Chapter 39
thirty-nine
Tristyn
I’ve never left Henry with anyone other than Vince, especially not overnight, but here I am.
It’s not that I don’t trust the people watching Henry tonight, honestly, for only knowing them for a small chunk of time, I actually have a lot of trust in this group of people.
I think a large part of that comes from the enormous amount of trust I have in Jeremy, and he loves everyone here like family.
Now, if it were just the guys, I don’t know how I’d feel about leaving Henry, especially overnight, but Ember feels like a reliable babysitting choice.
“If you aren’t sure about this, we can do it another time.” Jeremy squeezes my hand as we sit in the driveway. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to have my friends watch Henry. We can do this on a night that Vince is free.”
“No, it’ll be great. Henry talks about Zeke all the time; it’s honestly annoying how often he gets brought up in our house.”
“That tends to happen.” Jeremy chuckles. “Zeke has that effect on… everyone.”
I take a deep breath and pat the steering wheel.
“Alright, let's get inside before I change my mind.” I get out of the car and open my back door, allowing Henry to get out and join me on the driveway. “Ready, baby?”
Henry doesn’t say anything to me; he slings his backpack over his shoulder and then runs to the front door with the biggest smile on his face.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” I grab his overnight bag from the car, but before I can throw it over my own shoulder, Jeremy grabs it and throws it over his. “Come on, it’s heavy. I’ll take it.”
“Precisely the reason why I’ll take it.” Jeremy kisses the side of my head and then walks to the front door. Once I join him, he pops the door open.
“There he is!” Zeke claps his hands together, but doesn’t approach Jeremy; instead, he walks straight to Henry.
He messes up Henry’s hair.
“Have you grown, dude? I swear you’re like a foot taller than the last time I saw you.” Zeke looks down at Henry, who just laughs and follows Zeke into the kitchen.
“I’m going to drop his stuff off in my room.” Jeremy squeezes my hand, then grabs Henry’s backpack that he dropped on the floor the second he walked away.
“Come in.” Ember motions for me to come in, and that’s when I realize I’m still standing in front of the open doorway. I shut the door behind me and walk toward the living room.
As I pass the kitchen, I see Zeke and Declan showing Henry the pantry, pulling out grocery bags full of various candies and chips, which I’m assuming they bought just for tonight.
I can’t help but smile.
He’s definitely in good hands.
“Are you excited about tonight?” Avalon asks as I sit down next to Ember.
“It’s not like we haven’t been out just the two of us,” I reply, fiddling with my nail polish.
“Yeah, but a whole night just the two of you?” She raises a suggestive eyebrow.
“Oh.” I lick my lips. “I don’t know if we’re there yet or even thinking about that. I, um—”
“Ignore her.” Ember rests a hand on my forearm. “Her relationship started out with sex, so she’s a little—”
Avalon chucks a pillow at her.
“She’s not wrong, it did, but it was never just sex. Even if we tried to act like it was.”
“All I’m saying,” Ember continues, “there’s no harm in waiting. You should both feel ready to go there in your relationship.”
“But there’s also no harm in not waiting.”
“As long as it’s what you both want.”
“Agree.” Avalon smiles.
The problem is, I don’t know how to bring this up with Jeremy. Not because I feel like it’s an awkward conversation to have, but because I think he’s hesitant to go there for a reason most people don’t have to consider.
I don’t think he’s had sex since his accident, and from how he talks, I don’t know when he last had sex prior to his accident.
I don’t want to push him into an uncomfortable situation because he thinks that my bringing it up means it’s now or never.
I’ve thought about it. I’ve thought about it a lot.
I’ve never been cared for the way Jeremy cares for me, so of course, taking that next step has been in the back of my mind for a while. But maybe Ember’s right. There’s no harm in waiting, and nothing says it has to be tonight.
“Alright,” the door flies open, “we’re here. The party can officially start.” Tate walks through the door with Brinley trailing closely behind her.
I don’t really know Tate, but everyone talks quite highly of her.
Henry comes out of the kitchen as she reaches the entryway.
“You must be Henry.” She bends down to be on his level. “I’m Tatum, but my friends call me Tate.”
She puts her hand out for Henry to shake, and he smiles as he does.
“I saw you onstage.” His cheeks turn pink. “You were really good.”
“Well, I like you already.”
“Hey.” Arms wrap around my waist, and I glance over my shoulder as Jeremy rests his head in the crook of my neck. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah.” I kiss him. “I think I am.”
We didn’t do anything too crazy tonight.
The opposite, actually. We got Chinese takeout and went back to my place to have a movie marathon.
It’s been nice because it felt like a glimpse into our future. Our real life. Things won’t always be glamorous. We won’t get to go out all the time and try new restaurants; sometimes, we might just have to stay in and enjoy each other’s company.
And it’s nice… enjoying each other’s company.
“I like this,” I whisper. “Being here with you.”
“Ditto.” He kisses my head. “Can I tell you a secret?”
“Always.”
“I’ve thought a lot about what a future between us could look like.”
My body feels hot. I never thought in a million years that this was the direction he was heading when he asked to tell me a secret.
“Yeah?” I question.
“Yeah. And every time I thought about it, it looked different. But tonight… I think I finally know what a future for us will look like.”
“This?”
“Yeah. This.” He runs a hand through my hair. “Although most nights like this will be kid-friendly movies, while Henry falls asleep between us. So, not this exactly, but… better.”
“Henry being here would make this better?”
“Yeah, it always does.”
I turn on my stomach so I can look up at him.
“I love how you care for him.”
“He’s a great kid. I don’t know how someone couldn’t care for him.” He brushes a strand of hair out of my face. “Is it wrong for me to admit I kind of miss that he’s not here?”
“No.” I laugh. “I was just sitting here wondering if it’d be wrong for me to call again.”
“I don’t know if they would pick up again.”
“That’s fair.”
“I am happy to be here with you, though, too. I like ending my days with you.”
“Ditto.”
“Maybe, someday, all of our days will end like this.”
My mouth falls open just slightly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a guy be this open about his feelings in a way that involves talking about the future.
“Maybe,” I mumble before placing a kiss against his lips. “Hopefully.”
He kisses me again.
“Hopefully.”