Page 107 of IOU

She tilts her chin and agrees. “Breathe with me and I’ll listen to you.”

I roll my eyes. “Fine.”

I take a few deep breaths in rhythm with hers until my watch stops hollering. “Happy?”

She nods, looking less like Angry Ainsley and more like Maverick’s Ainsley.

“Mike, the guy I know,” I begin, “found you a place to rent last week.”

She sucks in a breath and I hold her tighter, not giving two shits that we’re lying out in the parking lot of the fire station with Sebastian, who is probably filming this whole shitshow.

“I found myself making excuses as to why the place wasn’t right for you.” Here goes nothing. “But the truth is, Ains, it wasn’t right for you becauseIwouldn’t be with you. I like living with you.” I correct myself. “I love living with you.”

I test moving one of my hands up her arm. “I love buying toothpaste once a month because you use all mine. I love waking up to you in my bed and burning macaroni and cheese on the stove.”

A tear rolls down her cheek. I swipe it away and replace it with my hand. “I love watching your stupid walrus show.”

That gets a laugh out of her. “They are sea lions, don’t act like you don’t know the difference.”

My heart aches at the teary strain in her voice. “You were the best thing to ever happen to me,” I admit. “I don’t care that you love Lawrence more than me, I’ll settle for being second best in your life.”

Her grin rivals the largest pot I’ve ever won at poker. “How do you know I love you?”

I shrug one shoulder and grin. “Sebastian recorded it when you screamed it at me earlier.”

“He did not!”

I let my other hand go and caress her face with both hands. “You’re right, he didn’t, but he probably is now. We’re probably making him millions.”

Her eyes go wide and she tries pulling up, but I don’t let her. “I’m willing to owe you a favor for as long as it takes for you to believe that I love you.”

“Really?” She knows I would never willingly owe someone an open favor.

“Really,” I promise.

She leans closer. “You promise to never keep things from me again?”

I nod. “I promise.”

And then I yank her body up to mine and seal it with a kiss.

Rumor has it ... no one fucking cares. We’re out.

“It’s normal, right? It’s normal to want to strangle the breath out of them. I mean, it’s not like we haven’t had a good run. Six years is a long time to be with someone.”

I look at Sam. Her deep brown eyes stare back at me curiously, or is that fearfully?

I wave my hand in the air. “Fine, it’s crazy all right? I know it is and honestly, I don’t want to kill him. Maybe I want to smack him around a little, but not kill him. But he canceled, Sam! Canceled! What kind of boyfriend does that? I’m thinking one who wants to die, don’t you?”

Sam, my sea lion coworker, nods up and down. “See? I knew you would agree. We women have to stick together.”

Maverick better thank his lucky stars that I have Sam to confide in, otherwise I’d be driving to his office with a stack of playing cards and a fire extinguisher.

Okay, maybe not the cards. That’s his thing. I’ll just take the extinguisher and smash his computer. Yes, it’s a little crazy but kind of not.

Ever since that time in college when we went to Crush It, Maverick and I have kept up the routine and now have a standing reservation to alleviate our stress. So really, taking an extinguisher to his laptop wouldn’t be all that shocking to him.

What was shocking to me was that he canceled our dinner date. We never cancel and I had news, dammit!

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