Man Up Husband

by Danielle Sibarium

  I do it because I know it's good for her, that it will help maintain her quality of life, but I hate it. I don't complain. I won't. Ever. But I hate the idea that something I do causes her pain, and I know those damn shots hurt her. She doesn't think I see how she jumps as the needle plunges into her skin, or how her fingernails dig into her palm or the side of her leg until I pull the needle out. Still, I do it. I do it because it's what she needs me to do.

  We didn't notice any improvement in her condition the first couple of months. I guess it took a while for everything to kick in. Maybe she just needed the opportunity to give her body some much-needed rest. Thanks to Jacqueline and the package I'm sure she had no part of giving me when she fired my ass, I was able to spend time with Mia and let Marlena rest without stressing over our financial situation too much.

  The severance pay held us over and only ran out recently. The position at Noah's company came at just the right time. I won't be making the same money initially, but the perks, like being able to work from home if I need to, more than makes up for it. My hours are flexible as long as I get my work done, and best of all, I'll be working closely with Noah.

  At first, Marlena and I worried my being home every minute of the day would have us at each other's throats. Those concerns proved unfounded. We soon took advantage of the gift of time we'd been given by spending a lot of it in bed together, although neither of us seem to get much sleep.

  "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I almost don't want you to go back to work next week."

  I stroke her cheek with my thumb before I meet her lips. "I can believe I'm about to say this. I'd rather spend my days at home in bed with you, bringing color to your cheeks. Both pairs," I say, wiggling my eyebrows and slapping her ass.

  "You're so bad," she says, pawing playfully at my chest.

  "I'm bad for you. Always. And I'll be as bad as you want and need me to be," I say, pulling her dress up around her hips.

  "Sure, you say that now, but in a couple of days, you start your new job with Noah, and between the two of you, you'll have all the pretty girls falling at your feet."

  Her eyes dart to the floor, and the one thing I've learned about her is no matter how hard she tries to make the world think otherwise, she's unsure. Unsure about herself, about the future, and about us. It's my job to convince her it's all going to be okay and I'm not going anywhere. No matter what.

  "There's only one woman I see falling at my feet, and that's you."

  I run my hand up her thigh, over the curve of her ass, and move her thong over to the side.

  "Stop! What if Mia comes in?"

  "She makes so much noise, we'll hear her coming a mile away," I answer, nibbling on her ear.

  She giggles. The sound is beautiful, but it does nothing to help the ache in my pants.

  "Not now!" she says, pulling my hand away before I could slip my fingers inside her. "We have to go."

  "We can't leave Mia alone. We have no choice but to wait until Noah and Lexi get here."

  "Yes, but those two are so prompt, they're probably parking the car right now."

  I pout and groan. "You're such a buzz kill." I'm interrupted from the guilt trip I'm laying on Marlena by the doorbell.

  I wait in the kitchen for a minute, giving my cock time to retreat before heading out to greet my friends.

  "Troy," Noah pulls me over to the side while the girls go over the details of Mia's schedule. "You need to set Jagger straight before I do."

  "What now?"

  "Lexi." Noah glances at his wife, and for a heartbeat, the anger in his eyes softens. "He calls her and texts her. Everyday it's something else."

  "C'mon, it's not like you have anything to worry about. No one exists to her but you."

  He shakes his head.

  "Oh yeah? How would you feel is someone was always sniffing around Marlena?"

  I smile at my friend, knowing all too well the insecurity that's creeping to the surface inside him, and pat him on the shoulder. "I guess you're just going to have to learn to trust your wife." My eyes find Marlena, and I realize how far we've come. "No matter what."

  "Big fucking help you are."

  Marlena sidles up next to me and slips her arm around my waist. I feel a stirring in my pants again. Shit, I'm not going to make it until after the ceremony. I need to find someplace private now.

  "C'mon, handsome." Marlena takes my hand in hers. "Time to go give your mother away." I sigh and shake my head. That thought kills my hard on. She kisses my cheek, steps on her tiptoes, and whispers in my ear. "Just think. In a matter of hours, you're going to have a whole new family."

