Forever Mine

I walk into the hall as he re-enters the house. “What was all that about?”

He smiles, walking towards me, lifts my chin with his fingers and pecks my lips. “Nothing for you to worry about. Just talking about changing Caleb’s name.”

* * *

Today was a busy day.I tuck the kids in bed, letting them watch TV. Cal gives Caleb his bottle, then carries him to bed.

He returns to the living room, sitting next to me, then lies back on the sofa with the TV remote in hand, watching some viking series on Netflix.

My eyes flick to his, but he’s fixed on the TV. “I’m going to bed.” I shuffle to the edge of the sofa before lifting myself off.

“Night,” he says like he does most nights.

“I’m going to bed, Cal.” I stand above him, wondering if he understood what I said.

“Yeah, I heard you. Night.”

I rest my hands on my hips. “Well, do you want to come with me?”

He sits up and looks around the room as if I could be talking to someone else. Pulling the hair back from his face, his eyes rake over me from head to toe, and he bites his lip. “Yeah. I’ll be up soon, I’m just finishing watching this.” He lies back down, staring at the TV.

My shoulders drop as I walk upstairs. I thought after this morning he would jump at the chance to spend the night with me. Once Caleb is settled, I check the kids, and turn their TV’s off now they are sleeping, then rummage through my drawer for something sexy. The closest thing I have that fits is a short, strappy satin nightdress.

I climb into bed and read a book, hoping he’ll join me after his program has finished. Some time passes, and I pull the covers back in a huff. Where the heck is he? I stomp downstairs, only to find him fast asleep on the couch.

Seeing him look so content, I can’t be mad. He hasn’t been sleeping well lately, so I don’t want to disturb him. Instead, I pull a blanket over him and turn off the TV.

Though I worry that this morning was a moment of weakness on his part, just a quickie, literally. Is that what we are now? Friends with benefits?