I arrived home from the office after making all our travel plans feeling invigorated. So much so that I bought a bottle of champagne to celebrate just how good I felt. I held it up as I entered the kitchen where she was cooking pasta.
"Are you ready to celebrate?"
She turned, and her eyes widened. She even smiled, but in her eyes I saw tension. "What are we celebrating?"
"Whatever we want. I'm feeling like I'm getting control of the company. I also scheduled a business trip for us. I put them on the joint calendar. Did you see them?"
She nodded. "I did."
"And will it work for you?" Worry tickled low in my gut. Something was off with her. She was subdued, not as animated as she usually was.
She smirked, rolling her eyes and turning back to the stove. "There's nothing I do here that I can't do somewhere else."
I couldn't decide whether she was being funny or if underneath that statement, there was resentment.
I walked over to the cupboard to get flutes but stopped behind her, pressing a kiss to her neck. "Are you okay?"
She was still for a moment. "I'm fine."
"I know it seems like you’re a housewife, but I don't see it like that. You're doing legitimate work. And if you want me to make dinner some night, I will." I had this weird panic deep in my belly that she was unhappy. I didn't like it.
"Everything's fine, James. Really."
I didn’t quite believe her, but I knew pushing her wouldn’t get her to reveal more, so I had to accept her words at face value.
I pulled the flutes down and popped the champagne cork.
"None for me. Thank you."
I looked at her. "Seriously, Reyna. Is something wrong? Are you sick?"
She kept her eyes on the pot as she stirred. "I'm not sick."
"Listen, I know that February can be a dull and drab month, so on this trip, we’ll schedule in some fun. And it won’t be just for pictures to send to Amelia to post on social media. We’ll enjoy the sun and warmth, okay?"
She nodded. "That sounds good."
I poured myself champagne and helped her get the food on the table. I spent the whole night sharing with her my successes of the day and my plans for the trip we were taking. I dominated the conversation, but that was because she was quieter than usual. I wanted to ask her about it again, but whatever was going on with her, she didn't want to tell me, and I wanted to respect her privacy. I wasn't going to do anything to make her upset because she was my secret weapon. Her work, her support, her body... all of it was building me up, and I wasn’t planning to do anything to fuck that up.
Our trip wasn’t scheduledfor two days because the following night, we’d agreed to have dinner with Amelia and Max. Amelia continued to treat us like a real family, which I appreciated, but at the same time, I worried that she was hoping Reyna and I would become a real couple. I enjoyed having Reyna in my life and could even see us taking this plot further into the future, if necessary, but that was only because everything was going so well. It wasn’t because I was falling for her. My gut twisted like it was calling me a liar, but I straightened it out by taking a sip of my wine as we sat in the living room talking after dinner.
Max was sharing about the new club he and his brother opened in Las Vegas when Andrew started crying. Amelia went to tend to him, returning with him and a bottle, both of which she handed over to me. I think it was another ploy to get me to want to be a family man. It wasn't working, even if Andrew was a sweet baby and I had genuine affection for him.
Even so, I had no problem feeding him. If he wet himself or cried, I’d just hand him back. That was a perk of being an uncle over a parent. I could relinquish him to Amelia and Max.
"You're not nursing anymore?" Reyna asked as she sat next to me on the couch as I fed Andrew.
"Yes, but I also pump a lot, so I have extra milk. They say a great way to bond with babies is through feeding, and I want to make sure Andrew bonds with James."
I feigned offense. "This kid will bond with me whether I feed him or not. I'm the best uncle ever."
"I've got a brother who might challenge that idea," Max said. He sat in a wingback chair across from us. Amelia sat on the arm of the chair.
"Yeah, but his time is divided because he has his own kid. Andrew is the only kid in my life. The only kid who will be in my life unless you have more."
Next to me, Reyna flinched.
"Don't say that, James," Amelia snapped at me. She put on a sweet smile. "You know what they say? Never say never."