  I don't move as my wife takes a step away. Instead I pull her back. She wobbles in her heels. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her against my chest as I steady her, happy this time she fell into my arms.

  "You're all the family I'll ever need. You and Mia. No matter what."

  "No matter what?"

  "No matter what."

  Her lips pull up at the corners, and I see happiness shine through her eyes. Even though the last few months have felt like we were walking through hell as we trudged through them, I know we're okay. And as long as we have each other, we'll always be okay.

  Thank you for reading Man Up Husband. I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, please tell a friend and post a review on the site that you bought it from.

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  Continue reading for an excerpt of Into You.

  “You start out with the best of intentions, but inevitably you hurt each other. I love you, but that didn't stop me from hurting you last night, or this morning. Love sucks. It's just the way it is.”

  Falling in love is easy. But what happens when that love has been tossed aside and trampled on by the person who swore to cherish it? Can you ever trust again, or will the bitter taste of betrayal keep you from allowing anyone else in?

  Carter and Elizabeth both have had their hearts broken and carry the scars of the past into their relationship with each other. Is love enough? Can it overcome?

  Chapter 1

  Elizabeth

  Trying to do the impossible, I transformed myself into a female version of Speed Racer. The pursuit: finding a place to park. I fought through the heavy traffic, cutting off before being cut off. Head first I ducked my car into a spot a block away from the all-night grocery store.

  I began my short walk with a deep breath. The rank smell of dead fish brought to mind all the things I missed most about Brooklyn. Aside from the obvious convenience and constant motion, I couldn't understand why bouts of home sickness had me longing to blanket myself in the haze of exhaust fumes and the deafening noise of the city.

  I enjoyed coming home. Especially since graduation. It was lonely in my apartment. Just me, myself and I. I didn’t make the long lasting friendships in college some of my friends back home made. I chose a different route. Sometimes I gave serious consideration to living with a roommate. Unless I wanted to move, there was nothing I could do about it now. Instead I made a point of visiting my parents at least once every two weeks.

  Loud, thumping music I could feel in my throat blared out of passing car windows. A red light turned green, which brought with it the sound of screeching tires; that, I didn't miss: the immature guys cruising down the avenue trying to impress girls with their way-too-loud-base-heavy-music.

  Last night had been the first time in months that I stayed overnight. I hadn't partied like that in ages. Tired and hung over from a night of club hopping with my high school friends, I hoped to get home and in bed early. I certainly didn’t plan on reminiscing with my family. But tonight nostalgia took over.

  Once my mother pulled out the old photo albums I knew I wasn't going anywhere. And the truth is, I didn't want to. Even my sister put her social life on hold for the evening. The four of us poured over ol
d photographs of life before our digital cameras. I wanted to stay and laugh with my family as each memory captured in the snapshots was brought back to life.

  Only now, I wasn't sure I could make it back to the apartment. Trying to keep my burning eyes open, I decided to stop and grab a snack packed with enough sugar and caffeine to keep me awake for the drive. You'd think just being around the noise and bright lights of Brooklyn would be enough to wake me, but I kept yawning.

  I looked around at the stores and shops, most of them were closed, with metal grates covering the windows. That was something you didn't see much of in Jersey, at least not where I lived. That and the attached stores packed so close together, one on top of the other. The stores and restaurants on the main streets tended to be close, but only for a few blocks. All of Brooklyn had this tight squeezed-in feel.

  I'd gotten my fill. I found myself looking to get away from the noise of the cars beeping, buses screeching and music blaring. I wanted to go home. Yearning to feel my cool, crisp sheets cradle my bare skin, I walked faster, looked down at my watch, and yawned.

  “Son of a bitch!” a male voice barked as I felt myself bounce off what felt like a brick wall.

  I shook it off realizing there are no walls in the middle of the sidewalk. The hard object I bumped into was a man.

  “Sorry,” I said, before even looking at him.

