CHAPTER ONE
I pinned a final cardboard rainbow to my “Welcome to Kindergarten” bulletin board and stepped back to admire my work. I pictured my tiny students filing into the classroom the following day. Their little smiles. The chatter. Even the ones with tears trying so hard to be brave. I hoped the cheerful board welcomed those little ones most of all.
A loud knock drew my attention from the welcoming rainbow to my classroom door. My boyfriend, Ben, strode into the room with a broad smile. As our elementary school’s physical education teacher, he was in his standard gym clothes attire — sweatpants and t-shirt. He looked sexy as hell, like he’d just rolled out of bed, and I silently cursed the fact that our relationship was “hands off” while we were working.
“Hey, Emily,” he greeted me with a kiss on the forehead. “The board looks great. Are you about to wrap things up in here? I’m running to the club before the staff meeting. Want to join me?”
In addition to teaching PE, Ben oversaw the boy’s club’s pee-wee football program. Between after school practices with the school’s sports teams and his time at the club, he didn’t have a lot of free time. But I was always happy to tag along and watch him with the kids.
“I wish I could,” I replied with a sigh, pulling my long brunette hair into a sloppy bun. “Linda and I have a meeting with the Hollis family. We each have one of their twins this year, and they both have severe food allergies.”
Ben raised an eyebrow and perched on one of the miniature desks. “Didn’t you two meet with them last week?”
I nodded and sank into my cushioned desk chair. It was the first time I’d been off my feet all day.
“They just need one last bit of reassurance that we understand what Alfie and Alana are and aren’t allowed to eat. I think they’ll ease up after school starts and they adjust to not having the kids at home all the time. I’m happy to reassure them as often as necessary, but I do wish I could go to the club with you.”
Ben glanced down at his watch and rose to his feet. “Speaking of which, I should get going if I want to get back in time for the meeting. Want to order Thai and stay at my place tonight?” he asked, a grin lifting one corner of his mouth.
The grin was contagious and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling back. “Yeah, I think that’s a tradition we should keep.”
“Perfect. See you soon, baby.” He blew me a kiss and left the room. I stared at the closed classroom door and thought back to the night we’d become a couple.
Ben and I met the previous summer when we were both hired to teach at The Day School, Portland’s state-of-the-art charter school in the working class King neighborhood. We were both fresh out of college and anxious about starting our careers. We bonded over our newbie status at all of the staff development sessions, but our relationship was strictly platonic until the night before classes started.
Ben found me in my classroom that night quizzing myself with flashcards of my students’ names and faces. I remembered being terrified on my first day of kindergarten and I was determined to make the day as easy as possible for my students. Ben suggested that we have dinner, one thing led to another, and we’d been together ever since.
Ben was a walking cliché in the best possible ways. He’d been the star quarterback at his high school and went to Iowa State on a football scholarship. A torn ACL ended his senior season early, destroying his dreams to play in the NFL. After graduation, he returned to Portland to follow his next best dream of one day coaching his old high school team to a state championship.
Physically, Ben was exactly what you’d envision if someone uttered the words “prom king.” He was tall and broad, with sandy blond hair, clear blue eyes, and dimples that made it impossible to stay mad at him for more than a few minutes. The most irresistible thing about him was he had no idea just how cute he really was. Ben was modest, reliable, and, in my friend Melissa’s opinion, predictable to a fault. But after the life I’d lived, predictable was just what I needed.
My parents, Emma and Lee Kinkaid, were killed by a drunk driver on their way home from a Christmas party when I was just three months old. According to my Uncle Walt, it was the first time my mother left me. She hadn’t planned on joining my father at his office’s annual party, but Uncle Walt was in town for the holidays and he offered to watch me so they could enjoy some time together.
A few hours later, a police officer arrived at the house and broke the news. Uncle Walt was my only surviving relative, save my mother’s parents who were already in a retirement home and in no condition to raise an infant. Uncle Walt adopted me and added my parents’ combined names to the moniker they’d given me, making my full name Emily Catherine Grace Kinkaid. It was a mouthful, but I was proud to carry my parents’ names.
