Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 42745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 142(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 142(@300wpm)
I glance down at my clothes and then back at him. “Are you kidding? These jeans are at least three years old.” I tug at the old, holey denim.
He wiggles his eyebrows. “Well, you wear them just right.”
I laugh and move back in front of the mirror. “Forget it, Dr. Brody. We have places to be.”
He comes up behind me and buries his face in my neck. With a big inhale, he sighs. “Fine, but I’m pulling you into a stall later because there’s no way I’m looking at this ass all day and not having you.”
He grabs my butt, and I lean back against his chest.
A big part of me wants to stay right here and enjoy this closeness, but another part of me wants to be with his family today. I want them to see this side of Penn again too. I know they’ve missed him.
He kisses my neck right below my ear, and my body trembles. The man knows exactly what he’s doing. I give him a stern look in the mirror. “We should probably get going.”
He groans but walks over to his side of the bathroom. “I like it when you tell me what to do, Aria.”
My insides are gooey, but I force myself to keep getting ready. I’m putting my earrings in when I glance over at him in front of his sink. “So…”
He smiles. “Yes, my love?”
I smile back. “I’m ovulating. I mean, yesterday and maybe today.”
I start rambling about my temperature and the app and all the things I’ve been tracking, but when I look at him in the mirror, the Penn from last night is gone. The playful smile has disappeared, and his jaw is tight. Heck, his whole body has gone stiff.
“You should have told me,” he says.
I stare at him. “What?”
He shakes his head and walks out of the bathroom.
I’m so stunned that it takes me a second to move, then I follow him into the bedroom.
Our bed is still a mess from last night, and with nothing else to do, I start yanking the sheets straight as anger rises in my chest. “I thought you’d be happy.”
He claps his hands together once. “Well, I’m not. You should have told me. I would think that’s something you’d mention to your husband instead of keeping it from me.”
I gasp and point at him. “There’s no way you’re saying that to me right now.” I throw a hand up. “First of all, you’re the one keeping secrets. Second of all, we’ve talked about this. We both want kids. We’re not using protection, Penn. No, I didn’t think I had to make an announcement before we had sex.”
He lets out a hard breath. “You should have told me.”
“Why?” I ask, my voice rising. “So you could avoid touching me?”
His face goes pale, but probably what freaks me out the most is the way he goes completely silent. And suddenly, I know this is something, but I don’t know what.
He runs a hand through his hair. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
He doesn’t answer fast enough.
I shake my head. “We both know there’s pressure. I feel it too, Penn.”
“Pressure?” he snaps. “You’re under pressure? What kind of pressure are you under? I’m the one with the demanding job. I’m the one who—”
My eyes widen, and he stops as soon as the words are out, but it’s too late.
Never in all our time together has Penn ever treated my job like it doesn’t matter. What I do is important. I know it, and he knows it. So for him to stand here and act like I don’t understand pressure makes my stomach turn.
He comes toward me with his palms up. “Aria, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
I shake my head and hold the pillow to my chest. “No, you shouldn’t have.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” He looks lost as he stares at me. “I don’t know what happened. I just snapped.”
I look at him, trying to make sense of the man in front of me. “Does it bother you that I’m ovulating?”
He closes his eyes, and my heart drops.
“This doesn’t make sense,” I say. “We’ve talked about wanting kids. We’re not using protection. We both know it’s eventually going to happen.”
Something flickers across his face. I try to decipher it, but one emotion after another appears before I can take it all in. But I do see the anger. It’s still there.
I take a step back. “Or has that changed for you?”
He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out.
I press my hand to my stomach as the words come out in a whisper. “Do you not want to have kids with me?”
He pauses. It’s only a few seconds, but it feels like forever.
I bend forward like he punched me.
“Aria—”
I shake my head and back away from him. “No.”