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Fifty-Three

Jade

It’s been six weeks, and Christmas has come and gone. When Henry said his schedule is packed this time of year, he wasn’t joking. There’re three to four games every week with barely any breaks in between.

We try to squeeze in dates, but Bodhi comes first, so he gets our time together, and sometimes I tap out to give them time together without me. It’s been a balancing act.

Mrs. McConnell returned to work at eight weeks, saying she didn’t need any more leave, which put me out of a job, but that’s okay because I’ve rediscovered my love for photography. Seeing Bodhi’s enthusiasm for it and teaching him about it lit up something inside me. I’ll always love my sunsets, but now there are skyscrapers in them, which I’m okay with.

Next on my list is to find somewhere to live since Mom is back to work, and no one in the family home really needs me there.

I’m waiting outside The Nest for Henry to return from picking up Bodhi from a birthday party, and I’m a little early. I turn toward Peeper’s Alley. I haven’t been back since we were here after Bodhi’s birthday party.

“Oh, what the hell?” I pull out my phone to text Henry.

I’m at Peeper’s. Text me when you get here.

The three dots appear.

Sorry, I’m stuck here for a bit longer. The mom paid for another half hour without telling the parents. Tell Ruby to be nice to my girl. Actually, I’ll message her.

Don’t you dare. Take your time. I can handle myself.

I tuck my phone away and walk into the bar. What a drastic difference on a weekday evening when there’s no game from the night I was here. Ruby is behind the bar and her regulars are lined up along the barstools. Only a few tables are filled.

Ruby clocks my entrance. “Hey, you,” she says, ever the friendly one.

I walk over to the bar, and she’s already pouring me a whiskey. I don’t really want one, but I fear if I ask her for a seltzer or a girly drink, she might kick me out.

“Come with me,” she says, holding my whiskey and walking away from the bar.

Great, maybe I should’ve had Henry text her.

She leads me to the back room, which is vacant. She shuts the door after me, and I’m not gonna lie, a sliver of fear trickles down my spine.

“So, you back for good or what?” she asks, still holding my whiskey.

My forehead wrinkles. “I’m sorry?”

“What’d you have wax in your ears or something? Are you back for good?”

“Yeah.” I blink at her aggressive tone right out of the gate, though I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

“You break their hearts, and I have friends you don’t wanna get to know.”

Holy shit, is she threatening me?

“I’m not going to break anyone’s heart.”

The door opens, and Kyleigh steps in and shakes her head. “I told you, Jade’s good people, Ruby.” She shuts the door behind her.

“I have to see her eyes when she tells me.” She inches her face forward as if my eyes are a crystal ball. “Do you love the Hensley boys?”

“Ruby,” Kyleigh sighs.

I widen my eyes and inch forward. “Yes.”

She narrows her gaze. “It’s not just him, it’s the little boy too.”

“I know.”

“He’s had a hard road and doesn’t need some woman not knowing what she wants out of life to break his heart.”

“Okay, Ruby, let it go.” Kyleigh shakes her head.

I’ve tried to hold back, but my irritation simmers over. “Listen, Ruby, I know we don’t know each other, and I’m sorry I haven’t been down here more, but I do love Henry, and I do love Bodhi. Now, you’re not privy to our journey as to how we got where we are now, but I’m here to stay. And if I leave, I’m not doing it without them. So, please. Back. The. Fuck. Off.”

“Whoa,” Kyleigh says, looking at Ruby with wide eyes.

Maybe I took it too far, but I feel as though Ruby will respect it. At least, I hope so.

Ruby fights a smile but loses the battle for just one second. “Fine. Here you go.” She puts my whiskey on the table. “Kyleigh, if you want a drink, bring your ass to the bar.”

She walks out of the room as Kyleigh laughs. “Man, I see why Henry loves you. A little bit of sweet and sassy all rolled into one. I’ll be right back.”

