Jack might be an early riser, always up before the sun while Tess slept in. She was his opposite; she’d always been more of a night owl. Sure, he’d made an attempt to be social while they were dating. Now that they were married, though, he gave up on trying to romance her with nights out on the town.
If he wanted to stay in the hotel and go to sleep at ten o’clock, that was fine. He could do what he wanted. Didn’t mean that she wasn’t still young enough to want to have some fun.
“If you won’t come with me, I’ll go myself.”
Jack glowered over at his wife. She was dancing on her tiptoes, leaning forward, ready to take flight. Two minutes alone with him in the hotel room and she already wanted out.
Not him. He didn’t want to leave the rented room.
He sure as hell didn’t want his Tessie going out without him either. At least it explained why she wanted to have her own key.
And only made him more determined not to give her one.
“No.”
“No?” Tess echoed. She landed flat on her feet, stunned, but quickly shook it off. “Last time I checked, you were my husband, not my father.”
It was a cheap shot. Her father died when she was a child. Jack never knew his. The whole topic made them both touchy.
He rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand. “I know I'm not—”
“We're supposed to be partners.”
“We are.”
“Ha! Partners are supposed to make decisions together. You always try to tell me what to do.”
“No, I—”
With her hands on her hips, she snapped out, “I’m not a child!”
Jack opened his mouth to attempt to argue again when he realized something: Tessa was right. He hated to admit it, but his wife was absolutely right. If he treated her like a child—if she even thought he was—then she would only come to resent him even more.
And if he couldn’t trust her to take care of herself, he would drive them both crazy with his stubborn refusal to let her be his equal. This trip was all about salvaging their marriage. He couldn’t expect Tess to make all the sacrifices.
Maybe it was time he gave it a try.
“Okay. Fine. Point made.”
“I— wait, what?” Tess never expected he’d give in. So used to fighting with her husband over even the littlest of things lately, she was already plotting her next argument three steps ahead of where they were. She slammed on the brakes. “So I can go?”
“You’re an adult. You were right. If you want to head out, I can't stop you.”
“And you’ll come with me?”
He wasn’t willing to go that far. “Babe, I’m tired.”
“It's not even nine yet.”
“I know. I’m sorry, but I was driving all night. All I want is to relax, maybe watch a movie. You want to explore, fine. I don’t have to go.”
Tess frowned. So that was his next step. She shook her head, tugging the curtain shut as she did. “Forget it. I’ll stay.”
“No. No, Tessie, that’s not what I want. I wasn’t trying to manipulate you into staying.” Jack could feel the beginning of another of his killer headaches forming behind his right eye. Rubbing his temple, he climbed into the bed, stretching his legs out in front of him. He exhaled roughly. “Look, I don’t want to fight anymore.”
“Me neither,” she told him honestly. She edged closer to the bed. When he winced, she caught it. “What’s the matter, Jack? Does your head hurt?”
Jesus, yes. The throb could be absolutely excruciating at times. It only got worse after one of their fights. He would never admit it, though. “Only a little. I’ll be fine after I get some sleep.”