Page 54 of Curious
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“Hey. It’s the weekend. Do you want to go do something? With me?” I ask my husband when I get home. He’s finishing up the dishes.
“Sure!” Shelby wipes his hands on a dish towel and skips up to me, wrapping his arms around my middle.
His enthusiasm is infectious, and it makes me chuckle. I kiss the top of his head, then raise an eyebrow. “Don’t you want to know where?”
“If it’s with you, I’m sure we’ll have a fun time.”
I can tell he wants to ask me about Leah but doesn’t want to push. I kiss him, then say, “Talking with Leah was better than I expected. We cleared the air. We agreed that we were both better off marrying other people.”
He looks at me and nods slowly. “Okay, that sounds good.”
I sigh. “Yeah, it was. I didn’t want to talk with her, but when I saw her, I don’t know. It was like she didn’t matter anymore. There wasn’t any spark. Unlike with you.”
He blushes, but I’m very serious. Whenever I’m around him, I’m hyperaware of my body—how my skin tingles when he brushes up next to me, and I get this electric jolt when he touches me, even accidentally.
Also, he gets me sidetracked easily. “We could do something really exciting, like pick out paint for the house.”
Shelby beams. “I’d love to help you with that.” His face falls. “Do you want me to, though? I mean, this is your house. I’ve already overstayed my welcome—”
I cut him off. “No, you haven’t. I don’t want you to leave.” He has no idea how true that is. “If you wanted to, we could finish fixing up my bedroom, and you could move inside with me. I mean, if it isn’t too fast.” I feel the need to backpedal, like maybe we aren’t on the same page, but with his next words, he shows that he’s with me.
“We did this all backward, didn’t we? First move in. Then get married. Then …” He waves a hand.
I nod. “Most of the time, people date first before making it formal with a wedding.” I look to the side. “I do know I want you in my life, though.”
“Good thing we’re already married.”
Do I want him to be in my life for real, though? Like, as my boyfriend, beyond our deadline?
A big part of me says yes. Even though I’m scared to be in a relationship, given how the last one ended, I’m so happy with Shelby that I’m willing to take the risk. He’s the support I’ve always wanted, and he lets me take care of him, too. Not to be too cheesy, but just seeing his smile and enthusiasm can make my whole day. He’s adorable in every sense of the word, and I’m pretty damned smitten. I want to wake up to him every morning and spend every night with him. I like the way his brain works, always planning and managing things for the future while enjoying the present. I like hanging out with him and doing everything and nothing.
And don’t get me started on how hot he is. I fucking love that bleached hair and the curve of his ass and the way he fits against me.
Life feels better with Shelby. Period.
I just hope my heart can handle the fallout if this doesn’t last.
* * *
Shelby and I walk around the Do-It Center, making dirty jokes the whole time. We’re going to get flooring and paint for the house, but we keep getting distracted.
“Need some hard wood?” Shelby asks with an innocent expression on his face. “I think you can pick it up over there. Or do you need the righttool?”
I wrap an arm around his shoulder and mutter into his ear, “Don’t you dare give me a boner.”
“I’d never.”
I snort. “Tryalways. You always turn me on.”
He looks up at me and grins, and something in his smile rearranges my insides.
He’s so cute in his bright purple polo shirt and tight jeans, and he gets excited about the smallest things. Like what kind of faucet I should put in the second bathroom. When we pass by flooring, he gasps. “That’s gorgeous!” He points to tile that’s a wood pattern, and yeah, he’s right. It looks amazing.
“Should we order that? I’d like it to go throughout the whole house.”
“I hate to ask, but I suppose I’m your husband: can you afford it?”