I sit down, my heart racing because I didn’t know if that was going to work, but I can’t do anything but prove to Ruby over time that I’m fully in this. A piece of me actually likes that Henry and Bodhi have someone like Ruby looking out for them.

Kyleigh joins me little bit later. “She likes you.” She sits down with a bottle of white wine and two empty glasses. “Are you a whiskey drinker or…” She holds up the bottle. “I keep this hidden behind the bar.”

I push away my whiskey. “I usually only drink whiskey when I need a little more courage. But I’d much prefer the white wine.”

“Great.” She pours us each a glass and sits back in her chair. “So, rumor is you guys are pretty darn happy these days.”

I’d like to say I’ve spent time with the guys and Kyleigh, but there haven’t been that many opportunities lately. When we do find a moment to be together alone, Henry and I usually use it for other activities. “We are.”

“Henry deserves it. I’m so happy for him. Now it’s just the other two we need to worry about.” She rolls her eyes. “Be prepared because we’re the only girls in this friendship circle.” She raises her glass, and we clink them together.

Kyleigh and I are finishing our wine when the door to the back room opens. In walk Rowan and Henry, who’s carrying Bodhi. He has a balloon tied around his wrist, and he’s holding his goodie bag.

“Look, our girls are becoming besties,” Rowan says.

Kyleigh scrunches her eyebrows at him. “I think I have to cut you off from the reality TV shows.”

“You’re the one who got me into them.” Rowan takes the seat next to her and kisses her briefly.

“Jade, look what I got.” Bodhi wiggles out of Henry’s hold and climbs up on my lap, dumping his bag out on the table.

Henry leans in and kisses me quickly. “Should I get a drink?”

“Yes, you should,” Kyleigh says. “And get Bodhi his Shirley Temple.”

“It’s late, but…” Henry shakes his head and leaves the room.

“He’s really started loosening those sugar reins, huh, Bodhi?” Kyleigh asks him as he’s picking up each item to show us.

“Yeah, he does anything Jade asks,” Bodhi says.

Kyleigh and Rowan crack up laughing, and I’m surprised by his words, so my reaction is shock. Henry walks in with two beers and a Shirley Temple with a lot of cherries.

“One, and we’re going upstairs.” He sets it on the table in front of Bodhi.

“Unless Jade says differently,” Rowan says, unable to keep his laughter to himself.

“What did I miss?” Henry sits down next to me, putting his arm on the back of my chair. I love this feeling of being a couple again.

“Your son just said you’re?—”

I cover Bodhi’s ears.

“Whipped,” Rowan finishes with a grin.

“And proud of it.” Henry kisses my cheek while I roll my eyes. “By the way, he thinks the same thing of you.”

Rowan scoffs. “I am not.”

Kyleigh leans forward and whispers something in his ear. Rowan stands and holds out his hand.

She laughs. “Point proven.”

“You can’t use…” Rowan looks at Bodhi. “ That . Every guy is when it comes to using that.”

“Let’s put all this back in the bag so we don’t lose anything,” I say to Bodhi, distracting him from what Rowan’s referring to in case he decides to ask questions.

“Hey, wanna do me a favor?” Henry asks.

Rowan raises his eyebrows because I’m pretty sure he knows what Henry’s going to ask.

Henry points at the top of Bodhi’s head.

Kyleigh, being as sweet as she is, says, “Bodhi, Rowan was telling me the other day about how he is sooo good at pinball. Want to team up and beat him?”

Bodhi jumps off my lap and hops onto the big stool in front of the pinball machine.

Kyleigh winks at us.

Henry grabs my hand. “Hey, Bodhi, Jade and I will be right back. We just have to go get something upstairs.”

He’s not paying us any attention.

“Nice.” Rowan nods. “I’m marking down these favors for when we have kids.”

Henry’s too busy tugging me away to respond. He takes me through some secret passageway to the back of their condos.

“Well, look at this hidden escape.” I didn’t realize there was a back way into the building.