Uncle Walt was only twenty-four when he became my parent. I imagine most single men would immediately start looking for a wife after being thrust into instant, unexpected fatherhood. But not Uncle Walt. He was an incurable bachelor who, in his words, “loved women too much to settle for just one.” To his credit, I didn’t realize what a player he was when I was a child. I just thought he worked a lot. When I finally put two and two together, I kept my revelation to myself. I was old enough to realize he’d gone to great lengths to keep his private life out of our house and I had no desire to call him out on it.
Uncle Walt had been completely unprepared to raise a child, but he figured things out the best he could along the way. In so many ways, he succeeded. Although my legal father, he never referred to himself as my dad. Instead, he filled our apartments with pictures of my parents and told me every story he remembered about them. When I went to him for advice, he’d tell me not just his opinion, but what he thought they would say as well. Because of him, I knew them despite the fact that I didn’t have a single memory of their faces.
My uncle loved me and I have no doubt that he always had my best interests in mind. But my childhood wasn’t what anyone would call stable. Uncle Walt was a pilot and we moved a lot as he was promoted up the ranks at Universal Air. He doted on me when he was home, but I spent a lot of time with nannies during the school year and at camps during the summer. Uncle Walt was very careful about who stayed with me and unlike most of the other pilots’ kids I knew, I never resented him for leaving. There had always been an unspoken understanding between us. Neither of us had the lives we were ‘supposed’ to, but it was okay because we were in it together.
There were benefits to my uncle’s job. He got three weeks of paid vacation every year and we never had to pay for flights. That meant three weeks of exploring a new and exciting country every summer. But the vacation memories provided little comfort when arriving to yet another new school as the new girl, year after year. It wasn’t until I started college that I developed real, lasting friendships.
After a lifetime of never knowing when Uncle Walt would announce that we were moving again, a rooted man like Ben was exactly what I needed. He’d grown up in Portland behind an honest-to-God white picket fence. His father, Carl, managed a branch of Pacific Bank and his mother, Lois, ran the local soup kitchen. Ben was the middle child, sandwiched between his sisters, Holly and Shannon.
The entire family still met for Sunday morning service at United Methodist, followed by brunch at the nearby IHOP. The Garrison family welcomed me with open arms and I settled in just as eagerly. I longed to become an official member of a ‘regular’ family. And I had a hunch that my wait was almost over.
A knock on the door snapped my attention back to the present.
“Come in,” I called out, glancing at the clock on my wall. Mr. and Mrs. Hollis were due in fifteen minutes.
The door swung open and Linda, the other kindergarten teacher, stepped into the room. She left the door cracked and squeezed behind the nearest desk with an exhausted sigh.
“I can’t believe the kids show up tomorrow. You were right, I should have skipped the trip to Atlanta last week and gotten started on putting my room together. I’m going to be here half the night.” She twisted a crimson red curl between her fingers and stretched her long legs across the aisle.
“It’s not every day that your high school sweetheart shows up out of nowhere and sweeps you off your feet again. How is Henry, by the way?” I asked with a grin.
Linda blushed and a broad smile spread across her face. “He’s fantastic. We’ve been on the phone almost nonstop since I flew home. He’s packing his things in a U-Haul as we speak. He should be here by the end of the week.”
“I can’t wait to meet him,” I replied, my grin growing wider.
A year ago, that would have been a polite lie. When I first arrived at The Day School, I’d been put off by Linda’s aggressively bubbly personality. She was the type of person who’d never met a stranger and I’d found her instant openness and constant chatter incredibly overwhelming. But she’d grown on me over the year, and I was genuinely happy to see her so love struck.
“I can’t wait to introduce you,” she gushed. “This all still feels like some sort of dream. It’s all so exciting… Henry’s so exciting. He took me to look at rings while I was in Atlanta. And he’s already talking about me quitting my job so I can travel with him.”
“That’s great,” I told her, my enthusiasm forced this time. She saw right through it and raised an eyebrow.
“Go ahead,” she insisted. “Just say it.”
“If your dream is to travel the world with Henry, by all means follow it. I just think you should keep in mind that living out of boxes and suitcases gets old pretty quick.”
Linda crossed her legs and rolled her green eyes, her freckled face lit with amusement. “It’s not like we’d be traveling nonstop. Henry will be based here and I can stay behind when I feel like it. I understand that traveling gets old. What I don’t understand is how you’re happy to settle for a vanilla life after seeing first-hand how big this world is and how much it has to offer.”
If it had been the first time she’d called my life vanilla, I may have been a little insulted. But that was her go-to term to describe the life I wanted with Ben.
