Page 9 of Worth Risking It

“You all right?”

He blinked several times before snapping out of wherever he went. Coughing, he scratched his temple under the wool hat and took a drag. “Well, when you two decide to have that baby, let me know and I’ll find someone.”

“I’m pretty sure we’re going to get started on that as soon as we’re married.”

He scoffed, rolling his eyes and knocking the ashes from his cigarette. “Like I said, I got time. Chazz said something about Thanksgiving, well, that was just last week. I got a whole year.”

“No, not really. We’re getting married in February.”

“February? What the hell happened to a long engagement? When the fuck did February get put on the table?”

Taken aback at his outburst, I didn’t respond right away. “Uh…we just decided we didn’t want to wait. We were talking and decided on February tenth.”

“Wh…why…what? Why the tenth?”

My lids thinned. “It marks one year since she became mine. We’re getting married on our first anniversary. What’s the big deal?”

Heaving a sigh, he slouched in the chair, propping the heels of his sneakers on the railing. “Nothing, man. No big deal. I’m just saying, that means you gotta cut off the side hoes a lot sooner.”

My pulse slowed, my muscles tightened. “What are you talking about? I already did.”

He snorted, took one last drag, and flicked the cigarette off the balcony. “Man, who the fuck are you kidding? We walked in on you two weeks ago.”

Anxiety pushed adrenaline through my veins, chasing the chill from my bones. “What are you talking about?”

“We came here, she was going to cook you dinner and surprise you, but we were the ones who got surprised because you were getting your dick sucked. That’s why she went out and bought that fucking house. She was trying to piss you off so you would break up with her.”

A series of emotions assaulted, and I shook, my brain racing. “Oh, shit.”

“Yeah, oh shit. You fucking wrecked her, man. How could you do that? How could you promise her and lie to her fucking face? She was so ready to walk away, but I convinced her to stay.”

“Wait, what?” I shouted, standing upright.

“Man, why are you getting married if you don’t want to be faithful? I don’t get it. You want a variety of pussy, stay single.”

I was pacing, trying to keep the panic at bay. She knew? She caught me. That’s twice she caught me, in just over two months. What the hell was I going to do now?

“Wyatt, you don’t understand. Until you fall in love, you will never understand. I cannot live without this woman, but monogamy scares the shit out of me. I’m trying, man. I’m really trying. I only have three mistresses now, and plan to get rid of them when I’m married.”

“Well, she was so devastated, she concocted that plan to piss you off with the house, thinking you would either kill her, break up with her, or accept it and move on.”

Dread weighted my heart to my curdling stomach, my mouth going dry. “She wanted me to break up with her?”

“She was too scared to leave you, so she thought if she pissed you off enough, you’d dump her.”

“Over me getting head?”

“Yes, goddammit! Like I said, why can’t you just bang your woman? Why is she not enough for you?”

“She’s wonderful,” I muttered, dismayed at what I was hearing. “She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

He chortled, rolling his eyes. “You got that right. After you decided to forgive her about the house, she told me that if you would just put a cap on the little one eyed winker and keep your whores out of her state, she would look the other way, but she’s too afraid to trust you since you already promised to coat it and didn’t.”

What the hell was I hearing? Chastity was going to allow me to keep my affairs with stipulations? Was this woman for real? How in the world did I get so lucky?

The realtor lightly knocked on the door, so I bumped it open.

“Sir, there’s someone hear to see you.”