One year later…
I have learned many things about myself over this past year. Many I wasn’t sure were good things, like being nosy and selfish. Still, I surprised myself in the end. I discovered I am stronger than I knew, braver than I thought possible, and my taste in men isn’t all that bad, since Zander has turned out to be a winner.
I went through an ordeal not many people understand, and my life has only gotten better since. Like how I have grown and found someone to grow with. Plus, my web design business has taken off, and my life now feels full and happy. I’m not the same person I was one year ago.
I also realized I am incredibly stubborn and competitive. Both attributes Van has helped bring out in me.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Van asks, his cocky smile so similar to Zander’s that it makes me pause.
Can I actually do this?
I lost the last eight times I challenged him, but I have gotten closer each time to winning.
“Yep, I’m ready.”
“Same reward as the last times?” he checks, and I nod.
The reward being the loser has to clean up after dinner. It probably doesn’t sound like the biggest deal, but it’s worth it enough for Van to keep putting it up, and it doesn’t cost me any money, so I’m not going to argue.
“Okay, I’m pressing the button,” he warns, clicking the elevator button, and I watch as the lights slowly glide downward to ground level.
“When I win, I’m going to cook something so complicated that I use every dish we own,” I taunt Van, who appropriately pokes his tongue out at me.
“Hey, babe,” Zander calls from behind me, closing his car door just as the elevator door dings and opens.
“Don’t distract me!” I yell out at Zander, not even bothering to turn around to look at him. Instead, I sprint into the stairwell, letting the door slam shut behind me as I race upward.
I leap three, sometimes four, steps at a time, grabbing the rail to help propel me upward and nearly take out a man when he startles me.
“Out of the way!” I scream at him, not caring how rude I sound.
I’m completely covered in sweat as I pound the last few steps and launch myself through the doors on our level and take the few steps to slam into our door.
A second later, a ding echoes and Van rushes through, his shoulders drooping when he sees I made it first.
“I won,” I huff, not even sure if they are audible words.
“Rematch!”
“No way.” I shake my head. My legs feel like jelly, and my heart is thundering in my chest. I doubt I will ever be able to make that feat again.
Zander soon follows up at a slow jog, shaking his head at me and smiling at how put out Van looks.
“You’re not really going to make something that uses every pot and pan we own, are you?” Van’s voice is a mix between pleading and whiny.
“Yep.” I nod. The last thing I feel like doing now is standing in the kitchen and making something complicated and likely ridiculous just to use up every dish, but a promise is a promise. Maybe I can just make a mess in them all without really needing to use them …
“No way. Zander! Let’s get takeout! Please!” he begs.
“This one time, I’m going to have to agree with Van,” he tells me, reaching out so he can help me to my feet.
“What? No way!” I complain, sounding a lot like Van.
“We’re celebrating tonight,” he informs us both. This is when I notice the high energy surrounding him, as well as the grin he can’t seem to get off his face.
“We are?” I ask.
“Yep.” Zander takes out his keys and opens the door, letting us in first before closing it behind him and placing his keys on the side table. I drop mine there, too, and let him lead me into the open space, watching as he turns back to face me, still smiling huge.
“Celebrating what?” I press, quickly thinking back over our recent days together to see if I can jog any memory of whether he was working any big cases or not. Maybe he closed one?
“Is this going to be an anniversary thing? ’Cause I don’t want to be here if that is the case. I’ll take my pizza to go and sleep over at Jeb’s,” Van quickly says.
I redden in embarrassment, knowing why he doesn’t want to be here if that is the case. Van has most definitely not walked in on anything or seen us in any compromising positions, but he did overhear us once.
I was mortified, and even Zander was a little embarrassed. Van being the little shit he can sometimes be, asked us a million embarrassing questions about what the moans meant and why I was suddenly so religious.
We had ourselves tied up in so many ridiculous lies and stories that just telling the fake excuses was embarrassing.
I like to sometimes call out to God in the middle of the night …
I stubbed my toe so I was groaning …
I had to call Ava’s name because she was having a bad dream, which also explains those moans …
I was asking what she wanted for dinner this weekend and everything I suggested was a yes …
I wanted him to know I was coming to that barbeque thing Sasha was putting on …
That then meant Sasha had to put a barbeque lunch on, which was a weird thing to ask her to do while not explaining why we needed one.
It was awful. I think I spent that entire conversation beet red.
