Page 177 of Say My Name

“That doesn’t mean I want to be present when it happens.”

“You won’t be. I’m calling him from Chicago.”

Silence stretches between us again.

“Maya said you’re in Colorado.”

“She gave you my address?”

The sharpness in her voice is immediate.

“No. She refused. She told me you needed quiet, and that’s all.”

Her tone is less sharp. “Then how are you planning to come here?”

“I’m asking you.”

“Dominic…”

“I’m not accessing your leave records. I’m not asking security or the travel department to find you. If you tell me no, I’ll stay in Chicago.”

“Why do you want to come?”

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “Because we need to talk in person.”

“About Daniel?”

“About Daniel. About us. About what it means that I love you.”

Her breathing changes.

I want to ask if she’s pregnant. I want the answer badly enough that remaining silent takes effort.

If she is carrying our child, the news belongs to her. I won’t turn a suspicion into another demand.

“If I say no?” she asks.

“I won’t come. The acquisition stays dead, and I’ll respect your leave.”

“You’d really stay there?”

“Yes.”

“What are you planning to say that you can’t say now?”

The answer is simple. I should have given it to her weeks ago.

“I want you,” I say. “The relationship. A shared home. The whole life we kept pretending wasn’t forming around us.”

She says nothing.

“I don’t want two households and scheduled exchanges. I don’t want to be someone you invite over when wanting me becomes too much to ignore. I want breakfast with you. I want your things mixed with mine. I want the arguments, the appointments, the workdays, and every ordinary part neither of us put into the contract.”

“Dominic.”

My thumb hovers over the disconnect button, ready to give her the out she might need. “I’m not asking for your answer over the phone. I’m asking whether I may come see you.”

Several seconds pass.