Page 73 of Let's Call a Truce
Content they were asleep, I called him back over, bouncing by the door while I waited for his soft knock. I was on him in a heartbeat, pulling him as close as he could get as I half climbed his tall body.
“Your gift was so thoughtful,” I whispered on his lips between kisses, tugging him after me toward my bedroom, frantic to reach my bed. I felt more than heard his laugh, too impatient to leave his mouth.
“If I had known all I needed to do was give your kids gifts, I would have done it years ago.”
“Been pining that long?”
“From the second I saw you, baby. I fought so hard against it.” My kiss cut him off, and we finally got to my room, reachingback to lock it just to be safe. I finally let him go, desperate to get all of our clothes off. “But every time I saw you, every time you cut me down for my bullshit, every time I heard how brilliant you are at your job, I knew I was a goner.”
I looked at him then, naked before me and perfect, and knew my heart must have shined in my eyes.
“Me, too.” I ran my hands up his incredible torso and looped them around his neck. “Fighting with you was my favorite part of the day, even when I wouldn’t admit it.”
We stopped speaking then, falling into my bed with a laugh. I set a 6A.M.alarm so he could sneak back out before anyone got up, happy to get another night to sleep in his arms.
“Mom…” A call came out early the next morning from down the hall, and I snuggled more deeply into Ben’s arms, hoping for a few more minutes of rest. The handle jiggled, and I shot up like lightning had struck me.
“Mom, why is the door locked?”
Clara’s question woke Ben up, too, and we looked at each other with a mixture of horror and hilarity. Apparently, the alarm didn’t go off, or maybe one of us turned it off in our sleep, but now we were like teenagers caught where we weren’t supposed to be.
“I was going to shower, honey.” I gestured wildly for Ben to get dressed. “What’s up?”
“I’m hungry. Can you make us breakfast?”
We were so busy talking through whispers and hand gestures, I hardly registered her question. “Um, yeah, sweetie. Give me a minute.”
“What do I do?” Ben whispered.
“The window?”
He rolled his eyes. “You’re really going to make me jump out the window? Like I’m your dirty little secret?”
“Well, baby, you’re dirty and my secret, but nothing about you is little.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere.” He gave me one last lingering kiss before opening the window. I needed to move to cover up how badly we destroyed my bedroom, but I couldn’t seem to look away from my six-foot-four boyfriend shimmying his way out of a small window.
After that, we both agreed sleepovers with the girls in the house probably were not the best idea.
The next weekend was the soccer game, and Clara woke up more excited than I had ever seen her. I got a call from Katie early saying Olivia was sick and couldn’t make it, so I called Asia to offer her the ticket last minute. She was always up for a soccer game. I felt slightly guilty about being happy a ten-year-old was sick, but I was more excited to get some much-needed time with my best friend.
The Orlando City stadium was right in the middle of downtown, which turned from a calm, easy-to-navigate town into a congestion nightmare on game days. We inched along, fighting for parking that wouldn’t cost us fifty dollars, charged by a sketchy man next to an even sketchier apartment complex.
Finally parked, we wound through the city streets in a flood of purple. Orlando City Soccer Club hadn’t been around long, but the city had embraced it as its hometown team in full force. Maybe it was because the only other sports team had been horrible for several decades, but within a few years, you could find Orlando City shirts in every store, and bumper stickers on most cars.
Clara and Autumn ran a few feet ahead of us as we came up to the stadium, both cheering in their matching jerseys as they saw the huge lion banner out front. Clara’s eyes were shining, and I snapped a quick picture to send to Ben.
Once settled in our seats, I fanned myself, wishing my daughter was obsessed with something indoors. Like basketball. Orvolleyball. Or, hell, even just movies. I’d sacrifice my child’s physical fitness to get out of this Florida heat. With the girls distracted by a debate on which players were the best, Asia turned to me.
“So, how are things going?”With Benwas implied.
“Amazing. It’s almost too amazing. Like things have been perfect. At least something should be wrong, right?” I asked.
“I’ve been telling you for years he is a great guy.”
“I know. It’s just weird to be with someone else.” I glanced over at the girls. They were deep in conversation about the players’ stats, so I felt free to talk. “Reallybe with them, not like with Mike.”
She had been subjected to all the mundane horror of last year’s fling. “That’s because you didn’t care one bit about Mike.”