We reach his condo, and the moment the door clicks shut, he grabs the hem of my shirt, pulling it off my body. “Fuck, I need you so bad.”

I undo my bra, and we both strip on the way to his bedroom. I trip on my pants and fall onto the bed with my pants still around my ankles. “Aren’t I sexy?”

We both laugh, but he tugs my pants off my legs, and I scoot higher on the bed. He fists his dick, pumping up and down, taking me in. Fuck, he’s sexy.

“Let me see that pretty pussy,” he says. “Spread your legs for me.”

He continues to make himself harder with his fist, and I’m mesmerized, growing wetter with every stroke. His thighs touch the edge of the mattress, and when he releases his dick, it springs up. He crawls up the bed and grabs my ankles, dragging me closer to him until my ass is on his thighs as he sits on his heels. His legs are spread open, dick out and looking completely lickable.

I’m about to turn around and show him how much I love his dick, but he fists it again and runs the tip through my wetness. “So ready for me.”

“Always.”

He positions me closer, aligning his tip at my opening, and slowly inches in. Once he’s halfway in, he places his hands on my hips and slowly drags me toward him until he’s fully seated inside me. Shit, the way his girth stretches me gets me halfway to climax.

As usual, he takes his time, making sure never to increase the pace until he can tell I’m close. His fingertips dig into my ass as he plunges into me and pushes me off him over and over again.

“I wish I could suck on your tits in this position while I fuck you. Play with them.”

My palms raise to my breasts, and I squeeze them.

His attention is focused on my hands as he continues to pull my body to him and push it away. “Do what I do to them. Pretend it’s me touching you.”

I pinch my nipples with my finger and thumb, and my head rocks back on the mattress, my ponytail dragging along his comforter.

“There you go, baby. That’s exactly what I would do right before I suck on them.” His pace increases, and my body warms from within. He brings one hand to my clit and fans his fingers along my lower stomach while his thumb strokes my clit.

“Henry…” His name is always the first word to fall from my lips. “More.”

“Are you ready to come all over my cock, baby?”

I’m not sure when he became a dirty talker, but I’m loving it. “Yes.”

I fist the comforter, and he uses his hips to push in and out of me at the same speed he brings me to him and back. The rhythm overtakes any thoughts, and all I feel is him.

It doesn’t take long before it’s all too much, and my climax rushes over me like a semi without brakes going down a mountain. He pistons his hips until he pulls out of me and strokes himself, coming on my stomach with a groan and a glint in his eye. I think he likes seeing the evidence of himself on my body. Sweat coats our bodies, and I struggle to even out my breathing. He’s barely huffing.

“Man, your stamina amazes me.”

“Sorry it was kind of fast.” He goes to the bathroom and returns with a washcloth. “I hate that we’ve had no time alone lately.” He cleans me up, then returns to the bathroom to clean himself.

I scoot to the end of the bed and meet him at the threshold to the bedroom, hugging him. “Hey, we’re doing great. We’re happy.”

“I know. I just feel like I’m letting you and Bodhi down because I barely see you these days.”

I understand what he’s saying, but I think it’s because we live apart. But I’m not gonna say that. If he could just come home and be with the two of us at the same time and then go to bed and wake up with me, it would be different. I know we’ll get there. We will. This is just another little bump, but we’ll work through it.

“Don’t worry about it. We both understand your schedule, and when the offseason comes, we’ll make the most of it.”

He pulls me in for a hug, and I nuzzle my head into his neck.

“I love you, Henry. That was amazing. Your dirty talk is on point.” I kiss his jaw and go to retrieve my clothes.

“I could take you again, I swear.”

I wiggle my ass when I bend over to grab my pants, but we don’t have time. Bodhi’s downstairs and will start to wonder where we are.

“Well, I’m not going anywhere. You’ll get your chance,” I say.

“It’s only a few more months.”

I don’t love the way he’s almost making an excuse. I never want him to feel guilty for his schedule. I knew what I was signing up for, and I’m good with that. I just need him to be too.