Then, a few days later, Van asked Zander in private if we were having sex. He had been learning some things about it at school. Van had meant the question in general, since we slept in the same room, but Zander thought he was talking about the night of lies. Consequently, he came clean since he didn’t want to scar Van, and ended up scarring him anyway because he then had confirmation that he heard us “oldies” having sex.
It has been an awkward few weeks ever since, and Zander and I have been too terrified to do anything with each other with Van home. I won’t even allow it when Van’s asleep. Therefore, for the past month, I have been visiting Zander in his new office so we don’t have to abstain from sex completely.
We have christened his desk, his chair, his couch, each wall, and as of a few nights ago, his personal bathroom. It got to the point where I couldn’t walk into his office without my body reacting since I started associating the space with sex. Zander was the same.
I think I nearly killed him when I walked into his office right in the middle of a meeting. I was just dropping something off for him like he had asked, but I left him with more than I brought with me. He had a hard-on for rest of the meeting. He told me later that he couldn’t even stand up to see his new client out.
Hence, while Van brought up our anniversary with one unsavory thought in mind, I can’t help remembering that we already celebrated our “anniversary” just a few nights ago. That was when we broke in his personal bathroom.
I feel a warm flush as I let those memories wander through my mind briefly before I quickly box them away. This is so not the time to be recalling those toe-curling moments.
We decided to make our anniversary the day of our first kiss, which also happened to be the night we first had sex. Hence, the bathroom sex. We decided to make it a tradition and do that every year. Not that we haven’t had loads of bathroom sex in the meantime. I don’t know why, but it’s like our special place.
As to what this celebration could be about, I don’t really know.
“It’s not an anniversary thing,” Zander growls, messing up Van’s hair before he can duck out of the way. “I found us a new place to live.”
“We’re moving?” I gasp, not even aware he was looking, let alone close to finding somewhere.
“Yep.”
“Is my room bigger?” Van rushes to ask, clearly his main concern.
“It sure is. Twice as big as what you have now,” he tells him, and Van whoops loudly, running around the apartment with the energy only a kid could have at the end of the day.
I watch him race around, not sure how I feel about being left out of this discussion. Then again, I have just been living here and putting money in when I can. I pay for some groceries, and perhaps a few things I got for around the place to soften it up a little. We never talked about money before because it’s never been important to either of us.
What if, by not having that talk, by not paying half the rent, I forfeited my rights for any future involvement in things like this? Do I even have the right to feel annoyed by this? Haven’t I given him this assumption by not bringing it up before now?
Zander wraps his arms around me, pulling me against his front. I think he is leaning down for a kiss, but he drifts to my side instead and moves his lips to my ear, sending shivers from the way his breath caresses me. “We will have our own personal bathroom, and our bedroom is down the hall from Van. Plus, I asked the contractor to soundproof it.”
We will be able to have sex in our own bed! We don’t have to leave the house to do it! That right there is a godsend.
Nevertheless, my other thoughts weigh heavily on me.
“You’re not happy?” he finally asks when I have clearly been quiet for too long.
“I am …” I say carefully, aware that Zander’s huge grin has just fallen.
“But …?” he encourages.
“I didn’t even know you were looking for a place,” I point out.
“It’s a surprise!”
“But, don’t couples usually talk about this stuff?” I push, still feeling unsure about all this.
“What’s there to talk about? It has four bedrooms. We can share an office, one that is big enough to easily fit us both. It means you have your own space, but I can also work from home more often, too. The other room can be a spare bedroom, so if we have any guests over, they can actually stay with us. The kitchen is brand new. There is a walk-in closet in the main bedroom big enough to easily fit all of our stuff. It’s closer to Van’s school and close to my new office. And did I mention we have our own personal bathroom with a large shower and bench where I can sit you down and—”
“Zander!” I snap at him, mindful that Van is beginning to lose steam and is edging closer to us now.
“You are going to love this,” he assures me, squeezing his arms around me briefly as his smile returns in full force.
“How much is it?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll pay half. Whatever it is,” I promise, doing a quick mental assessment over my bank account. How much would I even be able to afford before I used up all my savings? I need to get back into doing temp work.
“Why?” Annoyance tinges his voice.
“Because, that is also what couples do!”
“Babe …” he sighs, cupping my face. “Are you concerned about money? Because, you know I make a shitload, right? I have plenty from my parents’ life insurance payout, plus what Van and I were left. We’re not going to be struggling for money.”
“I’m not concerned about that, not really. I’m just saying that it’s time I start pulling my weight.” I nod to myself after saying this, wishing I had come to this conclusion earlier.
“Why? Why now? Why with this? I’m not asking for that.” He frowns.
