“It’s for the best. This way, you can spend more time finding us a new house or something.” I wink at her and take a sip of my water.
“A house?” She widens her eyes at me comically.
“We’re going to need more space with the baby coming.”
“More space…”
“And you’ll have more time to plan the gender reveal party.”
I can see when her spirits lift again. Her back straightens, and I see the spark return to her eyes. The past few weeks had been agonizing to watch as her inner light had dimmed like a slow, painful decline. Like watching a candle burn down, each flicker and crackle was a painful reminder of her fading spirit. Never before have I felt this helpless.
“Oh my god, how could I have forgotten about the party!?”
“My family is very excited. They haven’t heard of a gender reveal party before.”
Her shoulders drop as she deflates, and my heart sinks at the sight.
“What’s wrong?”
“I haven’t asked my parents if they wanted to be there yet.” She gives me a guilty look.
“Do you want them there?”
She considers my question while sipping on her seltzer water. I know she’s buying herself more time to think.
“I know I want to give them another chance.” Her words come out slowly. I nod encouragingly as our eyes meet across the table. I’m glad she can confide in me about her concerns.
“You know what I think?”
“What?” She tilts her head at me in question.
“You have a good heart, and they’d be stupid to not take this chance to see you again.”
She blushes and looks down at the table. Her dark hair falls forward and covers part of her face from my view. I resist the urge to reach over the table to tuck her hair behind her ears.
She finally looks up at me and smiles mischievously.
“Wanna get out of here?”
I’m already halfway out of my chair before she finishes her sentence, pulling her up by the hand and rushing home.
We haven’t had sex as often lately since Emily hasn’t been feeling up to it, so I’m taking the chance to help make her feel better to the tune of an orgasm or two.
The neighborhood is quiet, the streetlights already on, as I head back to my apartment after a refreshing hour-long evening run. The competition has ended, and I’m thrilled to have won the cash prize. All those hours of intense training were worth it for the extra money I’ll use for my plans.
My breaths are steady as I round the bend. The familiar vehicle parked down the street instantly shatters my composure. While rarer in recent months, its reappearance reminds me of the lingering ghosts of our past.
It’s time to shake those ghosts.
My fists tighten, the heat of furious anger radiating through my body. Adrenaline surges through me, a jolt of pure energy that makes my heart pound and sharpen my senses. I am done holding it back.
I have meticulously documented the times that the car parks in front of the house, noting the license plate, make, model, and color. It’s normally there by the time I get home from work. The car’s been there for an unknown time, and it doesn’t belong to any of our neighbors—they all park in their driveways. I dismissed it at first, but the events of Bramblewood Day caused me to reconsider and investigate.
Unlike my usual routine of running past the car, I cross the street and take stock of my surroundings. The street is deserted,and most people are likely finishing dinner now; it’s getting late. With Emily resting in our bed, I’m anxious to get back to her.
Approaching the sedan from behind, I slow to a walk, stopping at the driver’s side door. The vehicle’s tinted windows obscure the identity of its passengers. I rapped impatiently on the windowpane, wanting him to roll it down.
I hear a quiet curse before the window rolls down, which confirms my suspicions.
