My stomach knotted up, causing the constant, dull ache there to turn back into a physical pain. If the tests came back positive, my life—our lives—were going to change so drastically, I couldn’t even comprehend what that would look like.
Geneviève was only twenty-two. Would she still be interested in me if I were a single father of twins? Her adult life was just beginning.
If situations were reversed, I hate to think of what my answer would have been at twenty-two.
“Who was it?” Geneviève asked, lifting her head slightly.
Her hair was still wet and clung to her face. I used my hand and pushed the strands behind her ears. “Nothing, just spammers.”
“Hmm, that sucks,” she said, then dropped her plump lips on mine.
Screw me sideways, but I had no desire to ruin her current mood.
And I wouldn’t unless and until I had to.
“Oh,you’ve got it bad, man. I know that look. And it always ends up in wedding bells,” Isaac said as he startled me out of my familiar daydream about Geneviève, me, and a field of daisies.
I could have brushed him off and told him he was crazy. But for some unknown reason, I didn’t want to. For the first time in my life, I wanted people to know how insanely in love I was.
No embarrassment.
No filter.
Geneviève sat on the grass with a few of her teammates. They all had their legs out and were playing with the puppies. From here, it looked like more of a competition to see who the puppies would run to the most.
Of course, they eagerly chose Geneviève the lion’s share of the time. Just now, both of the goofy puppies jumped out of Jillian’s arms and stumbled on their short, stubby legs directly to their mom.
Geneviève laughed as they tried to climb her, competing for her love.
“Never had it this bad before, man. Or, I should say, this good.”
Edwards pulled out a chair and sat down at our table. “What’s he doing sitting at the married guy’s table?” he said, jerking his head toward me.
“He’s got it bad, Edwards,” Isaac said as he nodded his head.
“No shit?” Edwards answered back, his eyebrows practically touching his hairline. “Well, until you have the tampon commercial daydreams, you’re still safe, brother,” he said, shifting in his chair toward me.
I turned my head toward him. “You mean the one where you’re running through a field of daisies?”
“Oh, I never thought I’d see the day!” Isaac shouted while Edwards stared at me in utter shock. “I’ve gotta call Francisca and tell her this.”
“Wow, man. Good for you. Happy for you two,” Edwards said, smacking me on the back. And I chuckled, more than happy to be a part of this group.
“I don’t believe a word of it. You?” Luis said from the table beside us, having obviously heard our conversation. “How is a guy like you going to give up all that fine, fine, grade A choice meat out there? Impossible.” He shook his head and crossed his arms in front of him.
“It’s easy. When you’ve got fillet at home, why go out?” I smirked back at him and all the guys laughed boisterously.
Geneviève looked over at me, a quizzical smile on her face.
All I did was grin.
That evening was a show night.So, as per usual, the girls watched at Jillian’s and the guys watched at Trey’s.
Surprisingly, the producers added the clip of my conversation at the married guys’ table.
Loud and clear.
I’ve never gotten so much shit from a team like I did after that. Phrases like, ‘pussy whipped’ and ‘ball and chain’ were thrown around more than once.