Page 23 of The Next Of Us
“I’ve already got one eye open,” I mumbled, squinting against the morning sun streaming through the window.
“I see that.”
I pointed at the window.“That’s a punishable offense.”
His perfect lips curved in a sweet smile.“I’ll hold you to it.Shift over,” he murmured, leaning over to set the breakfast tray on the nightstand before lying down and curling his long body around my back.“Did you sleep well?”
“Very.”I’d slept better the past four nights than I had in well over a year.Aaron’s swift shift back to himself did not instill me with confidence that it would continue once we got home.We still had lots to talk about, lots to work through, but just being us after missing him for so long kept me quiet.I didn’t want to unnecessarily rock the boat.“Did you?”
He pressed his mouth to my neck.“Yes.I didn’t realize how tired I was.”
I paused.“Should we talk about what’s going on at work?”
He stiffened.“What do you mean?”
My brows met in the middle.“Everything?Everything I don’t know, expanding on what you’ve already said.”
He relaxed and snuggled in closer.“I suppose,” he muttered.“Up here work, and all the shit that goes with it, seems so far away.”
“What kind of shit?”
He fairly bristled behind me, his frustration evident in his tone.“Lynda, for a start.I tried so hard to avoid firing her.She’s a single mom.I grew up with a single mom, I know how hard it is, but I was beginning to dread walking into the office.”
“Why did it affect you so much?”
He shrugged.“The hope and expectation on her face.It pissed me off and made me feel guilty at the same time.”
“Why guilty?”I asked more sharply than I intended.“Did you do or say anything to lead her on?”
Backing away from me, he got off the bed grumbling, “You need caffeine for this conversation, and I want to see your face while we talk.”
Frowning, I pushed myself back against the headboard, begrudgingly thanking Aaron when he stuffed the pillows behind me.
He handed me my coffee and then lay across the bed on his side.
“I can’t get into the ins and outs of her story, but I’m thinking you got the gist of it at the staff barbecue?”
I nodded, peering at him over the rim of my coffee cup as I took that first, life-affirming sip.I closed my eyes, inhaled, and tipped it past my lips.“Mm.”
When I opened my eyes, Aaron grinned at me.“My sleepy baby.”
“Hm,” I hummed and pursed my lips.“Your barista skills and your sweet talk are not enough to deter me from this topic.I know her husband left her.I know her child was bullied.And I know you helped him pro bono.”
His smile faded and he sighed.“Yes.I empathized with her.My sister went through periods of terrible bullying in high school.I witnessed my mom’s struggles firsthand when she was a single mom.Lynda worked for Max and me and did a great job.I just wanted to help but it got to the point where I couldn’t stand to look at her.”
The muscles in his jaw rippled.“I still feel like if I could have been more patient, it would have passed, but I didn’t want to take that risk.”
“What risk?”
He grimaced.“Not a risk to you or us, but the risk that by tolerating her behavior I was inadvertently encouraging it.”
“Then you did the right thing.”
“Being right isn’t always comfortable.”
I studied him, noting the dark circles under his eyes.He wasn’t the only one who hadn’t been paying attention.
“You have a huge heart, baby, but imagine how the situation might have affected me?I’m not happy about it now and you’ve already dealt with it.Can you think how upset I would have been if you allowed it to continue?Especially knowing she’s the reason you haven’t been yourself all these months?”I huffed in exasperation.“I have to come first.Our marriage has to come before everything.”I shook my head sharply.“I still don’t understand why it affected you so much.Most things roll off your back.There must be more.”
