Page 57
“Don’t you?” Stevie asks.
I consider the last two days spent with Beck and Noah. I’ve felt jealousy already, not only because Noah experienced things with Beck I’ve never experienced with him but also because of how they’ve reacted to seeing each other. They do have baggage between them, but that means they also never resolved it. They just moved on the best they could, and now they’ve been thrown back together in an extremely intimate situation. One that now includes me.
Plus, I can’t forget our sessions together and the way Beck anchored us during the breathing exercise or that Noah did appear to get turned on by the whole thing, even if I tried to write it off after. And during today’s session, they worked together, going off-script toward the end. There’s also the fact that Noah was hard, his stiff cock pressing into me only further turning me on in the moment.
I release a long exhale. “It’s likely.”
“Talk to him,” Stevie urges.
I grip the comforter of the bed. “And if the outcome is him hating me? Or running off with Beck into the sunset?”
“Do you really think that would happen? It sounds dramatic.”
I roll my eyes. “Maybe, but it could.”
“Look, Quinn. I know you, and I know Noah. He went to that retreat because he loves you. He may like to run away from his feelings and conflict, but he’s not going to run away from you, and I know you’re not going to run away from him. You would have already if that were the case.”
“So I just tell him about Beck and hope for what?”
“Not everything has to be so black and white, relationships included. Just look at my sister, Riley, and her husbands. They make it work, and they’re so happy, it’s kind of disgusting to watch.”
My heart rate kicks up, and I shake my head. “You want me to ask my husband if he’d be willing to be in a throuple?”
Stevie snorts. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m just saying that you should talk to Noah. Tell him what you’re feeling. Communicate with him like you want him to communicate with you. One step at a time, my friend. One step at a freaking time.”
I thread a hand through my hair and stand from the bed, sliding on my sandals.
“You okay over there?” Stevie asks.
Am I okay? No? Yes? I don’t even know anymore. All I know is that Stevie is right. I need to tell Noah what I’m feeling and thinking. Even if it ends badly or Noah confesses that he still has feelings for Beck, I have to do it. There is no other option.
“I’m going to talk to him.”
“Good girl.”
My pulse pounds, the praise reminding me of another person who used the same words on me, how Noah observed my reaction to it and didn’t balk at it. He didn’t balk or get mad at anything that happened today.
“I’ll talk to you later,” I say.
“You’ve got this,” Stevie returns. “And remember, being a throuple isn’t the only option in this scenario.”
I halt my movements in front of the door. “Meaning?”
“Reignite is about intimacy and exploring with your partner. Continue to be open, and don’t close any doors that are opening without thinking it through first.”
“Alright?”
Her light laughter filters through the phone. “I have faith you’ll figure it out. Goodnight, Quinny.”
Stevie hangs up before I can respond, and I pull the phone away from my ear. I may not know exactly what she means, but I do know I need to find Noah before I lose my nerve.
I toss my phone onto the side table by the door, grab the extra key, and step out into the dry evening air.
Drawing in a steady breath, I roll my shoulders back. I can do this. I can talk to my husband, and everything is going to be fine.
Chapter twenty-one
Noah