Page 84 of Beautiful Crazy

Shoving my hand through my hair as embarrassment hits me, I say the one thing that’s been on my mind all day that I don’t want to have to say. “Emily.”

“What?” Cheyenne’s eyes narrow as she pulls her wheeled chair toward my desk and takes a seat. “Please tell me you’re not blaming Emily for your work fuck-ups.”

I shake my head. “No, no, that’s not what I’m saying.”

She doesn’t speak again, but instead folds her arms over her chest and sits back in her chair…waiting.

“What I mean is, what’s different right now is that I’m distracted by Emily.”

Clearly her one-brow raise means I’m not winning any points with that explanation.

“We’ve only really been together-together for almost a month, and it’s been…fucking fantastic.”

“I fail to see how this is a problem.”

“Because she’s all I think about, Cheyenne.” Leaning forward over my desk, I continue my explanation in a whisper. “When I’m with her, it’s Heaven. Our chemistry, our relationship…it’s fucking gold. Everything is amazing. And when I’m not with her, all I want to do is be with her. All I think about is…what she might be doing at any point during the day, or what she looks like in her cute panda pajama pants, or what our last sexual encounter felt like and how I can’t wait to do it again.”

Cheyenne closes her eyes, shaking her head in amusement. “Dude, you’ve got it bad for her.”

“You know I wouldn’t say this to just anyone, but since you’re my work-wife and all, I should probably give you the heads up that she’s the one for me. She’s it. I want to make her my wife one day.”

“Okay, so what’s stopping you?”

“It’s way too soon for her.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I know her fear is that I’m a player and she’s just another woman I’m going to sleep with and move on from, but she’s wrong and I need to show her that. It’s going to take time. I have to take my time with her.”

“Aaaand…”

My brows knit together. “And what?”

“Taking your time for her sake isn’t the only reason. I’m not an idiot, Emmett.”

Anxiety swirls around me. “Okay, and maybe there’s a small part of me that wants to make sure she doesn’t see a different part of me and run away.”

There’s another reason that floats through my mind and bites at my heart but it’s not a work-place conversation and certainly not one I want to have with Cheyenne. She may be my work wife but there are some things we just don’t talk about.

“Okay, so take your time then. Neither of you are going anywhere, so just enjoy your time together. But you do have to change something that will help you focus on work while you’re here.”

Deflated, I hang my head. “I know. I’m just doing a lousy job at it right now.”

She nods. “Yup. Looks like it.”

“Gee, thanks for the pep talk, wife.”

“You don’t need a pep talk, Emmett. You just need structure and discipline and maybe a little more confidence in Emily. If she hasn’t left you yet, after living with you for two years…” She stands up with a teasing smile. “You’re having a bad day. So know that you get to go home to your Emily in a couple hours and spend the night loving her and letting her love you back. That’s the cool thing about relationships. The give and the take. You be her rock, she’ll be yours.”

“Thanks Cheyenne.”

“Anytime.”

Before heading home for the night, I pop into the same little dive bar I went to the night I left Emily in the loft after arguing over a possible relationship. I guess it’s becoming my thinking spot and since there’s been something on my mind lately, it’s the safest place for me to text with my brothers without interruption. I take a seat in a nearby booth and order a whiskey and a glass of water and then pull my phone from my pocket.

Me:I think I’m turning into a nympho.

Graham:*GIF of Willy Wonka saying, “Really?”*

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