Page 26 of Operation Annulment (Silent Phoenix MC)

twenty-two

Nate

K ate immediately begins shaking her head. “Pass.”

I hide a smile. I never would’ve guessed that she’d only had one sexual encounter before me. She was so confident. “Okay, we’ll pass. Anything you want to ask me?”

She mulls it over. “How many women have you been with?”

I chew at my lip. “Including you?”

She nods.

“Two.”

She chokes on her sip of tea and ends up spitting most of it onto my shirt. “That can’t be right! That would mean you’ve only been with me and your ex-wife. You divorced three years ago, though. How?”

I wipe at my shirt with a shrug. “I went out some, but my job has kept me pretty busy. I just needed a break from women after the divorce—a chance to clear my head.”

“I’m sorry about your shirt. It just… surprised me. She really did a number on you, didn’t she? ”

I get up to grab a dish towel from the kitchen, intentionally ignoring her question. Honestly, I’m not sure how to answer.

Did Jess fuck me over? Absolutely. There’s no denying it, but being with Kate these past few weeks has lessened the blow. I remember less and less from my first marriage the more I’m with her.

Kate softly taps me on the shoulder, and I turn around. “Who was your first celebrity crush?”

Ah… she’s going back to safer topics.

I think back to the late eighties/early nineties. “Hmm…first would probably have been Kelly Kapowski. I watched a lot of Saved by the Bell back in the day. What about you?”

She nods. “Kelly Kapowski is a good choice. Who’s your second pick?”

“Nice try, Katy girl, but you still owe me your answer.”

She focuses on the cabinet behind me, avoiding eye contact. “Oh, um, it was Tommy Franks—the green Power Ranger.”

She’s embarrassed by it.

God, why does she have to look so adorable?

“Go go, Power Rangers,” I sing with a laugh. “Lucy Lawless was my second choice. I dug Xena: Warrior Princess , and don’t get me started on her battle cry. Hot.”

Her cheeks are still tinged with pink, but she grins at me. “My second choice was Duncan MacLeod from Highlander . Pops loved that show and always thought it was nice that I’d watch it with him when we visited. I didn’t dare to tell him exactly why I enjoyed watching it with him.”

I picture Little Kate sitting with her grandfather, repeating along with the television, “In the end, there can be only one.”

Oh, fuck me.

I’m going to fall in love with this woman.

“So, her family’s nuts?” Garrett takes a swig of his beer .

I haven’t seen him since the night he unexpectedly showed up at the house. Between work and getting to know Kate, I haven’t found the time. When Garrett asked me to grab a beer, Kate stepped in and offered to watch Daniel.

I nod. “Pretty much.”

“Okay… but you’re still into her?”

“Fucking crazy about her. This is why I’ve got you to tell me why it won’t work.”

He shakes his head. “No, you know what? I think this is exactly what you need. You let Jess turn you into a workaholic. It’s nice to see you relaxed like this. Speaking of Jess, I think she followed me the other night.”

I sit up straighter and look around the bar, taking in the various patrons. “Where? When?”

He takes another drink. “Well, Mom picked up Daniel at school last Friday, so I decided to grab a quick drink with Clayton after work. We’d only been there for maybe twenty minutes when a woman caught my eye.

She was wearing a wig and trench coat, but I swear it was Jess.

It was like some low-budget spy movie. When she noticed me staring at her, she took off. ”

This doesn’t make any sense.

When I saw her a couple of weeks ago, she was on her deathbed, and now I’m supposed to believe that she’s running around in disguises.

“Garrett, there’s got to be a mistake. Jess has been really sick, and I don’t see any way that the woman you saw was her.”

He shakes his head. “No, it was her. She was much thinner than I remember, but it was definitely her. I think she was following me.”

Our food arrives, and we eat in silence. My head is swimming in confusion right now. I know Jess cheated and then lied to cover it up for a while, but this just seems so far beyond that. I can’t see how she’d be capable of stalking or even what her endgame would be by doing it.

