
“I want to talk to Samantha before I say anything, but for the first time since...” She lowers her head. “That day almost killed me, Jami.”
I pull her into me and hold her, giving her a minute to face the pain of losing our baby. Tears jump into the corners of my eyes, and I blink them away.
This moment is for her, not me. She strokes the back of my head.
I breathe into our connection. “I got you. Just be with it.”
“It hurts so much. I want it to go away.”
“Me too.”
We might have a mountain to climb, but I know we can make it if we lean on each other like we are right now. For the first time since I started entertaining a future with her, I think we can make it out together.
That’s if…
She leans back with red-rimmed eyes. “I hope one day I don’t carry all this sadness. It’s consuming me.”
“We can talk about this every day until you feel better if that’s what you need.”
“What about you? Don’t you need to talk about it?”
“I don’t want to, but I probably need to.” My soul wraps around hers.
Our love blankets us with the knowledge that we’re finally getting it right. This is what we’ve needed all along. And with how we’re speaking to each other, I know she feels it too.
She takes a deep breath. “Can I ask you a question?”
“You don’t have to ask.”
Her cheeks turn pink. “All this talking made me think of something.”
“What’s that?” I run my hands over her ass and squeeze.
“I should’ve asked before we had sex, but have you been with anyone since we were together? We didn’t use a condom, and I need to know if I have something to be worried about.”
“You don’t have to explain or worry. I haven’t been with anyone since you. I’m clean.”
“But what about the dating app you were on?”
I puff out a fake laugh. “Leave it to Hunter to put that thought in your mind.”
Her face bunches together. “Why would you say that?”
“Isn’t it obvious? He told you I was on a dating app, didn’t he?”
“No. Melanie told me. I didn’t know he knew that about you.” She steps back and shakes her head.
“Well, he did.”
Her breathing kicks up. “He fucking knew, and that’s one of the things he was holding over you. Am I right?”