“But that isn’t fair on you. It isn’t equal, and a relationship should be equal.”
He gives a little growl now, dropping his hands from me as he puts space between us. “What is this sudden need for everything to be equal? Where is the rule book where that is written in stone?”
“It isn’t in a rule book. It’s just that this is what should happen if we don’t want money to get in the middle of things,” I snap irritably.
“It’s not getting into the middle of things. In an entire year, this is the first time we’ve even talked about it.”
“Exactly. And you suddenly think it’s perfectly fine to cut me out of an important decision because you don’t have to think about me and money,” I snap, trying to force a calming breath into me so this doesn’t deteriorate into an argument.
“I’m getting confused,” he finally mutters, irritation taking over his own features, no doubt matching mine, as he now takes another step backward, placing more distance between us.
“Oh geeze, I know what this is. You’re about to have a fight. If I go to Jeb’s early, will you promise to save me some pizza for tomorrow?” Van asks, breaking through the tension for a moment.
“We’re not fighting. We’re discussing,” I explain quickly.
“We’re not discussing anything. You’re making up excuses for this to not be perfect. We should be celebrating right now,” Zander contradicts me.
“Oh, so this is just some made up fight that I’m bringing up without any reason to be angry?” I snap.
“So, you’re angry now?”
“Yep, definitely getting out of here,” Van mumbles as he types away on his cell phone.
“Vaughn, go to your room!” Zander snaps.
“Don’t snap at him. Van hasn’t done anything to deserve to be sent to his room,” I argue right back.
“You’re right; you’re the one being ridiculous. You go to your room!” Zander retorts, and my eyes widen before they quickly narrow.
“I know nothing about girls, and even I know that was dumb,” Van mumbles, taking himself into his room and closing the door behind him.
With my hands on my hips, I take a threatening step toward Zander. “So, I’m a child now? I’m just here for you to boss me around?”
“No—”
“Because I’m getting sick of you bossing me around. I get that you’re the boss at work and in charge of everyone, but in here, we’re equal.”
“There’s that word again.” He throws his hands up, his frustration obvious. “Equal doesn’t mean we’re the exact same in every way. I’m bossy, so what? You usually like that about me. Should I expect you to join me at the gym so we can do the exact same workout every morning?”
“Now you’re making fun of me? What the hell is wrong with you?” I cry, my breath shaky when I try to force another calming gulp of air inside me.
“Wrong with me? I just gave you news that any normal person would jump in my arms, kiss me, and yell in excitement about, and you’re looking at me like I’ve just killed a puppy,” Zander growls, his body growing tenser until I wonder if the vein in his forehead might be at risk of popping through his skin.
“I’m not looking at you like that!” I deny. Am I?
“Well, I’ve clearly killed something.” He shakes his head at me. I hate how dismissive he is being.
“Don’t be an asshole. All I’m saying is, I would have liked to be included in such a huge decision. Are you saying you wouldn’t care if I came home and told you I bought you a brand-new car?”
His face blanches, and I know I won that point. Zander is still obsessed with his car. It’s like the “other woman” in our relationship. He washes it every Saturday morning. Every. Single. Saturday. And I’m not so sure it isn’t more him caressing it under the guise of washing it. That isn’t normal, right? Who does that? Just leave it out in the rain if it’s dirty. We live in Chicago; it’s not like the weather is so bright and sunny that rain doesn’t happen all the freaking time!
“That is not at all the same thing,” he splutters.
“It is, so admit it.”
As the buzzer at the wall goes off, we both glare at each other, willing the other to break our now staring contest to see who it is.
“I’m out of here. See you tomorrow,” Van says, walking through us and forcing us both to break eye contact at the same time.
“Wait, where are you going?” Zander demands, his ire moving from me to Van.
“To Jeb’s. Don’t forget to save me some pizza, if you ever stop arguing to order any.”
Before either of us can say another word, Van shuts the door.
“Damn kid,” Zander mutters, moving over to the window to glance down at the door down below. He obviously is okay with what he sees, which is likely Jeb and his father, so he turns back around to me. “Great,” he sarcastically retorts. “Van can’t even stand to be around us! Fantastic celebration!”
“Oh, and this is my fault? Do you want me to just shut up and ignore any feelings I have? Do you want some dutiful girlfriend who just smiles at your every word? Is that what you want to teach Van to want?”
“What the hell, woman? How did me giving you a surprise turn into this?”
“Because it was an incredibly generous surprise, but you also made it clear that you don’t need my opinion. And for some stupid reason, that hurts,” I snap, grabbing my keys from the table by the door. “I need to cool off,” I say as I slam the door shut.
