by Sierra Hill
Mica lifts her hand in front of her face, admiring her simple gold ring I gave her as a sign of my love and commitment. It’s not much, because I still have yet to get a job, but I am helping out Coach Parker this summer at a private basketball camp, so I’ll be earning some money at the very least. And then I’ll need to find something more permanent. If I like coaching, maybe I’ll see about sticking in that field.
I place a sweet kiss on her cheek and I feel a blush warm her face, mainly because my hand has ridden up her thigh and she knows what’s on my mind.
And just when I think I’m about to get away with it, Van and Kylah stop at the table and plop themselves down.
“Yo, I hear congratulations are in order.”
My eyes widen, because no one else knows about the baby or our marriage yet. But I’m guessing Cade and his big mouth let the cat out of the bag.
“Can I see the ring?” Kylah asks Mica shyly.
Mica holds her hand out for Ky’s inspection and she gushes over it.
“God, I’m so happy for you guys. It’s like everyone’s getting married or living together or buying houses…” And then she covers her mouth with her hand like she wasn’t supposed to let that slip.
“Oops.”
I give Van the evil eye and he snickers.
“What can I say? I got a promotion to Senior Accountant, so we decided to buy a house.”
Mica sits up, jostling my hand off her leg and I groan with disappointment as she moves to the chair next to me.
“Wow, that’s amazing you guys! When do you move in?”
Kylah’s beaming with excitement. “It’s being built out in Chandler, so it won’t be done until September or October, sometime later this fall. But we’ll be sure to have a housewarming party.”
I whisper into Mica’s ear so only she can hear me. “They better make that a baby shower, too.”
As she giggles we’re awarded with two inquisitive looks from Van and Kylah.
We talk happily a little longer. Kylah brings up her twin sister, Kady and her NBA boyfriend, Gavin. They live in LA but sounds like they might be transferring to New York or Miami. Kady is managing a chain of high fashion stores and Gavin is doing well playing in the big leagues.
Just as the conversation begins to wane, one of Ainsley’s friends, Brooklyn Hayes, whom I’ve known peripherally over the last four years, stops by to say hello. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I tried to hit on her once at a party in my sophomore year, but she shot me down. She’s a smart girl.
“Hey Lance, hey Micaela, how’s it going over here?”
I introduce her to Van and Kylah, since neither of them know her and we chat about school, graduation and what’s next in life. She mentions that she just graduated with her BA in Early Childhood Development and is starting grad school in the fall for some specialization that I didn’t quite understand.
“I really need a job this summer. The market is so tough and it’s even more difficult for someone like me where I need to find something with children, but it can only be for the summer. I’d love for it to be something for special needs kids, since that’s what I’ll be getting my M.S. in.”
Mica turns to look at me.
“Lance, didn’t you say Coach Parker is looking for someone to nanny for Caleb this summer?”
“Oh, um, yeah, I guess so. He mentioned something about that, but I don’t know the details,” I say, waving it away because I have no clue what his needs are. Not something I paid particularly too much attention to, since I’ve had my own stuff going on.
“Maybe we can give you his number and you two can hook up. It couldn’t hurt to put you in touch with him.”
We give Brooklyn Garrett’s number and I promise her that I’ll follow up with him sometime this week. Soon she leaves to head to the bar and Van and Kylah take off for the dance floor, leaving Mica and me alone once more.
The lights in the ballroom have been lowered and it casts a low, intimate glow across the room. I can’t take my eyes off Mica, my wife and the mother of my unborn child. Her eyes and smile are soft and sweet, her hair pulled away from her face in a pretty updo.
“You’re so beautiful, Micaela Britton. How’d I get so lucky?”
She shrugs her shoulders playfully. “You were persistent, I guess.”
I laugh at her joke, because that’s the truth. I had to be doggedly determined to pin her down. And then through all the turmoil and ups and downs we faced, I’m just thankful that she allowed me back into her good graces.
Reaching over to move a strand of hair from her face, I lean in and place a kiss on her lips. It’s tender, but tells her how much I love her.
When I pull away, her eyes sparkle with happiness. And I vow to myself that I want to keep that there for the rest of our lives.
“Hey, sexy wife?”
She waves her ring fingered-hand at me to remind me who she belongs to. “Yes, handsome husband?”
“Shall we go dance or go back to the room and fuck?”
I love the eyeroll she gives me. I’m crude, but she likes it. But it’s her response that makes me love her that much more.
“After you kiss me, why don’t you take me back to my room and do both - naked?”
Wiggling my brows at her suggestiveness, I pick her up off her feet and hook my arm around the back of her knees.
“Sounds like a plan, Georgie. A really good fucking plan.”
SLL Playlist:
“Sorry” – Nothing But Thieves
“Surrender” – Walk the Moon
“Rut” – The Killers
“No One’s Gonna Love You” – Band of Horses
“Things We Lost in the Fire” – Bastille
“Skinny Love” – Birdy
“Can’t Help Falling in Love” – Ingrid Michaelson
“That Year” – Brandi Carlile
“Everybody Gets High” - MISSIO
“As Long As You Love Me” – Justin Bieber
“I Can’t Go On Without You” – Kaleo
“The Gold” – Manchester Orchestra
“Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea” – MISSIO
“Recover” – Chvrches
“Conqueror” – Aurora
“I Won’t Give Up” – Jason Mraz
“Shine a Light” – Banners
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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[SH1]need better adjectives to describe him drunk
[SH2]is this the right word?
[SH3]what's the CPR process/order of steps?