  The striking young man shook his head annoyed. He looked down at his chest to assess the damage. I followed his gaze, and gasped as I made out the egg carton against his chest oozing with gook.

  Without thinking, I reached into my pocket, pulled out a tissue and dabbed at the eggy spot on his suit jacket. I hesitated, embarrassed at the liberty I had taken. With heat filling my face I looked up, and met his eyes for the first time. My stomach tumbled. I stood frozen, mesmerized by his steely grey eyes. In an attempt to hide my awkwardness I pulled my hand away from him.

  “Forget it,” the handsome stranger said.

  “The yolks on you,” I recovered.

  “Very funny,” he snapped.

  “I didn’t mean . . .” I looked away, disappointed he didn’t get my humor. Why should he be any different than the rest of the guys I've come across? Especially since I left my mark on him.

  “Yes, you did,” he said soberly. After a moment he continued. “Good thing I like my eggs scrambled,” the corners of his lips turned up ever so slightly.

  I felt as if time stopped. Captivated by the gleam in his bright eyes, I tried to speak. No sound left my mouth. I pulled my eyes from his, once again self-conscious.

  It took an instant for me to realize how close we stood. Only a few inches separated me from a very handsome man I had never before laid eyes on. With the return of my senses I realized we were much too close for strangers on a Brooklyn street corner.

  I retreated. I thought if I could create a bit of space between us I could catch my breath and regain my composure. The distance helped. But he still unnerved me. Just a quick glance at him through the corner of my eye had me hovering six feet off the ground.

  I opened my purse and reached inside, “The least I can do is pay for the dry cleaning.”

  With a light touch he placed his hand on my wrist. My whole arm tingled. I never felt anything like that before. I'd read about it in romance novels that suck you in and keep you up at night, but I didn't know anything like that was real. I looked up and met his eyes.

  “I don’t want your money. How about a cup of coffee?”

  “You want me to buy you coffee?”

  He smiled, showing off his deep dimples, “I want you to join me for a cup of coffee in the café across the street.”

  I looked away and shook my head, “I shouldn't. I have a long drive.”

  “You do owe me,” he reminded me with a raised brow.

  I pressed my lips into a thin line contemplating the offer. A nervous rumbling in my belly made it clear to me that I wanted to go, really wanted to go with him. But he had me off balance. My heart fluttered like mad. It was late. And I was tired. Or was I?

  My nerve endings leaped and swirled since we touched. Not only my nerve endings, my entire body. What better than a cup of Joe to wear off some of the surging adrenaline?

  Seeming to understand my hesitation he tried to coax me. “Just a cup of coffee.”

  I found myself unable to resist. I broke down. What harm could come of one cup of coffee? I needed caffeine. Caffeine was my friend. That was why I bumped into him in the first place.

  “Sure,” I said with a smile, “I’d love to.”

  Other books by Danielle Sibarium

  The Eternity Series

  For Always (Eternity 1)*FREE*

  And Forever (Eternity 2)

  The Heart Waves Series

  Heart Waves (1) *Free*

  Breaking Waves (2)

  Waves of Love (3)

  Heart Waves Series Boxed Set

  Man Up

  Each book revolves around a different couple, and each book has its own HEA

  Man Up Party Boy

  Man Up Playboy

  Man Up Husband

  Stand Alones

  To My Hero: A Blog of Our Journey Together

  Into You

  Regret Me Not

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  About the Author

  Danielle grew up as an only child of divorced parents in Brooklyn, New York. Her imagination was developed at an early age. Surrounded by stuffed animals and imaginary friends, she transported herself into a fantasy world full of magic and wonder. Books were the gateway between her play world and reality.

  Danielle always loved dialogue and in elementary school began writing plays and short stories. This is when she began to understand she could not only bring her fantastical world to life for herself, but she could enchant others as well.

  In 2007 Danielle collaborated with Charlotte Doreen Small to write songs for her CD More. Danielle wrote the lyrics for Take My Hand, and Goodbye, while Charlotte contributed the melody.

  Danielle graduated from Farleigh Dickinson University with honors, and currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children.