When I make it to our underground parking garage, though, I realize I took Zander’s keys instead of my own.
I glance down at the keys, and then over to his car. A naughty thought occurs to me as I unlock it and quickly get in.
I haven’t driven his car since the night I stole it, and it’s probably wrong of me to do it now, but fuck him. If I really want to let loose and cool down, then this is the car to do it in.
I take off, leaving my foot on the accelerator a little longer than necessary and hoping I get a ticket somewhere just to piss him off.
It takes him ten minutes to realize I’m driving his car.
When he calls me, I pull over to answer the phone, though his voice comes through the speakers.
“Yes, dear?” I make sure my voice is sugary sweet.
“You stole my car,” he blandly accuses.
“Yep.”
“I could have you arrested.” His voice sounds calm, but perhaps more annoyed than angry.
“You could. But I have to wonder, with how easy you make it, if you don’t want your car stolen.”
He sputters at my insult. “You’re my girlfriend! I have to hide my keys from you now?”
“Just a question. Did this car have that scratch along the side when you left it last?” I smirk cruelly, waiting for his predictable outburst.
Zander gasps deeply, and I know I’m now just being mean. Bitchy and mean.
“You wouldn’t …” he squeaks.
“No, I wouldn’t,” I quickly give in, kicking myself for being this way. Am I an adult or am I Van’s age? “I … I don’t know why we’re fighting. I think I let this get out of hand.”
I have never been like this. Am I just making a big deal out of nothing? I should be happy, shouldn’t I? We did need a new apartment. The one we are in now is just way too small. The office is unworkable, the shared bathroom a nuisance, and there isn’t enough room for all our stuff in our bedroom. We have two suitcases out in the living room where we place the clothes that are no longer in season so we can fit our other things in the closet.
Zander is a neat freak, and it is impossible to keep things tidy with three of us there.
“No, I think this is my fault. You stealing my car is your fault, but the rest is on me.”
“It’s just a car, Zander.” I sigh, tapping the wheel as I wonder what it is he loves so much about this car.
“It’s my baby.”
“Oh, really?”
“You’re my babe. Definitely a step up from baby,” he rushes to soothe my bruised ego.
“Just a step?”
“More than a step. A whole staircase up from baby,” he quickly adjusts.
I sigh again, relaxing into the seat. “How come we’ve never had sex in here before?”
“You want to have sex in my car?” he gasps. I can’t tell if he is horrified or turned on by that idea.
“I just think it’s weird that we never have. We have sex everywhere else; why not your car?”
“Babe, I don’t know how we got onto this discussion, but if your plan is to make it so we can no longer be decent in public, then you’re succeeding.”
I smile a little at this, yet my mind feels scattered, my thoughts unable to stick to anything. I’m distracted, and I don’t like that I still feel hurt.
“Come back home, please?”
“I’m not sure I’ve cooled down enough for that. I don’t like us fighting,” I admit.
“Then give me an hour and meet me at the address of our new place. Tell me your opinion on it.”
“You wouldn’t have announced we have a new apartment if you hadn’t signed whatever you need to for it. You don’t need my opinion,” I point out, staring unseeingly out the side window, watching traffic pass me by.
“I can get out of it if you hate it. I should have asked you before. I was just excited and … well, I thought it would make a nice surprise.”
Tears well in my eyes at just hearing this, my anger completely deflated now.
“Okay.”
“Babe, are you crying? Pull over if you’re still driving. It’s not safe.”
“I’m already pulled over,” I promise him, wiping at my eyes and blinking in the hopes of erasing any trace of my tears or encouraging more to follow.
“Good. I’m sorry,” he grumbles. “I don’t want you crying. I don’t want you upset.”
“I’m not upset,” I say through my tears that betray my wishes as they rush down my cheeks. “Just send me the address.”
“I will. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“One hour,” he confirms, his worry clear in those two words.
“One hour,” I agree before he hangs up.
I take several breaths and then drive around aimlessly, enjoying the mundaneness of it as I let my thoughts slowly filter through my mind.
I don’t think I’m out of line, but I do think I helped our fight escalate to ridiculous heights. I hold plenty of blame in that.
Zander and I rarely fight. When we have a disagreement, we usually say a few words, one of us will leave the room to cool down, and then we are fine. I have never stormed out before, and we have never been mean about it.
What does Van think of all this?
I send him a quick text message, apologizing, and since kids live on their phones these days, he replies almost instantly, reminding me to save him some pizza.