“I’m not settling. I love Ben,” I reminded her for the umpteenth time.
“You love the idea of him,” she corrected me.
I opened my mouth to protest, but she cut me off.
“I know you’re tired of me bringing this up. But we’re friends, right?”
“Right,” I agreed with a resigned sigh.
“And as your friend, it’s my job to make sure you’re honest with yourself. I know you’re hoping for a proposal. And I think you might be right. Ben may be close to popping the question. But I’ve seen the way you look at him, Emily. You love him, but you’re not in love with him. There’s no spark, no fire between you. I get that you’re in love with his family. But if you and Ben get married, he’s the one you’ll be living with, day in and day out.” She leaned forward, her eyes earnest. “I don’t want you to wake up ten years from now and realize you’ve made a huge mistake.”
I straightened my shoulders and diverted my eyes toward the window. I couldn’t look at Linda because a small voice in the back of my head was wondering if she was right. I’d made that mistake in college. I started dating my boyfriend Ryan the first semester of my sophomore year. Like Ben, Ryan had a large, stable family that had instantly accepted me into their fold. And I got so comfortable with them so quickly, I ignored the fact that Ryan and I were incompatible for a year and a half.
This situation is entirely different. Ben and I love each other. Maybe we don’t ‘spark’. But we understand each other. We can depend on each other. And I’ll take that over fire any day.
I cleared my throat and turned back to Linda. “Like you said, I’ve seen what the world has to offer. Now, I just want to carve out my own small, happy piece of it. I’m happy for you and Henry, I really am. Do you plan to finish out the school year? Or am I going to have to watch Mr. and Mrs. Hollis quiz your replacement on the proper administration of an Epi-pen?” I asked, attempting to bring our conversation back around to light-hearted.
Linda smiled back at me and climbed out of the tiny chair. “I haven’t made any decisions yet. But speaking of the Hollis family, we should head down to the nurse’s office. One of the commandments of teaching kindergarten is ‘thou shalt not keep nervous parents waiting.’”
“Lead the way,” I said, rolling my chair away from my desk. I followed Linda out of the room and we set off to assure the Hollis parents once again that we were capable of taking care of their children.
***
“Are you ready for this?” Ben asked. He held open the door of Market Seafood and I stepped past him into the entryway. A blonde hostess in a crisp white shirt and black tie held open the interior door. I took Ben by the arm and gave him a determined smile.
“Maybe he’ll be in a good mood,” I suggested, trying to hide my nerves. Uncle Walt had made it no secret that he disapproved of Ben, but for my sake, he usually stayed on his best behavior when we were all together.
“Good evening,” the hostess greeted us. She ushered us through the door and grabbed two menus.
“Hello,” Ben replied. “There will actually be three of us. I believe we have a reservation.”
“Kinkaid?” she asked, a hint of a smile lighting her face.
Uncle Walt’s still sweet talking the ladies, I see.
I nodded and she returned the menus to the hostess station. “Walt is already here. Just follow me.”
She snaked her way across the dimly lit dining room and I spotted my uncle at a corner table. His eyes fell on me and he rose with open arms. He wrapped me in a hug and kissed the side of my head.
“It’s so good to see you, Em. I hope traffic wasn’t too bad?”
I knew the question was a veiled reference to the fact that we were ten minutes late, but I kept my tone light and patient. “We got held up at school this afternoon and we’ve been running late ever since.”
Ben pulled out my chair and Uncle Walt settled down across from me. A tall, bald waiter approached us with a bottle of wine.
“Your Riesling, Mr. Kinkaid,” he announced. He pulled the cork and poured a splash into a long stemmed wine glass. Uncle Walt swirled, sniffed, and sampled it before nodding back at the waiter with a smile.
“This is fantastic, Kevin, thank you.”
“Are you ready to place your order, or would you like a few more minutes to look at the menu?” the waiter asked.
Uncle Walt looked from me to Ben and back again. “Do you know what you want?”
We nodded our heads simultaneously. Market Seafood was my uncle’s favorite restaurant; we could all recite the memory by heart. We placed our orders and Keven gave us a final nod before disappearing.
“So how was your first week of school?” Uncle Walt asked.
