My heart is still thumping when I get to our bedroom. Elijah is in the shower, and I flop down onto the huge, king-sized bed. I sink into the soft bedding and stare at the ceiling. Mr. Moose lifts his head to look at me from the dog bed I brought from home, and then lays back down.

It’s okay to have attractions, right? I mean, everyone looks at other people. Crushes are fine, as long as you don’t act on them. Everyone in a long-term relationship has had a crush. It’s normal.

And that’s all this is. Jesse is gorgeous, and strong, and sexy. The first time I saw him, he was nearly naked!

So no wonder I’d be a little bit nervous around him.

It doesn’t help that Elijah and I haven’t been intimate in a long time—how long has it been? A week? I frown as I think back to the last time I had sex with my fiancé. It was almost three weeks ago. My heart drops as I turn towards the shower. We used to have sex every single day!

I didn’t think it had been that long, but the last time we slept together was definitely the night after they won against the Jets. I remember it, because it was the first time Elijah had touched me since Thanksgiving.

God, is this going to be my life from now on? Counting on one hand the number of times I have sex with my husband in a month?

I grab my phone and dial my best friend, Rachael. She picks up on the second ring.

“So, how’s the family getaway?” I can hear the grin in her voice. “Is it as bad as you thought?”

“It’s worse,” I laugh, and she giggles. I shake my head. “No, it’s fine.”

“Come on,” Rachael teases. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

I glance towards the ensuite bathroom, and I can hear Elijah singing to himself. I turn away from the door and start talking under my breath.

“I met Elijah’s brother.”

“Yes, and?? Is he an asshole?”

“No!” I say, a bit too loud. I glance at the bathroom door and sigh. “He’s really nice.”

“You’re into him, aren’t you?” Rachael laughs. “Oh my goodness! Scandalous.”

“No! I mean, he’s attractive, don’t get me wrong. I don’t know. Elijah’s just been so distant, and—”

Just as I say that, Elijah’s phone buzzes on the nightstand beside me. I glance over and see a name pop up: Carmen. She’s sent a photo message. My heart starts thumping, and I glance towards the bathroom again. He’s still singing to himself in the shower.

“And what?” Rach prompts. I can’t remember what I was saying to her.

“Rach, Elijah just got a photo message from Carmen.”

“That cheerleader bitch?”

“Don’t call her a bitch,” I sigh. “I don’t actually know her at all.”

“Except for the fact that she’s all over your fucking fiancé even when you’re around.”

“Yeah, except for that. She sent a photo message.”

Rach is silent for a second. “Where’s Elijah?”

“He’s in the shower,” I whisper, glancing at the door for the millionth time.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Look at the picture!”

“I can’t go through his phone!”

“Oh come on, Farrah,” Rachael says. “You’re telling me that your rich, attractive, NFL-quarterback fiancé just got a freaking picture message at ten o’clock at night from some slutty cheerleader and you’re not at least a little bit curious about what it is?”

“It’s an invasion of privacy,” I say, picking up his phone. I turn the screen on again and my heart sinks when I see her name on the screen. What picture did she send?

“Farrah, you know how I feel about Elijah. I have my reservations,” she says slowly. “But I know that you care about him. What is your heart telling you? Do you think it’s an innocent picture?”

“I don’t know.”

I feel like a deflated balloon. The shower is still on, and Elijah is still singing to himself. I probably only have a minute or two.

“Fine, I say, swiping on the screen to open the messaging app. The phone asks me for his passcode, and I tap the numbers on the screen.

The numbers shake. Incorrect passcode. Try again.

My jaw drops, and I press the numbers again. I know this is his code. He’s had the same one ever since we started dating! He’s asked me to check things on his phone dozens of times!

The numbers shake again. Try again.

“Rach, he changed his passcode.”

“What?!”

Tears gather in my eyes. The shower stops, and I put his phone back down on the nightstand. I jump up, turning towards the window. My little French bulldog comes and rubs up against my legs. He can tell something is wrong.

“What do I do? Fuck, fuck, fuck!” My breath is short and I can’t think straight. Is my fiancé cheating on me? Why would a cheerleader be texting him late at night with a picture? What if it’s a naked picture! What if they’ve already slept together! What if all those ‘team dinners’ have actually been dates with other women!

