Page 75 of Living for Truth
I’m floating when I walk in to work the next day.
Morgan loves me.
Sage is in the break room when I go in to drop off my lunch, and when she sees me, she gasps.
“Hannah No-Middle-Name Layton. Did you getlaid?”
How thehelldoes she know that?
Grateful we’re alone, I nod my head enthusiastically, and Sage squeals, jumping up and down excitedly.
“Oh my God, girl. Tell meeverything.”
“I’m not going to tell youeverything.” Sage pouts, and I roll my eyes. “I’ve never shared anything about my sex life with you before, I don’t think I’ll start now.”
Sage waves my protests away. “I wasn’t interested in your sex life with a vanilla, missionary-only, boring-ass-douche like Liam. But now? With a football star, strong-as-fuck, smitten Morgan? Hell yes, I want toknow everything.” She sighs. “I bet he fucks dirty, even though he’s so sweet.”
I can feel my cheeks growing hotter by the minute. I wish I could tell her she’s wrong so she would drop the inquisition, but she’s not wrong. He’s equal parts caring and dirty.
“I didn’t know sex—orgasms—could be like that,” I whisper. “It was amazing. He made sure I was totally comfortable and ready and was always checking in to make sure I was okay. I had to actually beg him to—”
The door to the break room swings open, and our boss, Janine, walks in. She’s a good boss and super chill, but I don’t really want her to hear about my sex life.
“Howdy, girls. Get up to anything fun this weekend?” Janine starts the kettle for her morning tea.
“I read most of the weekend. It was nice to be able to relax, but nothing too exciting,” Sage says.
“I spent time with my cousins, and we went to a concert on Saturday.”And then had the most amazing sex ever. And met myrealboyfriend’s family and confessed I was in love with him.
But Janine doesn’t need to know that.
“Oh! That sounds fun. What concert? Anyone I’d know?”
“Keely and the Kissers? My cousin’s boyfriend is their opener for this tour.”
“What a strange band name. I haven’t heard of them. I can’t keep up with all the new music people these days.”
Janine is only forty, but she acts like a crotchety eighty-year-old sometimes. Sage and I often have to explain pop culture references to her. When romance books started getting really popular on TikTok,people started coming in, asking if we had any “BookTok” books. She decided she wanted nothing to do with it because she can’t keep up with the latest trends.
“There are a lot of them,” I agree. “I better get to work. I have lots of books to shelve today since Lisa’s on vacation.”
Sage says the same, promising we’ll talk on our lunch break, and then I spend a blissful morning at the resource center recommending books to kids and adults alike.
At lunch, I recount the weekend’s activities for Sage, leaving out the dirtiest details, much to her dismay. I gush over how kind and welcoming Morgan’s family was, the weird moment when his brother flirted with me, and how they peppered me with questions about the church.
“I’m glad they aren’t members, babe. I think that would do more damage to you,” she says between bites of pasta salad.
“I’m glad, too. Telling them about the temple ceremonies and the disaster that was my wedding was really hard, and all I could think was ‘I’m glad Aly will never have to go through that.’ She’s so unconditionally loved by all of those people, and while I’m extremely happy for her, it makes me feel a little jealous, too. Is that bad?” I hate feeling jealous of a nine-year-old. It feels icky. I want that kind of unconditional love and support from my own family.
“I don’t think that’s bad. I think if you wished she were suffering,thatwould be bad. But you’re one of the people who can support her now. You can wish you hadthe same support and love she does and still love and care for her.”
I am, aren’t I? Now that I’m part of Morgan’s life, I’m going to be a part of Aly’s life. Loving Morgan means loving Aly, and even though it’s a different kind of love—and I’ve only met her twice—I do love her. I hope with time, she’ll come to love me, too. I can never replace her mom, and I’d never try to, but I hope she’ll see me as someone she can love and trust.
“Thanks, Sagey. Your support means a lot to me.”
“How ever can you repay me?” She sighs dramatically. “Oh! I know. You said Morgan has a brother who plays rugby, right? Is he single?” She waggles her eyebrows.
“Kendall is perpetually single. He doesn’t do monogamy.”
