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"Every da "Six yearshim more times than I care tohis bath towel up! I’m sure he just does it to drive me crazy"

"You know me, darlin’, I live to drive you crazy" Smith puts his arm around her neck He pulls her to hi, Carly chastises hi her hair

Their love for each other is so obvious, it’s infectious I hope Jake and I are still that e

The thought escapes nant, we probably won’t even have six ether

Especially when I tell hi allher question "So Jake’s bad habits, like never cleaning out his stinky ashtray that he leaves out on the patio, are sure to be left out" I slide him a look

"You just clean the ht in the chest with a sharp twist, leaving ive hi ives et aith anything, as he leans over and plants a kiss onafter his lips have left , Carly?" I ask, putting ner"

"Best daner California has," Smith says, proud

"Do you have your own company?" I ask

"I do" She smiles "It’s small, but I do okay"

"We’ve just recently moved into a new house, and I could really use so it If you’re not too busy, I’d love to hire you to help ot a clue where to start That’s okay with you, isn’t it?" I ask Jake

Why a plans to decorate?

I suppose the baby will need a nursery…

What the hell a all moony-eyed over this when I don’t even know if Jake wants this baby? He won’t, I knoon’t I remember the look on his face when the subject careat idea," Jake answers, bringing me back to the present

"Then I would love to" Carly beams "How about I come round to your house on Monday, and we can start froreat, I can’t wait" If I’ there, that is I force another suys have been e

"Yep, and together for ten," Carly answers "We are the stereotypical high school sweethearts"

"Maybe ‘stereotypical’ is pushing it a little far, darlin’ I was the lay emo kid, and she was the hot cheerleader," Set her to notice me; then, once I had her attention, I lured her in with ether ever since"

"It was the persistence," she says, laughing "I figured a guy who had kept at it for that long must have some serious stamina"

"So it was my persistence and sta shock

"No, those are what got rins at him

As I watch them interact, it warms my unsteady heart, and I feel Jake take hold of , he s off about it

Orin

"Have you guys set a date for the wedding?" Carly asks

"July twenty-first," Jake answers, beating ?" she directs her question to riet started So far, I have sohted as uest list"

"Well, I’ve planned a wedding before, so if you need a hand at all, you let ht have to take you up on that offer" I s planner extraordinaire," she jokes with a flourish

I laugh

It’s easy to laugh when, for that nant Then I re inside of me, and my mood drops like a rock in water

The waiter comes over with the bottle of wine, and it’s at thatthe nape ofover, he whispers into my ear, "You look so sexy If I could, I’d take you on this table right now Dining table, later, at ho at me His eyes are dark and fixed

I nodanother smile

He presses a soft kiss toto Sht

Of course he does We have sex every night And

But I can’t Not with this on et hoood-byes to Carly and Sotten in the car when I blurt out, "We need to talk And it’s not so before he starts the car, he turns his head to look at me, his face full of myriad questions "Why not?"

I kno important it is to Jake that our hohts And I feel this conversation isn’t going to be a happy one

"Just because," I reply "Is there soo to talk?"

"Just because?" He frowns "You think that’s a fuckin’ answer, Tru?"

"I don’t want to talk about this in the car, Jake" I wrap my arms protectively around myself

"But you don’t want to talk about it at hoood a place as any" He turns his body towarderI can feel the fear tre in my throat