Page 65 of Keeping the Score

He nods.

“Are we sleeping with other people, too? Or just each other?”

He scowls. “Fuck that. Just each other.”

“Okay. But if we do want to date someone else, we have to be honest and open about it.”

“Absolutely.”

I hesitate. “Sleepovers. You’re okay with that?”

One corner of his mouth lifts. “Sleeping alone is a waste of my sexual talent.”

I laugh.

“But seriously, yeah, I’m okay with it.” He stands and takes my hands, pulling me up with him. “Better than okay. Let me demonstrate that stamina.”

He tugs me toward the bedroom and I go with him willingly, because holy hotness, this man knows how to kiss and how to make me come and it’s spectacular, and I want this, so, so much, and I have to ignore that pesky little voice in the back of my mind that’s whispering that this could be dangerous.

20

FORD

“Hi, niblet,” I greet my daughter the next morning.

She looks up at me now, beams a big smile and says, “Badadaga!”

I turn to Andi. “I think she’s trying to say daddy!”

She grins. “She could be.”

I pick Tilly up and hold her in front of me. She babbles more and I kiss her cheeks, then cuddle her. “I missed you. Did you watch my games?”

“We did. Well, I did. Tilly watched parts of them.”

“How did things go?”

“We survived.” She makes a face. “Actually, things were fine. Elodie came and looked after her yesterday while I went to a meeting, so that was a big help. I just wish this little girl was sleeping through the night.”

“I know. I’m going to get her sleeping. She’s going to be on a schedule all day. Remember that app?”

She nods, but eyes me doubtfully. “How are you going to do that, with your own schedule? And my schedule?”

“Well, you’ll have to help,” I say with a beseeching expression. “I’ve been tracking everything, and now I have aschedule. I’ll write it all down. Or you could download the app, too.”

“I guess I could do that.”

“Do it now. I can show you everything.”

She gets her phone and we sit next to each other on the couch while I explain things to her and tell her about full feedings, wake windows, and dream feeds.

“Wow, you’ve really been doing your research,” she says.

I nod seriously. “Yes. So this is the schedule we have to follow.”

“It seems very detailed.” She still seems skeptical.

“It is. It has to be. Starting today. I have a day off so this is a good time to start.”

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