“Hectic.” I leaned back in my chair with a long sigh. “Most of the kids in my class have older brothers and sisters, so they understood the concept of school when they arrived Wednesday morning. But I had a handful of kids who seemed terrified they’d never see their parents again. Most of them settled into our routine by yesterday afternoon. But I’m expecting a little regression when we show up again Monday morning.”
“You have the patience of a saint,” my uncle insisted. He took a sip of his wine and turned to Ben.
“And how was your week? I imagine you have an easier time of it. Emily here spends seven and a half hours a day trying to keep the kids still, and then they get to run loose for half an hour with you.”
“Ben isn’t the recess monitor, Uncle Walt,” I broke in, my voice firm. “I explained to you that The Day School puts a strong emphasis on physical fitness.”
Walt held his hands up in mock defeat, a smile spreading across his tan face. “Easy, Em. I was just teasing. I know Ben’s job is important. I didn’t mean any offense.”
“None taken,” Ben insisted. “Honestly, I love my job so much, it doesn’t feel like a job.”
“It doesn’t pay like one either,” Walt muttered under his breath.
Ben took a long drink of his ice water and we both ignored my uncle’s comment.
“Enough about us,” I announced, changing the subject. “What’s going on with you? How long are you in town?”
Before he could answer, Kevin arrived at our table with a platter of appetizers. He promised our entrees would be out soon, checked our drinks, and moved on to the table beside us.
“This looks delicious,” Walt announced, filling his small plate with crab cakes, calamari, and spicy shrimp cocktail. I studied him while he dunked a forkful of crab cake into remoulade sauce and savored the first bite.
My uncle and I could have easily passed for father and daughter. We had the same high cheekbones, blue eyes, and chestnut hair, although his was tinged with gray around the edges. I realized then that Walt was tense about something. He was smiling, but his shoulders were taut and I had a feeling his mind was somewhere else.
“So how long are you in town?” I asked again, filling my own plate with food.
Walt swallowed a shrimp and washed it down with another sip of wine.
“Actually, that’s why I wanted to see you guys tonight. I have news.”
Ben and I both set our forks down, giving Walt our full attention.
“Well?” I pressed as he sat there silently. “Don’t keep us in suspense.”
“I’m retiring from the airline… have retired, to be more precise.”
“What?” I asked, sure I’d heard him wrong. Uncle Walt loved his job; the sudden early retirement didn’t make any sense. Panic grew in my chest while I waited for him to continue.
It’s his health. He’s been grounded. It’s the only thing that makes sense.
“Is everything okay, Walt?” Ben pressed, his voice full of concern.
“Everything’s great,” he assured us. “In fact, they couldn’t be better. I know this will come as a shock to you, Emily, but I’ve met someone. Her name is Claudia and she’s a pediatrician here in Portland.”
I stared at him for a moment, processing his words. “You’re quitting your job for a woman?”
“I’m leaving the airline for a lot of reasons,” he replied, popping another shrimp into his mouth. I felt Ben relax beside me, but I was more wound up than ever. Uncle Walt announcing he was in a serious relationship was twice as shocking as his retirement announcement. I was too impatient to wait for him to swallow and continue.
“What are the other reasons?” I demanded. “When did this happen? Where did you meet her? Why am I just hearing about all of this?”
Uncle Walt took a sip of his wine and wiped his mouth with a crisp linen napkin.
“Slow down, sweetheart. Claudia and I met about four months ago. I flew a nonstop to JFK, then took the jumpseat on a flight back home for my weekend off. Claudia had been in the city presenting a paper. We spent the whole flight talking. I think you’ll really like her.”
“I can’t believe you’re going to introduce me to a woman,” I observed, my hunger finally outweighing my shock. I cleaned my appetizer plate while Walt continued.
“I can hardly believe it myself. But it’s happening. As for why I didn’t tell you earlier, I wanted to wait until I knew things were serious. Claudia’s amazing, but like I said, she isn’t the only reason I’m leaving the airline. The constant traveling is starting to wear me out. I’ve never liked spending so much time away from you and I can finally afford to do something about it. I have savings, my pension, and I’ve taken a part-time job at a local charter company. I’m thrilled about all of this, Em. I hope you are too.”
I studied him for a moment and then smiled. “If you’re thrilled, I’m thrilled. It will be nice to have you around more often. And I can’t wait to meet Claudia. Maybe we could all have dinner next weekend.”
