“Angel.” I stopped him just as he was leaving. “You ever think about kids?”
“Yeah. I do. Shelby and I are thinking two, maybe even three. You know how she is with them.”
“What about before Shelby? Did you think about them then?”
Eli laughed. “Fuck no. Didn’t think I would ever get married. Then Shelby happened and it’s all I can think about. We want to see how she handles the winter so we can decide what the next few years are going to look like, but my plan is to propose this Christmas. Spring wedding, then we’ll see.”
Proposal, wedding, babies. Five months ago, all he’d wanted was a freaking date.
“That’s fast.”
“That, my friend, is love,” he said smugly. “Which is why I was hoping Olivia was the right one for you.”
I snorted. “The right one. We’ve been at each other’s throats for months.”
“Dude, because you wanted her. She wanted you, too. We all saw it. Figured you two were either going to scratch that itch and call it a day. Or you were going to scratch that itch and find out you wanted to scratch it again and again and again.”
It was that. The second one. Again and again and again.
“Because that’s how it starts,” Eli continued like he was caught up in his own philosophy. “At first it’s the fucking and it’s amazing and you’re totally pussy-whipped. But then it changes, and you get comfortable with each other and it deepens. Then one night she’s got cramps and wants you to hold her and you think that’s pretty amazing, too. My favorite thing in the world is lying in bed with Shelby just talking. You know how she can be, yammering on about whatever. I lie there and hold her and talk about shit and it’s my favorite part of the day.”
I looked at him, but I didn’t know what to say.
“Sorry, man. I get it,” he said, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m pathetic when it comes to her. Only I really don’t care. Later.”
“Yeah.”
He left and shut the door behind him. I sat on the bed. It was late. After ten. But I didn’t hesitate. I took out my phone and called her.
“Hi,” she said after two rings.
“Hey. Is it too late?”
“No, I was just getting into bed.”
Her bed. That I had calledour bedfor a few nights. “I like your bed.” I liked the pillows and the soft sheets. I liked the way it smelled of her. Even better when it smelled like us.
“I think you meant you like having me in my bed.”
My lips twitched. “That, too. Listen, I’m calling to say I’m sorry about this morning.”
“It’s okay. I know I shocked you with my decision. It was only natural you were surprised.”
I huffed and ran my hand over my face. “That’s the thing, Liv. I wasn’t really that surprised. You had a look on your face the first time I mentioned the day-after pill. Then that first morning…I could tell you didn’t want to do it. I shouldn’t have flipped out on you the way I did. I just don’t know if I’m ready.”
“Ready to be a dad?” she asked me, her voice softer, quieter.
No, I meant ready for all of it but that wasn’t something I wanted to share. “It’s late. I should let you go.” Except I didn’t want to. “Did you end up going to work?”
“Nope. Decided to see the whole hooky thing through. It was fun. It would have been more fun with you, though.”
“Yeah, I cost us a day, didn’t I.”
This was the part where I manned up and told her I could come down next weekend. Take her on a date. See another movie. Hell, even a chick flick if that’s what she wanted. Except I didn’t. Because I wanted her to ask me. I wanted her to be the one to put herself out there. To invite me. To take the risk.
“Well, I guess I’ll talk to you. Later,” she said awkwardly, as the silence dragged out between us.
“Yeah. Hey, Liv?”