Van’s definitely not a mushy type of person.
Under his message, I see one from the district attorney Zander is friends with. He let us know just yesterday that the last plea bargain was reached. Thirty-eight men were arrested over the abuse and murder of the countless women, along with many more arrested for aiding and abetting the men, one of those being Ken, who was already done for kidnapping and attempted murder.
With all the arrest warrants they got, more videos were seized, which led to more victims and perpetrators being discovered. It meant I avoided having to testify in front of jurors, and no one will be getting out on parole until they are easily senior citizen age, if they are lucky.
Receiving that message was another life changing moment for me. That horror in my life could finally close, and even though I still get the odd nightmare, I mostly have put it behind me.
Brian might not have lost his dick, unfortunately, but he won’t ever be a free man.
I drive around a little longer, letting my mind wander, and then, with ten minutes to spare, I drive to the location Zander sends me in a text.
It is in a much nicer part of town, and the building is huge, at least fifty stories high. I don’t know how much rent Zander is paying for this place, or if he’s bought it and has a mortgage, but whatever the payments are, there is no way I can afford half.
I find a place to park down the block and walk my way back to the building. By the time I reach the front door, Zander is there, waiting for me.
He quickly envelopes me in a hug, and I respond just as tightly in return.
“I’m sorry.”
“So am I. Although, not about stealing your car. What kind of private investigating company do you run?” I joke, poking him in the side as he pinches my thigh. I leap away from him, exaggerating my pain. “Ouch!”
“That didn’t hurt,” he grumbles. “I will be getting you back for stealing my car again. I might have a pair of handcuffs somewhere.”
Now that idea warms me up, and I smile happily at him, making him groan before he drags me forward.
“Come on; we need to get inside quickly before I am arrested for indecent exposure.”
“Sounds kinky,” I mutter, letting myself be dragged toward the apartment building, where I am introduced to a doorman. I have never lived anywhere where there has been a doorman!
“Please tell me we’re on the first floor,” I beg hopefully.
“Twenty-eighth,” he tells me, and I almost pull my hand from his grip right then and there.
“No way am I taking the stairs up twenty-eight floors!”
“I know,” he concedes immediately.
I breathe out in relief.
“We’ll take the elevator up to the twentieth floor and walk from there.” He grins at me, and I slap him hard across the arm.
“No fucking way. You can do that, but I’m riding up in the elevator the whole way.”
He rolls his eyes and gives me an exasperated sigh, but he does nod his head in agreement.
“I swear, if Van tries to challenge me to run up twenty-fucking-eight flights of stairs, I will feed him seafood for a month,” I threaten, already knowing this won’t stop Van for long. He hates seafood, but he probably loves a challenge more.
Zander laughs, but as we get closer to the twenty-eighth floor, I feel his nerves begin to build. Is he nervous that I will hate it? Is he nervous that this will cause another fight between us?
“Ready?” he asks as the elevator dings with the knowledge that we have arrived.
“Sure.” I’m really not.
He keeps ahold of my hand as we walk down the hall and stand in front of apartment 282.
Wow, that is a crazy number.
“I got a spare key from the contractor. He hasn’t put in the soundproof walls yet, but we’re free to stay in here tonight. I thought maybe after a night here, you can make up your mind.”
I nod, staring in wonder as he opens the front door, and am immediately overwhelmed by the amount of room in front of us.
This place is also an open living room and kitchen, which is all a dark marble, including the fridge door to match. Exquisite. The living room looks ridiculously huge, and I hope that it will look less daunting with furniture. The next area will be perfect for a long dining room table, and the windows are ground to ceiling high.
I look out at the view and see countless rooftops, buildings, and a beautiful sun beginning to set. The orange sky and the way the light hits the floor and lights up the walls around us looks stunning. I can imagine myself enjoying this view every day, not that we get much weather like this.
He moves past the first closed door and shows me our office, Van’s bedroom, and then the bathroom Van will be using, as well as the guest bedroom.
I had no ideas places like this existed. At least, not without having to give up a body part to be able to afford.
After oohing at everything, already envisioning what I can see us doing for each room and how I will organize the office, he finally takes me back to the first room. There, he takes a deep breath before he opens the door.
My eyes are immediately drawn to the floor where Zander has set up a mattress, placed some bedding down, and then covered it all in rose petals.
“Oh, Zander,” I gasp, squeezing his hand when I next notice the candles he’s set up around the room.
