Page 48 of Almost Beautiful (Beautiful 3)

“I’m here,” I said, rounding the corner from the hall. “How was your day?”

He leaned me back and kissed me. “Long.” He stood me upright and then sighed. “I missed you all fucking day. It was torture! But I made a shit ton of money, so I hung in there.”

“I’m proud of you. Dinner’s ready. Are you hungry?”

“Best wife ever! I’m fucking starving!”

I led him into the kitchen, and Travis spooned out the beef stew into two bowls. “Dear God, this smells amazing.”

“I added mushrooms this time, hope that’s okay.”

“It’s perfect. You’re perfect.” He kissed my forehead and then took our bowls to the small table near the wall that separated the kitchen from the hall.

Just when I got up the courage to speak, Travis beat me to it.

“Damn, this is so nice. Coming home to you, a hot meal, just sitting here enjoying each other with no drama to talk about. This is how it should be.”

I nodded, taking a bite. There was no way I was dropping a bomb on him after that.

We finished our bowls, and then Travis got up for seconds, grabbing another beer on the way back to the table. We talked about the weird things he came across in Mrs. Pennington’s garage, the stupid text Brandon sent him about coming in to fill out paperwork, anything else that got on Travis’s nerves, and our classes.

“Damn, I feel like I’ve been talking your ear off. Sorry. I told you, I’ve missed you like crazy today! This is why people take honeymoons. It’s not right to get married and then have to go back to classes and jobs and normal life. All I want to do is be around you all day. What did you do after class?”

“Oh, you know, that essay, housework. I stopped by Finch’s.” As soon as I said it, I wanted to bang my head on the table.

“How’s he doing? He’s got a new man, doesn’t he?”

“He’s fabulous as always, and yes,” I said, grateful he didn’t ask more.

“Welp, I’m disgusting. I’m going to hop in the shower. Want to watch a movie after I get out?”

“I do.”

He smiled and winked at me. “God, I love this. I don’t know what all these guys bitching about married life are talking about, it’s fucking amazing. Hey, leave the dishes, I’ll get ’em.”

I smiled at him as I watched him rinse out his bowl, put it in the dishwasher and then leave me for the bathroom.

The water whined as it gushed through the pipes and the metal rings grated against the shower rod. Travis hummed a tune that I couldn’t quite make out while I rinsed my own bowl and set it in the sink.

As I settled onto my spot on the couch, my body felt heavy. I was an asshole. Travis was going to be livid when he found out I’d had coffee with Parker. I wondered how I would react if Travis told me he’d had coffee with Megan.

I could make all the excuses in the world, like he’d slept with her, but I hadn’t slept with Parker. Or that my intensions were pure, but I wasn’t sure that justification would satisfy my husband. And I couldn’t blame him.

My nerves were getting the better of me and waiting to tell him seem impossible.

The bathroom door opened and then he padded to the bedroom, returning to the living room shortly after in a fresh T-shirt and shorts. He crawled onto the couch and lay on my lap looking up and smiling.

“Jesus Christ, this is Heaven.”

“What do you want to watch?” I asked.

“There’s a new Ryan Reynolds movie on Netflix. What do you think?”

“I think … we need to talk.”

He sat up, and I sighed. “God, you’re having such a good day, I don’t want to ruin it.”

Chapter Eleven