Page 115 of Six Month Wife
I lean in. Not a kiss. Just lips brushing hers like a question. She doesn’t pull away.
"Then don't."
Her hand slides up my chest and grips my shirt. The kiss deepens. It isn't frantic, but it isn't gentle, either. It's raw, like a storm finally breaking open.
When we part, we’re both breathing hard.
"Will you stay with me tonight?"
She nods. I open the door and motion for her. "Ladies first."
I follow her in and shut the door.
I’m not angry anymore. Just drained.
I fought for her.
Now I need her beside me, where the noise can’t reach us.
31
Adair
I waketo an empty bed and the sound of Parker’s voice in the other room. It's low and controlled but not angry-sounding. Just very matter-of-fact.
It takes me a second to register where I am. His room. His sheets. The faint scent of him on the pillow beside me.
My chest tightens.
I sit up slowly, blanket clutched around me. He’s outside the door, pacing. I can hear the creak of the floorboards and the scrape of his palm over his morning stubble.
I listen closely to try to make out what he’s saying.
“Alright,” he says, voice quieter now. “Understood. How soon?”
A moment passes, and then he says, “I can be there tonight, if I can get a ticket. I’ll have to see if Adair can leave work on such short notice.”
Silence again.
“No, it’s fine. I’ve got a few days.”
I slip out of bed and pull on the long-sleeved shirt heleft draped over a chair. It hits mid-thigh, but I don’t care. I pad to the doorway.
He turns as I get there. His eyes soften.
“Sorry,” he says, pulling the phone away from his ear. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Everything okay?” My voice is still raspy from sleep, and my eyes are adjusting to the light.
He nods. “That was Anders. He wants us to come to Vermont today if possible.”
“What’s going on?”
“He didn’t say. All he said is that it’s important and he needs us there.”
My brows lift. “Me, too?”
Parker runs a hand through his hair. “I told him I took a few days off to go to DC, so I’ve got time. But if you can’t?—”