“So, you think McKenna will be back to play next week? Because it’s obvious that Kody needs him out there. We’re down by a touchdown when we should be ahead by at least two. Fuck, I hate the Flyers.” Garrett gestures toward one of the many television screens around the bar.

I read the ticker at the bottom of the screen, grateful for the distraction. “I didn’t see it. What’s he out with?”

“Foot injury in week seven. They’ve got Holt in his position, but it’s obvious he doesn’t have a fucking clue.”

I search my phone for any information on The Bad Boy from Dallas . “I forgot that he fractured that same foot late last year. This report says he had it repaired during the off-season, so I’m not sure what’s happening.”

Garrett rolls his eyes. “Aren’t you a doctor? Anyone can look that shit up. I expected better from you, Nate.”

I cuff him on the side of his head. “If I haven’t examined the guy, and they’re not releasing specifics of his injury, then how in the hell am I supposed to diagnose him?”

His phone vibrates, and Garrett loses interest in the conversation, distracted by something shiny. “Hey, Mitch wants to know if there’s room for one more next month. I said it’s up to you.”

“I think we can make it work. He may have to sleep on the couch, but I’m cool with him joining us.” I don’t know how I forgot, but I scheduled a weekend snowboarding trip up in Snowcliff, Colorado. I’ve gone with these guys for the past three years.

I didn’t exactly plan on having a wife to think about when I booked everything and got our lift tickets.

Garrett replies to Mitch, and everyone in the bar starts shouting. We look up to see the Steel score. They managed to tie it up with three minutes left in the game.

Kody throws it to Rodgers to clench the win, and we pay our tabs before heading out, still high on the last-minute victory.

“Does Kate snowboard? Maybe she could come with us.” Garrett climbs into the passenger seat.

“I don’t know, Garrett. I can’t picture her on a snowboard.”

A runway? Sure .

Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit edition? Absolutely.

Zipping down a mountainside? Not so much.

He fixes me with his stare. “Well, what does she like to do?”

I focus on the road, not meeting his gaze. “How the hell should I know?”

He throws his head back and laughs at my response. “Are you kidding me right now? You’re the one who’s married to her. You should know what she likes. Does she have any hobbies?”

I try and think back over the last couple of weeks. “She cooks and cleans. She likes to read case studies and psych books before bed.”

The streetlights illuminate Garrett’s frown. “God, that sounds boring as hell. So, are you saying that she has no hobbies or just that you haven’t taken the time to figure them out?”

I pull into the garage. “I don’t know.”

I married a woman who quite possibly has no interests outside of work. I wouldn’t expect her to share all of mine, but how can I expect us to last if she and I have nothing in common?

I’ve already been married to a woman who had zero interest in anything I did, and look at how well that turned out. The doubts begin to creep in, and by the time he and I walk inside, I’ve convinced myself that Kate and I are doomed to fail.

It’s after eleven, and the house is dark. I don’t know what I expected Kate to be doing—maybe sitting up and reading. Instead, she’s fast asleep on the couch with Daniel wrapped up in her arms. His little head lays against her chest, mouth slightly open.

Garrett pulls out his cell phone and snaps a picture, whispering, “That’s too damn cute not to document. Lucky kid.”

I debate whether or not to hit him.

If we make it, this could be us.

The thought comes out of nowhere, but my mind runs with it once it’s out there. I can see her asleep on the couch with our oldest in her arms, her belly round with our second baby.

She’d look amazing carrying my children.

I know it without a doubt .

With Jess, I had impending fatherhood thrust upon me at the worst possible time. I’d experienced a lot of guilt over the relief I’d felt when she miscarried not long after we were married.

This is different.

I don’t know how much we have in common, but I know with absolute certainty that I don’t want her to leave once this trial period ends. I want everything I just imagined.

I’ve got to be losing my grip on reality.

I want a family with her.