Six #2
Owen sent a laughing-crying emoji, no doubt because he found my current discomfort hilarious. He’d told me I’d regret my wild, playboy days.
I’ll have Ashley stop by asap.
Cool.
Naomi growled for a different reason, and I agreed. “That was…uncomfortable.”
“I think…what was her name? Kari? I think Kari drooled on the couch.”
Naomi and I looked at each other and broke out into laughter. She continued to laugh until her chuckles turned to sobs. She covered her face with her hands as I rose over her, gripping her wrists.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“N-nothing. I just…I won’t have a Kari-level perky ass again—”
“I adore your butt. I was just thinking it’s perfect.”
“And…and…I get annoyed with you. There’s no way I could repeat your stats back to you like Brooke did—”
“And I would be bored if you tried,” I said.
“But you impressed her,” Naomi sob hiccupped.
I pulled Naomi into my arms, letting her stretch up next to me so I could snuggle her as we both lay on the sofa.
“No, love. I didn’t impress her; she’s enamored with my athletic achievements.
That woman doesn’t know that I can’t ever cook chicken all the way through without burning it.
She doesn’t know that I may jump out of bed at five, but I’m a wreck by three in the afternoon and zombie my ass through the evening.
She doesn’t know that I get that weird rough patch of skin on my lower back that itches so damn much or that I may sort and wash laundry, but I always freeze at the dryer and never remember what can and can’t go in it so that you have to re-wash half those loads again. ”
Naomi rested her cheek and her palm against my chest. “Those are just some interesting quirks that make you, well, you—”
“Which I find annoying as all get out, which means you have to find them annoying, too. But you still love me despite my inability to choose which drawer is for my shirts and which for my shorts, so they just get all jumbled together…”
Naomi leaned back and glared at me. “That is annoying.”
“See?” I kissed the tip of her nose. “I suck.”
“You do not. You’re wonderful. Thank you.” She wrapped both arms around me and squeezed.
“Of course. What did I do?”
“Reassured me, which you’ve been doing more and more of lately.” She turned quiet, contemplative, and I stroked her hair. “I’m a lot,” she murmured.
“You’re mine,” I retorted.
“Always, but that doesn’t mean I’m not high maintenance.”
I cupped the back of her neck, rubbing my thumb along her pulse.
“Naomi, you leave your bras in the living room and bathroom, and while I should find that irritating, I can’t help but get horny because those scraps of silk and lace are sexy.
You cook the juiciest chicken but can’t grill.
You always buy my favorite snacks, even the chips, even though you and I both know I eat too many.
You watch literally every hockey game that comes on television with me, and you always cheer for my team.
You rearrange your work so you could be at all my games when I played.
So, love, you may be high maintenance, but you’re also thoughtful, kind, and my wife. ”
She kissed me. I let her keep it chaste and sweet for almost a minute before I swept my tongue into her mouth and turned that loving kiss into a precursor for the sex I couldn’t have with her for another few weeks. She moaned as she tangled her legs with mine.
When we broke apart, we were both breathing hard. Yeah, these next few weeks would be torture. Good thing I was a professional athlete and used to defer gratification.
“Okay. I’m not doing this again.”
“What?” I asked.
“Falling apart over silly little things. I mean, I may, but I plan to work toward not losing my shit. I know you love me, Adam. I know that. I need to stop being so needy. And I will.”
“Okay…” I mean, really, what else could I say to that?
Naomi’s phone beeped, and she grabbed it. I loved that she continued to lay on me so that I could have read her message if I wanted—I didn’t need or want to, though.
“Oh. Millie and Keelie invited me over to their baby-date,” Naomi said. “I got a text a bit ago.”
She showed me the message, and I pursed my lips. “Do you want to go?”
“Yes,” she said. “They’re my friends and we all have kids around the same age.”
“But?”
She sighed and set the phone aside before her lovely brown eyes met mine. “But they’re so good at parenting and I can barely keep it together, and—”
“Hold up. Cutting this line off right now because it’s total BS, Naomi. Just what you were talking about a minute ago.”
I let that realization sink in. When it clicked, she pursed her lips, annoyed with herself.
“They may seem to have their act together better, but you know all about acts.” I met her gaze. “Do you want to see your friends?”
“Yes,” she said with conviction.
“Then, go. If they make you feel bad, tell them that. You know they want you there, too, because they like spending time with you.”
“I couldn’t possibly tell them…”
I tapped her lips with my index finger. “You can and should. They won’t like it if you keep feelings from them.”
Naomi chuckled at my word choice, but she kissed my finger before pulling back from it to say, “You’re right.”
“I’m always right.”
She raised an eyebrow at me. “Unless you’re wrong.”
One of her curls twisted around my finger. Naomi’s hair had always fascinated me. It was soft and thick and resilient, always bouncing back into the coil. “Which rarely happens.”
“Keep dreaming, bucko.”
“Don’t we have another nanny to interview?” I asked.
“Yeah. I thought she’d be here by now.”
“Well, I’m waiting on the couch.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
I got more comfortable, letting my legs spread wider as I dropped my head back against the cushion behind me.
I woke to the sound of Naomi’s laughter, and her delight brought a smile to my lips.
Slowly, I cracked my eyes open. I loved a good nap.
In fact, I thought they might well be the most underutilized weapon in professional sports.
A twenty-minute snooze invigorated me, making me feel ready to jump tall buildings and all that Superman propaganda.
My gaze shifted to the swing, but it was empty and stopped. I rose to my feet, a moment of panic hitting me, until I realized Naomi must have Felix with her.