“I’ll check with her and see what fits in her schedule,” he promised.
Ben scooted his chair away from the table and rose to his feet. “Excuse me, restroom,” he explained, tossing his napkin on the table. He left and my uncle turned to me with a scowl.
“Come on,” I groaned. “I just said if you’re happy, I’m happy. Can’t you just do the same in return?”
“Absolutely not,” Walt replied with a slight shake of his head. “I know this guy has you snowed. But he isn’t who he wants you to think he is, Em. He’s a slick talking cad. Trust me, I’m right. I can spot my own kind from a mile away.”
I was stunned into silence when he acknowledged his sordid romantic past. He gave me an amused smile and an eye roll of his own.
“You’re an adult now, Emily. I think we can speak openly about this. I think we should talk openly about it. I know you know I liked to sew my wild oats, so to speak. But unlike Benny, I never pretended to be someone I’m not. If there’s one thing I can say for myself, I never let a woman believe I wanted a serious relationship. I flat out told them I didn’t. But this guy… he’s a real piece of work, sweetheart.”
I pushed my shoulders back and stared back at him defiantly. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. And you’re making me angry. Ben is one of the good guys, Uncle Walt. He’s stable and wholesome, and you should see him with the kids. In fact, now that you’re going to be around more often, you should come to the club and watch a few games. I know you’re convinced that no man will ever be good enough for me, but if you’d just give Ben a chance—”
“I’m quite sure there’s a man out there good enough for you,” he corrected me. “I’m even more certain that Ben isn’t that man. I can see I’m upsetting you, so I’ll drop it. But only if you promise me something.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”
“Let another school year pass before you make any life-altering decisions.”
I narrowed my eyes and scowled back at him. “If Ben asks me to marry him, I’m going to say yes.”
“I get that. But—”
“Here we are,” Kevin sang, sidling up to our table with a large tray balanced on one arm. “Sorry for the wait,” he continued, distributing the plates around the table. I stared down at my steamed mussels and pasta, thankful for the interruption. I swirled linguini around my fork and felt a gentle, familiar hand on my back.
“Perfect timing,” Ben said, sliding back into his seat. “I’m starving.”
“Is everything okay? You were gone awhile,” I whispered while Walt was distracted by Kevin.
“I’m fine,” he insisted. He spread his napkin across his lap and sprinkled salt on his swordfish.
He’s up to something. But it has to be something innocent. I know him better than Walt. Besides, if he were a player, he wouldn’t have stuck around for an entire year.
Kevin carried the tray back to the kitchen and Walt turned to Ben with a somewhat forced smile.
“Emily invited me to come watch some of your games at the club. How many teams do you coach?”
“I coach one basketball, one football, and one baseball team,” Ben explained. “But I coordinate all three programs.”
“You’re a busy man,” Walt observed.
“I like what I do,” Ben replied with a casual shrug.
“You know, I was quite the football player back in high school. Maybe I could come out and coach a few games with you.”
I could tell Ben was taken aback by the suggestion, but he handled it well.
“I’d enjoy that very much, Walt. I’ll email you the team’s schedule.”
Ben’s phone vibrated and he pulled it from his pocket before slowly rising to his feet.
“Speaking of the club, this is one of my team moms. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be right back.”
“Of course,” Walt insisted with a dismissive wave.
Ben strode quickly out of the dining room and I turned to my uncle, my eyebrow cocked again.
“Five minutes ago, you were practically begging me to get rid of him. Now you’re volunteering to coach pee wee football?”
“Yes.” He lifted his glass and swirled the liquid. “I’m going to give him a chance because you asked me to. And you’re going to think long and hard about what I asked you to do. Deal?”
“Deal,” I agreed. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I was convinced that once Walt spent some one-on-one time with Ben, he’d understand why I had no intentions of leaving him.
***
“Thank you for suffering through that with me,” I told Ben, kicking off my shoes. I sat down on his bed and started pulling off my jewelry.
“It wasn’t that bad,” he assured me. “I learned not to take Walt’s jibes personally a long time ago. He’s protective of you. I get it. He’ll have to warm up to me sooner or later because I’m not going anywhere.”
I laid my rings on the nightstand and started stripping out of my clothes. I had more than sleeping on my mind, but Ben didn’t seem to get the hint. He tossed me a clean t-shirt and stepped into the hallway.
