Page 134 of Aftersome
“You’re right. Everything will be okay,” I told myself. “It has to be.”
Eventually Kate had sat up too, and we both sat unmoving beside each other until finally, she broke the silence.
“We need to go out.”
I reeled back in surprise.
“Go out?” I chuckled. “Where?”
“Anywhere! Dinner? Movie? Club?”
I looked at her like she was insane.
“A club? Kate, you’re pregnant and showing. No way would James even let you go.” I laughed even more at the idea of seeing a very pregnant Kate trying to have fun in a club.
“James never tells me no, but maybe you’re right. Might not be that fun for me.” She dropped her eyes over her belly as she rubbed along the curve. “How about dinner and we can walk around and find some cute little shops to look through?”
“Yeah, that sounds nice, actually.” I smiled, already feeling eager for the distraction.
“Good, it’ll be like old times.”
It was exactly what I needed.
“Oh, and you better let Mal know that I’m stealing you away for the night,” she added before lifting off the bed and disappearing into the bathroom for her one hundredth pee of the day.
I had a feeling Mal would be the type of man to crash a girls’ night, and for some reason, I felt okay about that. So shooting him a short text of our plans, I smiled to myself when I get an immediate response.
Mal: You’re going out tonight? With Kate? Where? And does Hendricks know?
I grinned to myself.
Me: Yes and yes. But we haven’t made solid plans yet. Just dinner and maybe go shopping afterward. Nothing too crazy.
Mal: Dinner? Out in the city? By yourselves? Can’t you just tell her to go with James and you two can go out some other time?
I had a feeling I had now brought forward protective Mal. The one who didn’t want me to go out without him. The one who feared bad things would happen to me if he wasn’t there next to me.
But as badly as I wanted to be with Mal tonight, I needed this time with Kate.
Me: Now why would I do that? I already told her I would go. Plus, it’s been so long since I’ve done anything fun with her. I’ll be back later though.
I waited for him to respond as bubbles kept appearing and disappearing. Then soon, just when I thought he had given up, I received another message.
And I couldn’t help but smile.
46
MAL
Me: Dammit, Doe. All right, you win. But you’ll let me know the second you get to where you’re going and the second you leave. And I don’t want to hear that you’re too tired to drive home afterward so you’re spending the night over there. Not happenin’. You got a bed. You got a home, and it’s with me. You need me to pick you up, I will.
Me: No promises I’ll let you sleep once you’re home. It’ll be too fuckin’ long since I’ve last been inside you.
My fingers almost smashed through the screen as I typed that all out. A mixture of annoyance, worry, and rage filled me as I sat on the couch daydreaming of all the ways I was going to fuck Doe later tonight.
I didn’t want to be that guy who told his girl where she could and couldn’t go.
I refused to be like that, but fuck, it was hard not to be.
