40. Trevor #2
“I-I know it was your dream position years ago. When your name floated across the transfer candidate pool, I thought it was because of our conversation at that training a few months ago, so I sent it to Miles. You’re more than qualified for this position, Trevor.
I just thought, maybe if I could do this for you?—”
“What? That’d I’d be so grateful it would make up for betraying me in the worst way? Come on, Marla. You’re smarter than that.”
“If I had known?—”
“ Stop .” The doors open on the third floor. “It’s done now. Just take me to my office, and do me a favor?” I step out and turn to face her.
“W-what?” Her voice catches despite the squaring of her shoulders.
“Stop acting like you know anything about my life now. You don’t.”
Walking into Willa’s house after the shit show at work feels like crawling back to base camp after trying to climb Mount Everest. Because of the mixup between departments, all of my access to the workspace portal was frozen.
I couldn’t do anything but shadow my teammates while they tried to walk me through the protocols for the department.
There are five flex employees, making me the sixth, and I’ve collaborated with trainers in the LA office for so long I already know everyone on the team.
That’s probably the only thing I have going for myself at this point.
A shitty day mixed with great company. Mostly.
Marla’s a lot more involved than I would like, but she kept a wide berth after our conversation in the elevator.
The house is quiet when I hang my computer bag by the door and slip off my shoes.
I have a brief moment of panic, reminded of the last time I came home and Willa was nowhere to be found.
Walking slowly to her bedroom, I find my first reason to smile all day sleeping on my pillow.
I drop to my knees and place a hand on her belly, then wake her with a kiss on the forehead and my thumb to her cheek.
Willa stretches her neck as she peeks an eye open. “You’re home?” she asks through a yawn. “What time is it?”
“Uh.” I check my watch. “Five-thirty. You can go back to sleep. I just wanted to let you know I’m home.”
“No, it’s okay. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” She eases up to sit against the headboard. “How was work?”
“Welp, I got a promotion…maybe.”
Willa cocks her head, and I don’t miss the twitch in her eyes as they narrow.
“You remember that ex who cheated on me? Well, we work in the same department now, and I hate it.” I puff out my cheeks, releasing my breath slowly, trying not to shift my eyes from her intense stare.
“Is this something I should be worried about?” she asks, grabbing her fingers.
I slip my hand over hers and squeeze. “Not a chance in hell.”
“Then I’m not worried.” She reaches around my neck and pulls me into a kiss that takes all the tension in my body and tosses it out of the room.
The slow dart of her tongue between my lips makes everything else disappear, and the gentle give and take whispered between our embrace flips the day on its head.
Work is work, but this is everything. She pulls away, and I chase her for one more, not ready to crash back down to reality.
Smiling, she whispers, “You look stressed out. Go shower. Tell me about the rest after.”
I am stressed. As much as I don’t want to spend another second away from her today, the heat from the shower is exactly what my tense muscles need right now.
I make it a quick one and head back to the room.
The last of my bad mood melts away when I climb into bed, and she tucks herself into my arms. “How was your day, Gem?”
“You’ll be happy to know I stayed in bed except for bathroom breaks and getting food, just like you asked me to.”
“ Finally , she listens…” I tease, leaning my head against the headboard with a smile.
She pokes me in the chest. “You’re not getting off that easy. Tell me about your day.”
I heave a long sigh and give her the play-by-play. The more I tell her, the more confused she looks.
“You’re acting like they made you kick puppies all day. Apart from having to deal with your ex, what’s the problem?”
“The problem is, I walked into HR this morning with one job and came out with a tentative promotion.”
“A promotion torturing puppies?”
“One that will have me traveling all over the country right around the time the baby’s due.”
“Okay, but don’t you like traveling?” She gives a knowing look as she taps her hand on my chest.
“Yeah, I love it. I’ve wanted this promotion for years, but not right now. You need me now.”
“Sweetheart, take me and the baby out of it.”
Did she just call me sweetheart ?
My heart’s pitter-pattering like my crush just said I was cute. I clear my throat, shaking my head. “I don’t want to do that.”
“Just humor me. If we weren’t a factor, would this promotion still be tentative?”
Sighing, I run a hand over my head. I see what she’s doing here, trying to spin this the exact way I spun Europe for her. Even with Marla’s intrusion, I’d have jumped at the chance for this a few months ago.
“If I’m not allowed to give up Europe, you’re not allowed to give this up either.”
“But—”
“Nope. Take it.”
“I’m gonna have them write in some stipulations about distance and?—”
“Tell them whatever conditions you need to make you feel comfortable taking the job. We’ll adjust and figure it out.
” She shifts to her knees and holds my face, making me melt into the soft touch of her fingers on my cheeks.
“You’ve worked hard for this. Don’t let anyone take it away from you.
Not me, not the baby. Especially cheating-ass Marla.
You hear me, Trevor Jones? I want your happiness too.
Take the promotion.” She presses her lips to mine as if she’s trying to sign the contract for me through the sheer force of her kiss.
“You called me sweetheart .” I grin, still giddy inside. “Am I your sweetheart?”
“Between the two of us, your heart is definitely the sweeter one…” She looks up at me through her lashes, wrinkling her nose. “I guess since we go together now, I should make this extra corny and tell you I’m sweet on you.”
“You gonna wear my letterman jacket and let everyone know we’re going steady?” I tease.
Willa’s laugh shoots straight into my chest. “Do you have one?”
“Somewhere back home.”
“Your Mom loves me. She’d gladly dig it out for your girlfriend.”
“You’re so much more than that, though.”
“So I’m…?”
“Gems in the ocean,” I say. Her eyebrows dip, and I chuckle.
“After the wedding a couple of years ago, the way you talked about the ocean molding something as simple as glass into precious gems was poetic. I’ve only ever seen you as something to be admired.
Treasured. You’re more than a friend, more than a girlfriend. You’re my gem, Willa. Just mine.”
Her eyes glisten, her lashes fluttering with emotion.
“Yours,” she whispers, swiping silken fingertips down my jaw.
She kisses me again, and if I thought I was branded before, this is transcendental.
I’m floating somewhere between reality and euphoria, and her touch sends me straight to the peak of happiness.
I’m so gone for her; it wouldn’t be possible to find a way back even if I wanted to.