“I’m going to make a drink. Do you want anything?”
“No,” I called after him.
I tossed the t-shirt to the floor alongside my discarded clothes and wiggled between the sheets in nothing but my white lace panties. A few minutes later, I heard the television spring to life and groaned, feeling the spark of arousal doused. I leaned over the side of the bed and retrieved the t-shirt. I pulled it over my head and made my way to the living room. Ben was stretched out on the couch with a scotch and soda, his eyes fixed to a baseball game.
“I thought we were going to bed,” I reminded him with a pout.
“I was just going to check the score. But it’s all tied up at the end of the sixth. Why don’t you lay down and watch it with me?” he suggested.
I sighed and squeezed onto the couch beside him.
“We can’t fall asleep out here again,” I warned. “Last time, I had a crick in my neck for three days.”
“Shh,” he said and nodded toward the TV.
If Linda could see me now, I’d never hear the end of it. I think this is the definition of vanilla.
Ben propped his elbow on the arm of the couch and took a long drink of his scotch. He covered my bare legs with a blanket and settled back down behind me. I waited until the commercial break to make my move. I turned in his arms, pushing my hips into his.
“I really do appreciate the way you handled yourself tonight. It reminded me why I love you. And it made me want to show you just how much I love you.”
I brushed my lips gently across Ben’s and stroked his face with a teasing finger.
“Is that so?” he mumbled, leaning into my touch.
I nodded and let my tongue dance into his mouth. I kissed him passionately, grinding my body into his. But I felt no response below Ben’s waist. The baseball announcer’s voice filled the room again, and Ben ended things as quickly as I’d started them. He reached for his drink and I rolled over in defeat.
When did we stop having sex? This time last year, we couldn’t take our hands off of each other. Is it normal for the passion to fade so fast? Is this just part of the package when you finally find the person you’re supposed to be with? Is he just not attracted to me anymore?
I tried to tell myself I was overreacting. Ben and I were only having sex about once a week. But it wasn’t as if we never touched each other.
He just has a lower sex drive. All relationships are hot in the beginning. It’s normal that we’re not ripping each other’s clothes off anymore. But I’d think I’d at least get a rise out of him.
I laid beneath Ben’s arm until I heard his soft snores, my teeth grinding harder with each exhale. I flipped off the television before waking him and dragging him to the bedroom.
“I didn’t see the score,” he mumbled.
“You’ll see it in the morning,” I promised.
We stumbled into the bedroom and collapsed onto the mattress. Ben reached for me with a sudden urgency, pulling me roughly against his body.
This is what I’m talking about.
I found his lips with mine and kissed him hungrily, pushing him against the headboard. I climbed into his lap and pulled the t-shirt over my head, and he groped at my breasts with his mouth. I rocked against him, determined to make him hard.
“Let me kiss it,” I whispered into his ear.
Ben let out a happy groan and unfastened his belt. I tugged down his slacks and boxers before diving for his cock.
I took the head into my mouth, licking and teasing with everything I had. Despite my best efforts, he remained limp in my hand.
“I’m sorry, Em,” he finally groaned. “I don’t think this is going to work.”
I crawled off of him and collapsed on the other pillow. “Is something wrong?” I whispered. “Did I do something, or not do something?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” he assured me with a yawn. “I’m exhausted, that’s all. The overtime I’m putting in at the club is draining me. I still find you incredibly sexy.”
“You’re just tired?” I pressed.
“Yes, baby. I’m just tired and I have a lot on my mind. The scotch probably didn’t help either.” He stroked my arm with his fingers. “Look Em, I know we’ve fallen into a bit of a rut. I promise I realize that, and I have every intention of doing something about it. But right now, I’m just too tired.”
“I understand,” I assured him and propped myself up on one elbow, planting another soft kiss on his lips.
“I think this is normal,” I continued. “Every couple goes through a sort of ebb and flow in the bedroom. I love you. That’s all that matters.”
He pushed my hair back from my face. “I love you too, Emily. And I promise I’ll kick things back into ‘flow’ just as soon as I adjust to my new schedule.”
Ben rolled over onto his side and pulled my back into his chest. His scruffy stubble tickled my neck as his breaths slowed and his snores started again.
This man loves me and together we’re going to build the life I’ve always wanted. So what if we go through some dry spells. At least we’re going through them together.