In a Book Club Far Away(94)

She looked up at him, at his beautiful face and sincere expression. “Do we have a deep friendship, too?”

“You’re changing the subject, Ms. Castro.”

“Is it working?”

“Yes.” He leaned toward her and kissed her sweetly on the lips. “Look, everything feels daunting, but you have choices. You have the choice to stay or go, to forgive or not. And no one says you need the make that decision right now, either. It’s like cooking: you measure as best you can, you time according to the recipe, but the rest is just your gut.”

He planted another soft kiss on her cheek. And as Regina felt the tingles travel through her body, she knew he was right. She just had to take a moment to actually hear what her gut had to say.





CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

Adelaide




“I can’t believe you’re home,” Adelaide said to her husband in a hushed tone. They were lying side by side, facing each other, under their covers. Their hands were intertwined in between them. Next to the bed, Genevieve snored in the Pack ’n Play.

He shook his head, face dimly lit by the moon through the window. “I was stupid to not ask for the time off. I don’t know what was going on in my head, except that I took you for granted. I just always assumed that you’d handle everything, as you have all this time. But that second surgery woke me up. My commander didn’t think twice about letting me go on leave.”

She nodded. “Can I be honest?”

“Yes.”

“I was really mad at you. And I was starting to resent you, and your work. I am done being second.”

“You’re not second.”

“I’m not?” She laughed softly, though she tried to ease the sting with a smile. “I am, and why this has worked for so long is because I accepted it. And now, I’m at a point… I want there to be more than this. I need more.” Adelaide swallowed her nerves. “I don’t know what that means yet, totally. But I’ve been offered a job. Something that I could be damn good at, Matt. I want to see where it goes.”

He took a breath. “Okay. Of course I support that, but… I still have the rest of my career. My pension. We need it.”

“Oh God. I’m not asking you to quit the Army, babe. I know you love the Army. I love it, too. But I’m asking you to make this work. To be my partner as I have been yours, through everything. That means accommodating my plans in the process, even if we don’t know how it’ll work out.”

She could see that he was biting his cheek. He did that when he was in deep thought. That and the furrow on his forehead. She spied the little gray hairs that had popped out since he left for Germany, evidence of their time apart. “I think I can swing some jobs in the area, maybe even until retirement. And with the daily stuff—to be here more often.”

“You don’t mind trying to stay here? At least for just a little while?”

“No… God, no. Adelaide, you are my life. And you are first. I don’t want to you feel second ever again.”

“Are you upset? About not trying for another baby?”

He shut his eyes and shook his head. “No, I’m not upset.”

“Are you sure? You can tell me.”

“Adelaide, children have never been a given for us. You and I have been trained to know this, for lack of a better word. I’m thankful for a healthy you, for Genevieve here with us. I want to be the best person for the both of you. Even if you still wanted kids, it’s more important for the two of us to get it right, first.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Adelaide kissed her husband, wrapping her arms around his neck. She relished the comfort his lips brought, how he cradled her face with his strong hands, and the sweet familiar smell of his aftershave. A need grew within her, and their kissing intensified, but she pushed him away gently. “We have to be good, for now. I’m still in a little bit of pain.”

“When you’re ready, I’ll be ready.” He pecked her on the nose. “Though I may need a cold shower or a run around the block.”

She laughed. “I didn’t say we couldn’t be creative. Just careful.” At his big grin, she playfully slapped him on the arm. “You’re so easy.”

Adelaide’s phone buzzed on her nightstand.

“I wonder who could that be?” He said mischievously.

“Why do you look like you know something?”

“Let’s just say that Jasper has always been like a brother to me, and Henry and I bonded today over how to properly hang a pi?ata.”

She patted her nightstand for her phone and brought it close to her face.

It was a text, from Regina:

Book club, now. Kitchen. SOS.



Seconds later, Sophie:

I’ll be there.



Coming.



Adelaide sat up at a speed she hadn’t accomplished since before surgery.

“Whoa. Don’t hurt yourself, babe.”

“It’s an SOS. Book club.”

He propped up on his elbows. “I haven’t heard you say that in a long time.”

“What?” She threw on a sweatshirt, slipped her feet into her slippers, and padded toward the stairs.