“Farrah, come on, Farrah,” Rach’s calming voice comes over the phone. “You’re not even saying anything but I can feel you freaking out. Calm down. There will be an explanation. Just ask him about it. Say it lit up when you were near his phone, and you’re curious. Just be chill about it, and he’ll be open. I’m sure it’s all innocent. It’s fine.”

“Okay. Okay, thanks. I gotta go.”

“Text me later, okay?”

“Thanks, Rach.” I hang up just as Elijah appears from the steamy bathroom. He looks at me with an eyebrow raised. I lift my phone up. “Rachael.”

“Ah,” he says, and then walks around the bed towards his phone. He picks it up and turns his back to me, tapping the phone quickly. I walk towards him, but he just locks the phone and puts it down, brushing past me. I glance at the blank phone screen and then at my fiancé.

I have a horrible, sinking feeling in my stomach.

Something is wrong.

I know it is. I can feel it.

There are too many things that have been adding up. The sex—or lack thereof—the distance between us, his rudeness towards me lately, this chick Carmen hanging all over him and now texting him… it’s just adding up to something that I’m not ready to face.

I swallow back the tears and take a deep breath.

“Hey babe,” I start as my heart hammers in my chest.

“Uh-huh?”

“I was just sitting on the bed talking to Rachael just now, and your phone lit up with a photo message.”

Elijah freezes.

“Uh-huh,” he says slowly. I can hear the tension in his voice. The muscles in his neck ripple and his jaw twitches.

“It was from that girl Carmen—the cheerleader. What… what was she sending you?”

“What, you don’t trust me or something?” He says in a low voice, taking a step towards me. His eyes are dark, almost black, and his face is cloudy. I gulp.

“I just… it just seemed weird that a girl would be texting you at like, almost eleven pm right before Christmas.”

“After all we’ve been through, you don’t trust me?” He spits.

“What do you mean, all we’ve been through?”

“I’m not cheating on you!”

“I never said you were.” I hate how shaky my voice is. “Just, what… what did she send you?”

“It was a team photo,” he almost yells. “A fucking team photo that she took at the last game.”

My jaw drops open. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” he says, sinking down on the bed. “Now who’s the asshole?”

“I never said you were an asshole, babe. I’m sure if I was getting pictures from attractive men in the middle of the night, you’d think it was weird too.”

“That’s different.”

“How is that different?!” My back stiffens. He seems to think flirting with all the women hanging off him is all normal and fine, but if a guy so much as looks at me, he’s freaking out.

He stares at me and then waves his hand in front of his face. “I can’t deal with this shit.”

“You can’t deal with this shit? What is that supposed to mean?”

His nostrils flare and I cross my arms. I can feel the anger curling around my heart.

“I want to see the picture.”

“What?” His eyes flash.

“The picture she sent you. I want to see it.” I’m trembling. My hands are shaking so hard I have to ball them into fists. The words just tumble out of me and I can see the anger building in Elijah’s face. His neck and chest are turning red.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” He roars. “I bring you here, to be with my parents! With my family! And this is the bullshit you come up with?”

Mr. Moose starts yelping at Elijah. He runs up through his legs and barks at him. Elijah looks like he’s about to explode.

“I just… it’s just…” I take a deep breath.

Why was your passcode changed? Why is she all over you whenever she’s near? Why don’t you push her away? Why don’t you treat me with respect?

“It’s just what?”

“Nothing,” I say. Moose is going nuts.

“Will you shut that fucking dog up?!” Elijah roars. Tears gather in my eyes and I scoop Mr. Moose into my arms.

I rush out the bedroom door. My eyes are so full of tears that I can hardly see. As soon as I’m out of the bedroom I crash right into Jesse’s broad, warm chest. Somehow, I manage to stop myself from crushing my trembling dog between us.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Jesse says, catching my elbows. His hand goes to Moose’s head and the Frenchie nuzzles into his palm. Jesse’s eyes go to mine. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I sniffle, pulling away. “Nothing. Please, just leave me alone.”

His eyes are bright, and his eyebrows are drawn together in concern. He opens his mouth to speak, but I don’t have the strength to look at him right now. I just shake my head and rush down the stairs. I need some air.