Page 177 of Riding the Sugar High

She nods, excitement making her whole body vibrate. “Stop stalling!”

I lift my hands off her eyes and watch her face. Her excited smile turns into shock as she blinks, and once her lips bend in a slight frown, I turn to the pink bike sitting at the center of my backyard. I got her a Yamaha YZF-R3, perfect for beginners, then spent the last week custom painting it pink. The pink helmet is there. So are the pink suit and the pink boots. It’s everything she’s been wanting for the last year, so I don’t understand why she looks...disappointed.

“Oh my god, Logan. This is...perfect.”

“Yeah? Does your face know?”

She gives me a scolding look. “I love it. Wow, look at that.” She walks to the bike, tentatively touching it as if she’s afraid it’ll fall. “I can’tbelieveyou got me a bike.”

Me neither. I might start having panic attacks again. “You’re not allowed to take it out without me.”

“Am I not?” She cocks a brow at me. “Then you’re not allowed to take yours out without me.”

“Deal.” I don’t care if I have to sacrifice a ride here and there. There’s no way I’d be able to cope with her riding by herself.

Her fingers brush the helmet and the suit. She looks at them dreamily, but there’s something wrong. I expected her to be screaming and jumping up and down, to be already trying to get it off the stand, turn it on, and maneuver it. But her head seems somewhere else.

“Backpack?” She glances at me over her shoulder. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” she reassures me. She walks closer and hooks her arms around my neck. “I’m sorry. I promise I love it.”

“Are you not ready to talk about whatever is going on?”

She bites her bottom lip. “Yeah. I’ll need a minute.”

Okay. I’ll respect that. I might die from anxiety, but that’s not her problem. “But you won’t dump me, right?”

Her eyes narrow. “They’ll have to pry you out of my cold, dead hands.”

Good. “And you still...LM?”

With a chuckle, she pulls me closer, and once her lips are an inch away from mine, she whispers, “Yes. ILY.”

I kiss her, and she responds in the usual enthusiastic way, which immediately soothes me. Though I want to know what’s wrong, I can deal with whatever it is as long as she’s with me.

“Do you want to take your new bike for a spin?”

Her eyes blow wide, her hand cupping her belly. “Uh, n-no, not now.”

“Are you nauseous?”

“What?” I point at her hand, and she sucks in a gasp. “Oh, no. I’m fine.”

Weird, weird, weird.

“Okay, then. Let’s go back in?”

Her hand sinks into mine, and she follows me inside the house.

“I know what you need,” I say once the backdoor closes behind me, and I circle her back with my arms. Snuggles and a movie. Get settled under the blanket and choose what we’re watching. I’ll get some snacks.”

“I love you, you know?” She looks up at me, and her eyes are misty. Is she feeling emotional? I mean, I guess I am too. When I woke up this morning, I couldn’t stop smiling. We’ve been together for a whole year, and it’s been the best year of my life. Through arguments and filthy sex, soft moments and new traditions, we’ve made a whole life together. A life I’m pretty freaking proud of.

“I love you.” I rub my thumb along her cheek. “I wouldn’t change a single thing about our life.”

Once again, though I expect a smile, I’m surprised by a frown. “Well,somechange is good, though, right?”

“Sure. I just mean...I think everything’s perfect already.”

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