Page 57 of Feeding Hope
“We’ve never talked about it. Is it something you want?”
“To be honest, I hadn’t thought much about it until we looked at the house. The swing set got me thinking.”
“Me too,” I admitted.
The truth was, Jesse and I… well… our marriage was… different. We were incredibly close. We loved each other exclusively and deeply. His father, years ago, hinted he would stray as “all” military men did. Not Jesse. In fact, his team teased him mercilessly because he didn’t even look. His response was always the same.
“I’ve got my sweetness. She’s all I see.”
We were cuddlers; we kissed often, but the physical side of our marriage was quiet. That didn’t mean we didn’t make love, because we did, but not terribly often. However, when we did, it was always slow. Gentle. It may not have been exciting and filled with all-consuming passion like my novels depicted, but that was fiction anyway. No one sustained a marriage on that.
Heck, Jamie couldn’t sustain more than one night. And while the other guys had girlfriends occasionally, they never seemed to last long either. Only Honcho was long-lasting, married to his high school sweetheart, and they had a daughter, a beautiful baby girl named Brooklyn.
“I have pangs every once in a while,” I told him. “I think I’d love being a mom to a little girl or boy, especially if they looked like you.”
“We could end up with twins,” he warned.
That was a danger since the gene ran in his family.
“We’d manage.”
He gave me that soft smile again, and we met halfway with a kiss to seal the deal. I felt him harden against me, and he groaned. Our foreheads touched. “Shitty timing. I’ll never get those knuckleheads out of our yard until at least midnight. And one or two might end up sleeping on the couch or in the spare room. Not exactly conducive to romance.”
I giggled. “That’s okay. We’ve got plenty of time.”
“Love you, sweetness.”
“I love you too.”
Chapter Thirteen.
Jesse – Five years later.
Ididn’t jinx us that day and send us on a mission that week. In fact, that period when we bought the new house ended up being the longest we’d ever been home, which was nice because it allowed us to get to know our new team member well before heading out.
Tiguan was actually another Wisconsin resident; however, he came from a small town up north named River Falls. My radar was pinging on him as being an asset the minute I shook his hand, and I knew within an hour of our first PT session he would fit in well.
He and I became friends quickly as well. He had a family he wasn’t close to, something else we had in common, so that was probably part of it. We spent a great deal of time together because of our shared background.
Today I actually had a chance to video call Lyrical, a rare opportunity. We could call home, but our position forced us to use secure channels. We’d only been gone two weeks, but I really missed her. More than usual. I wouldn’t be able to talk long, but it would be good to see her face.
“Hey, sweetness,” I greeted when she hit the accept button.
“Hey, Jesse!” Her smile was infectious, and everyone who saw it couldn’t help but smile back. “Wow, Jamie’s even there.” Thatcaused the smile to dip a little. Not because she didn’t like him, but she knew that meant something was going on or could be soon. It always made her worry.
Suddenly, there was a swarm around me. Nothing like hot, sweaty guys who’d just been throwing the football around, crowding you while talking to your wife. Kissy sounds, general flirting, and shouted jokes surrounded me, and she was laughing at all their antics.
“Go away, you knuckleheads, you’re wasting my precious call time!”
With much good-natured ribbing, they all drifted away. I noticed, though, that Tiguan only drifted so far. He was back at one of our other stations working on something, and he had his back to me. It wasn’t his shift there, so it was curious. I wondered if maybe he had a little crush on Lyrical. It was kind of cute, actually. I knew she’d never stray, and he’d never cross that line either, so I said nothing to him about it.
Pitching my voice lower and quieter, I asked, “How are you doing?”
“I miss you.”
“I miss you too. Everything going okay? Work? Volunteering?”
“Yes. I picked up an extra shift at the food bank, and the shelter asked me to help with a fundraiser, so I’m keeping busy.”
