Page 66 of The Marriage Rebound

After our talk went sideways, as they always tended to do, I had resigned myself to trying to figure out how to accept her where she was. Yet she was here, meeting me where I needed her to be. Baby steps. Practice. That’s how one got better at anything, with practice, if they were willing, and she was showing me she was willing.

“I love you too, baby. We were going to get some lunch. Let me take you out?”

“Oh, well, I’m comin’ from brunch, remember, so kinda full. But we can head home and I’ll make you somethin’. Okay?”

I smiled and leaned down for another quick kiss. “Deal.”

I cut my eyes over at the bouquet on my passenger seat. I don’t know why getting flowers made me a little giddy, but it did, and I liked the feeling.

I glanced over at the flowers again. She’d bought me flowers. She’d shown up at my work with flowers to apologize.

She’d made an effort.

She’d made the first move.

However, I knew things weren’t going to change overnight. Practice. Work. Perfecting my game required consistent effort. I never let myself get complacent. I had to apply that same mindset to my marriage. Which was something I hadn’t been doing.

It was amazing what slowing down and spending real time with the woman I’d chosen to make my wife brought to light. A readjusting of priorities. Or rather seeing them from a different perspective. Providing for my family had more than one meaning.

Though not having consistent money coming in was still stressing me out. Luckily, we’d gotten our championship bonus, and my agent had secured two brand deals that came with sign-on bonuses. The bank and investment accounts had breathing room. It helped keep me from feeling like I wasn’t doing enough.

Sasha surprisingly hadn’t gone on any shopping sprees since the last one, so that had been good, and with Mya overhearing our argument, despite me telling her to keep focus on her studies, she’d called to say she’d gotten an on-campus job to help minimize costs. She knew it wasn’t going to cover much, but it did mean I wasn’t responsible for all her living expenses. She’d finished her explanation with some BS about being an adult and needing to learn independence. I hated she’d had to overhear, but I loved the sentiment behind the intention.

Being intentional.

My gaze drifted to the roses again. Sasha and I needed to do the same.

We’d only covered two topics on the checklist, and had shelved both the topic of kids and finances after the talks devolved into our same old, same old.

Practice. It would take practice.

We would adapt. We would make a game plan.

When we reached our townhome, I let Sasha pull in first, then I parked beside her. I grabbed my roses plus my bag from the passenger side of my car, bumping the door closed with my hip just as she was coming around to greet me.

“Do we have a vase for these?”

“Yes, babe, we do. They’re in the garage cabinet over there.”

I juggled the flowers and my bag so that I could slide my arm along her waist and pull her to me. “Thank you again for these. I’m feeling all girly and shit getting flowers from my lady.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “You a mess, but—” She stretched up on her tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on my chin. “You’re welcome. You deserve to feel girly. And appreciated. And I should make that clear more often.”

I slid my hand down to rest at the curve of her ass. “Is that so?”

My beautiful wife smiled sweetly as she squeezed my ass. “Yes. Now, I’ll grab a vase. You head in.”

As soon as I entered Vuitton’s barks carried from upstairs. I swear that dog’s hearing was precise as hell when he wanted it to be. Like when he’s been locked up and hears a human coming home, which means his freedom. I dropped my bag on the bench then set the bouquet on the island before I headed up to release the spoiled beast. By the time I got back downstairs, Sasha was arranging the roses in the vase she’d brought in. Vuitton bolted out the back door as soon as I opened it for him.

“They really are beautiful,” I said on my way to the fridge.

“I’m glad you like them.”

I pulled out the fixings for a sandwich.

“Gimme a sec and I’ll do that.”

“Nah, I got it.”