“I wanted out first night here to be perfect. I want you to love this place as much as I do,” he tells me, excitedly dragging me to the adjoining bathroom to show me how large the bathtub is. That’s right; we also have our own tub, which will definitely fit us both! And he shows off how roomy the shower is, and without innocent thirteen-year-old ears around to overhear, he finishes telling me his ideas for the bench. He’s being cheeky and fun, yet I know he’s still a little nervous, waiting for my verdict.
“Come back out onto the bed,” he suggests, moving me toward it where I notice he also has a bucket of ice with a bottle of champagne off to the side. He really has been busy.
He moves to open the bottle, but I stop him, which immediately wipes the smile off his face.
“Just let me speak first,” I beg, seeing a forlorn expression settle over his features as his shoulders droop. “You’re right; this place is amazing, and I love it. If you say we can ditch your awful couch and buy a new comfortable one for this place, then I’m definitely okay with moving in here.”
His smile returns, his face lighting back up, and he reaches out, pulling me toward him and kissing me long and hard.
I’m breathless when he pulls away and reaches for the champagne again.
“Wait, I’m not finished.” I wait for him to settle. He leaves his arms around me, and I’m half-draped over him. “If you had talked to me about wanting to move, if you had shown me this place before you decided, I would have appreciated it. I know we’ve never really discussed money before, but you have to realize that it felt like a bit of a slap in the face to find out you didn’t feel you needed me at all to make a decision like this.”
“You’re right.” He hangs his head. “I’m sorry.”
“I know you are, and I know that next time something important comes up, we’ll discuss things between us first.” I say it like a fact, but my voice has a small amount of warning echoing there.
“Of course,” he rushes to agree.
“Good, because I think we might have some big decisions coming up in our future and I don’t want this to be an issue again. I don’t like fighting, and I definitely don’t want to have the same fights over and over with you.”
“I agree.” He waits a moment.
I have obviously been quiet enough for him to assume I’m done.
I’m not.
“There’s one more thing.”
“Ava, this ice is going to melt before we even get to drink this. We have an entire night free of Van, and I am definitely going to make the most of it. Do you know how long it has been since I heard you scream while you’re coming?”
I roll my eyes at him, trying to act like he’s being ridiculous, but deep down, I’m desperate to let loose and enjoy our freedom, too.
“This will be quick. I don’t think we should make the fourth room a guest room.”
“You don’t? Why?” His eyes widen as he comes to his own conclusion. “Are you thinking a gaming room for Van? Because that’s actually not a bad idea—”
“I’m two weeks late,” I blurt out.
“Late to what?” he adorably misunderstands.
“Zander! I might be pregnant.”
His mouth drops open. “Are you for fucking real?” he wheezes out, a smile so huge taking over his face that I can barely see his cheeks anymore.
With zero warning, he wraps me in his arms and leaps to his feet, still holding me and jolting me, no doubt risking a serious back injury for himself, too.
“This is amazing news!” he yells at the top of his lungs, endearing us to our new neighbors, no doubt. He then swings me dizzily around, and I have to slap him to stop him.
“Zander!”
“This is the best day of my life!” he cries, his eyes shiny from unshed tears.
I laugh as he kisses me chastely on my lips before he kisses me all over my face.
“Zander, I might not be pregnant, you know. I’m just late at this stage.” And I have never been late in my entire life. Still, I might not be … maybe … Am I seriously ready for motherhood?
“Then let’s go out right away. There is a drugstore on the corner—”
“No,” I blurt out.
“No? Why? Are you …? Do you not want this?” He stares at me carefully now, his undivided attention on me.
“I do. I absolutely want this with you. But tonight is our first night in our brand-new home, and I like knowing that the possibility is there. If I take a test and it comes back negative, it’ll put a damper on our night. We can buy a test tomorrow. For tonight, let’s just enjoy each other.”
He smiles then, kissing my lips again, long and sweetly. “I love you so much.”
“Even though I keep stealing your car?”
“Yes,” he sighs dramatically, “even though you keep stealing my car.”
I smile.
We enjoy ourselves in our new bedroom. Then we get some takeout and feed each other as we laugh about all the comments Zander has had to put up with from Sasha. She is not at all fooled by our worktime nooky. Then we break in the bathroom because, well, it wouldn’t be us if we didn’t have bathroom sex on the regular.
For many months, this night is the best night of my life. And then, a few months later, that changes to the night our son is born.
He comes into the world happy, healthy, and surrounded by close family and friends, all full of love for each other and our little boy.
And all of this came about because I stole a car.
The right car.
And from that crime, I found love.