“Are you kidding me? My baby was missing! Of course, I was going to fly home to find him!”
“Slow your roll, Susie. No need to make me deaf,” she muttered into my ear.
“Is he okay?”
“Uh…yeah…I’m sure he’s just fine.”
“He’s not hurt? Was he scared? I can’t believe he was lost and roaming the streets of New York all by himself.”
“Walter is one tough little asshole. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Will you stay at our apartment for the rest of our trip? I think he could really use the companionship.”
“Already planned on it. Sorry to cut this short, but I gotta jet. I’ve got a shoot in about thirty minutes. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Sounds good. Oh, hey, Cass?
“Yeah?”
“If you lose my cat again, I will kill you.”
She scoffed. “You can guarantee I won’t lose that little bastard a second time.”
“Good.”
“Georgia, stop sulking and go blow your husband. Lord knows he probably needs the extra attention after watching you lose your shit.”
“I did not lose my shit!”
Kline snorted in the background.
“Sure you didn’t.” She laughed. “My money says you had half your shit packed and were already telling Kline to book a flight.”
Jesus, she knew me too fucking well.
“Shut up. Go snap pervy photos of naked men.”
“Later, Wheorgie!”
I hung up the call and met Kline’s gaze. He was still standing by the island, watching me with uncertainty and unhappiness dulling his blue eyes.
“Everything okay?”
I nodded and tried to collect the scattered pieces of myself. “They found him.”
“That’s good news.”
“Yeah, it is,” I agreed.
We just stared at one another, lost in my earlier mania and the deeper issues it’d brought to light. A cloud of hurt feelings and harsh accusations hung over our otherwise blissful honeymoon.
“Well…I guess I better go clean up the disaster area. I’ll make us some lunch once I finish, okay?” I called over my shoulder as I walked up the stairs toward our bedroom, hoping to have a few moments to find my way back to five on the emotional scale.
To my surprise, Kline followed me.
He sat on the bed as I started to empty my suitcase. “Come here, sweetheart.” When I looked to him but didn’t move, he gestured for me to come closer.
The second I was within his reach, he pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around my stomach. His face was pressed against my neck, lips brushing the sensitive spot below my ear. The intimate silence healed half the hurt, but some of it stayed, buried deep.
After a few quiet moments, I whispered, “I’m sorry I went a little crazy before.”
Hot, relieved air coated my skin. “I’m sorry I lied to you.”
I leaned back, gripping his chin and forcing his eyes to look at mine. “Are you really sorry about that?”
“Yes. Of course I am, Ben.” His remorseful eyes stared deep into mine.
“What about my job?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “What about your job?”
“Are you going to start being honest with me about how you really feel about it?”
He sighed and gave me a squeeze. “I’m not happy about the amount of time it will demand from you, but I’ll deal.”
“I don’t think saying you’ll deal is a solution, Kline. What if you start resenting me for traveling so much? For being occupied with work too much? Where will that lead us?”
God, the words stung as soon as I said them.
What if my job started to put a giant wedge between us?
We had gotten together in a rush. Too consumed with one another, too deep in love not to dive headfirst into our relationship. We had known each other for a few years, but we hadn’t actually been together, been a couple, for all that long.
What if my job strained my marriage?
The mere thought of that awful scenario caused tears to pool in my eyes.
Seeing tears in her eyes over the possibility of a disillusioned marriage courtesy of a fucking job was the last straw. I’d wanted to maintain our “eat, fuck, cuddle, sleep, be nauseatingly happy” bubble for these two weeks, but the bubble wasn’t any fucking good if it hurt her.
And right now? The compartmentalization on my part was very much hurting my sweet wife.
“All right,” I declared, picking her up from my lap and setting her down on the edge of the bed. Standing in front of her, I tipped her chin up until her pretty, sad eyes met mine. “Real talk time.” She steeled herself for what she thought might come. “First things first, no more tears, okay?”