Page 59 of Made For Me

“He can’t please his woman,” I joke, but all it does is make his eyes go into slits. “I was about to give him pointers.”

“I can please my woman just fine,” Michael retorts, taking out his phone. I look over at Cooper, who is trying not to laugh as Dylan gets here.

He gets out of his car dressed in workout gear as he stands here looking at the three of us. “What’s going on?” he asks, putting his baseball hat on backward. “Who is he calling?” He points over to Michael.

“No idea,” I answer, looking at Michael as he holds the phone in front of his face.

As soon as the phone connects, he’s yelling her name, “Jillian!” He looks at his phone. “I need you to tell my family that you’re satisfied sexually.”

“Oh my God,” Dylan says, shaking his head. “What is wrong with you? I didn’t even eat yet and I’m about to throw up.” He puts his hand on his stomach.

“Shut up, you,” Michael hisses at him. “Tarzan over here tells me I’m not satisfying you sexually.”

“It’s okay, Daddy,” Bianca now says and I put my hand into a fist in front of my mouth. “Mommy, tell Daddy he does satisfied good sexually.” She emphasizes the word sexually. I’m trying my hardest not to laugh out loud, trying not to make a sound.

“Why am I not taping this?” Cooper asks, laughing as he claps his hands, not even caring Jillian knows he’s with us in the room.

“Mommy,” Bailey says, “did Daddy satisfied you? Yes or no?” Her voice goes higher on the yes-or-no part. “It’s okay, Daddy, did you try your best?”

“I can’t wait for parent-teacher conferences,” Dylan blurts. “I thought it was bad last time when Cooper’s kid drew this guy’s penis.” He points at me. “But this”—he points at the phone—“this is so much better. I can just imagine the girls going to school and saying Daddy didn’t satisfy Mommy in the sex.” He mimics the way the girls talk, hitting it right on the nose.

I have no words. I can’t say anything. “Give me the phone,” Jillian says to the girls, and you can hear her teeth are clenched together. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Yes!” we all shout at him as he looks at the phone.

“Chase w-was,” he stutters. “I was just telling him everything is fine at home.”

“It was before,” she snarls, “it’s not now. Goodbye, Michael.”

“Love you,” he says and all you hear is the beeping that the call has dropped.

“I can’t believe this just happened,” Cooper says when Wilson shows up. He gets out of his car in a track suit and carrying a plastic cup in his hand as he shakes it.

“What is this, a meeting?” He chuckles as he snaps open the spout for his cup, bringing it to his mouth.

“I was just telling Michael I could help him with pointers to help satisfy his woman,” I explain, earning me another glare. “Since he can’t use sex to take her mind off things.”

“I heard.” Wilson smirks at me. “High five.” He holds up his hand for me to high-five him.

“No one is high-fiving anyone.” Michael shakes his head. “That’s like my sister.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better,” Wilson says. “I just satisfied their sister”—he points at Cooper and me—“very well, before I left the house.” His face fills with a smile and he brings the cup up to his mouth again.

“That makes no one feel better,” Dylan grumbles. “Like, not one person standing in this room right now feels better after that comment.”

“Come to think of it,” Cooper says, “I feel worse.”

I can’t help but laugh as we walk into the arena. I try to take my mind off Julia, but I’m checking the phone every five minutes because it feels longer. I’m in my office, going through the charts on everyone when I hear a knock on the door and look up.

“Hey.” Nico sticks his head into my office. “Mind if we push the meeting up to say”—he looks at his watch—“in ten minutes?”

I laugh and nod my head. “Guys are on the ice, so if something happens, they can call me,” I say and he walks away, back down the hall in the direction of his office.

I take my phone out and send Julia a text.

Me: Thinking about you.

I’m so tempted to add I love you, but stop myself since I haven’t even said it to her face yet. There have been times when it almost slipped out but I stopped myself, not sure if I should add something else to her overcrowded plate. I look down at the phone, wondering if she is going to text me back. I should have been persistent that I go with her. I should have just showed up and not told her. I tap my index finger on the desk, waiting for an answer but nothing comes up.

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