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"It wasn't your father, was it? I told you that you should have come to stay with me once school was over. I know he's got that big house and the cute dogs, but he needs to have your best interests in—"
"It wasn't Dad, Mom. Calm down." Like the young woman she was, she gave another exasperated sigh. "It's just boy stuff. We'll talk in person. See you tomorrow, Mom. Love you."
My hands grip the insides of my pockets again as my palms turn sweaty. Brett and I are standing in the airport, the luggage carousels whirring behind us, staring at the escalators and waiting for Sophia to appear among the crowds of people on them. As he wraps an arm around my waist, I can feel his muscles still tense against me. Not tense with need like they used to be, but tense with something I can't put a name to.
Finally, I can't take it anymore. I turn to look up at him. "Whatever this is that's going on with you, knock it off. It stops now," I say. He blinks, his blue eyes widening a little in surprise as he turns to meet my gaze.
"I don't know what you—" he starts to say, but I cut him off.
"Don't lie, Brett. No more lying. There's been something off about you for a couple of weeks now. I can't take it anymore."
His surprise fades, replaced by a lowering brow. "You've been off too," he says, almost defensively.
"Yeah, well, at least I have a good reason. I'm losing everything I care about." My voice trembles, and I quickly catch my breath, holding back the tears that are threatening to flow once again.
After a moment, I say, "I can't go on like this, Brett. I want to connect with you emotionally again. You know what I mean?"
His eyes move to the floor, and he frowns. "Yeah," he admits. "I know exactly what you mean."
"Things have been so great for you, Brett. I mean, your career dreams are coming true." His pensive frown deepens. "I just want to know what's wrong. Is it… is it something I've done?"
Taking my hand in his, he brings his lips to my knuckles, kissing them hard. "Of course not," he insists, his lips brushing against my skin as he talks. "You haven't done anything wrong."
"I know I've been sad lately, and if that's too much for you to handle—"
He chuckles a little. "I promise, you will never be too much for me to handle."
"Then what is it?" I look him deep in his eyes now, holding him in my gaze. "Please. I'm already losing so much. I… I can't lose you… too…." As I say it, the tears return, stinging my eyes and my throat. Closing my eyes, I think about my daughter, about wanting to be strong for her. Forcing calmness and coolness to return.
Brett drops my hand, bringing both of his to either side of my face. Immediately, his lips are on mine, and in that one kiss, I feel everything he feels for me. His continuing passion, his undying attraction to me. His adoration. His desire.
For a moment, it's almost like we're alone in the bungalow again. His teeth emerge, biting at my lip. I almost want to drag him into the nearby bathrooms to see all this through. To let him show me his passion in full. To let him take me over and over again.
But with Sophia's upcoming arrival, I know we can't. Placing my hands on his shoulders, I draw myself back, pulling our lips apart.
"Let's put a pin in that," I whisper.
"Not for too long, though," he agrees. "I want this to work, Denise. I promise."
"Then help me make it work. Don't clam up."
He sighs, his wonderful breath grazing my face. I put my hands on either side of his head, holding him exactly as he held me. Keeping him steady while letting him know exactly how serious I am.
Finally, he says, "Okay… there is something I haven't told you about…."
But just as he takes a slow breath, preparing himself to say more, there's a happy cry from the escalators.
"Mom!"
I whip around to look for her. A plane must have just landed and let all its passengers loose, as the escalators are packed with people again. And right there in the middle of the crowd is Sophia. My heart becomes as light as a balloon when I spot her, a vision of beauty in the center of the crowd. It's been so long since we've seen each other, it feels like a lifetime.
As she reaches the end of the escalators, she rushes over to me, a large bag slung over her shoulder. She's as lovely as ever. Dark almond eyes pinching with her large smile, her coffee-brown hair up in two buns on top of her head. Her arms wrap around me and squeeze me tightly, and I do the same to her, holding her as close as I possibly can.
Far too quickly, she lets go of me again and stepped back, tears shining in her eyes as well. "I'm so sorry about Grandma's bakery, Mom," she says.
I kiss her on the cheek, stroking her soft hair. "I know," I say. Swallowing the tears down, I let out a little laugh. "Let's not talk about it here, okay? I'm already enough of a mess."
Sophia giggles too. But as Brett steps forward and offers to take her bag, her smile transforms into a squinted look of suspicion. "So," she says, her tone hardened. "You're the boyfriend, then?"
