“One of the many things I love about you.”
She jolted at his use of the word love, but then continued to kiss and nibble her way to his ear and his neck.
“Are you ready to go back to bed?” he asked.
“I’m ready to spend the night in your bed. I’m not ready to sleep though. We could talk and stuff.”
He began walking her backward out of the kitchen. “I’m all about the stuff when we’re together. We can talk on the phone when we’re at work. Or before bed when we can’t be together.”
“How much energy do you have?”
“Enough to satisfy you.”
“I have no doubt.”
As they settled in his bed once again, Kevin could think of nothing else he enjoyed more than having Kathy in his arms. He wanted to make this a more permanent situation, but he knew he couldn’t suggest it now.
He just needed to figure out how to move things along a little faster. Once he proved to her that she could trust him, that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her again, they could move forward.
* * *
Kevin sat on a stool at McGinty’s bar waiting for the Savage Tools hockey team to come through the door. Both of his younger brothers played on the team, and they routinely came to the bar to drink after practice and games. They’d played hard tonight to win, and Kevin knew they’d want to celebrate.
Moments later the first few guys came flying through the door. He ordered beers for his brothers while he waited. When they came in, he waved them over to the bar. Sean slapped him on the back.
“Good to see you out at a game again. You should play with us.”
Tommy laughed. “Nah. He’s ready for the old-timers’ league.”
Kevin snatched the bottle of beer from his baby brother’s hand. “I’m not that old.” With a smile, he returned the bottle to Tommy. “Even if I wanted to play again, I don’t have the time right now. This job is kicking my ass.”
Sean said, “That sucks.”
Kevin looked around. “Where are your ladies?”
Tommy took a drink. “They both have to work early, so they don’t watch our late games.”
Kevin was a little relieved Emma and Deirdre weren’t there. He needed time with his brothers because he needed their advice. It was irksome enough having to ask his little brothers for help without being teased by their girlfriends.
“So what’s up?” Sean asked as he sat on the stool beside Kevin. Tommy took the stool on the other side of him, and they both stared.
“I wanted to ask you guys something and figured this would be a good time.”
“Shoot,” Sean said.
Kevin drank from his bottle and tried to figure out how to frame the question so he wouldn’t sound like an asshole.
“God, how bad is it?” Tommy asked.
“It’s not bad. It’s about me and Kathy.”
“You fucked it up already, huh?” Sean reached around him and pushed Tommy. “You owe me twenty.”
“What the fuck? You guys bet on whether I’ll fuck up my relationship with Kathy?”
“Not whether. When.” Tommy shrugged. “It’s kind of a given.” He fished in his pocket, but Kevin stopped him.
“First, I didn’t fuck it up. We’re still very much together. Second, you’re both assholes for betting against me. I can’t believe I wanted your advice.”
“Come on, man. What is it?” Sean asked.
Kevin thought about his other option, Jimmy, which didn’t sound any better. “I fucked things up with her before, and she doesn’t trust me. I get it. I deserve it. But I need to figure out how to get her to trust me.”
“Dude, I got this. I might not know much, but this I do know. You can tell her all you want, but you need to show her you can be trusted.” Sean leaned his elbows back on the bar and looked like he’d just answered all of life’s questions.
“How do I do that?”
“Show her she has nothing to worry about.”
Tommy leaned forward. “Right after Deirdre and I got married, an old friend called and Deirdre answered my phone.”
“Ouch,” Sean said with a smile. “I think Emma would’ve removed a body part if that had been me. Probably a part I really like.”
“Deirdre’s not like that. But she was hurt. It was all over her face, man. I would’ve done anything to make sure I never saw that again.”
“What’d you do?” Kevin asked.
“I called Chrissy back in front of Deirdre. Offered to put it on speaker so she could hear the conversation. Then I let Chrissy know I’m off the market.”
Kevin laughed. “I already tried that. I made general announcements to everyone that I was off the market because Kathy was my girlfriend. She told me I was being over the top.”
“But she still doesn’t trust you,” Tommy said.
Kevin shook his head.
Tommy added, “I deleted all other contacts from my phone. The only women left are clients, friends, and family. I did it without Deirdre asking. It just felt right. Like I said, I never want to see that look on her face again.”
Kevin shook his head. “I don’t have the numbers of random hookups in my phone. I use my phone for work too much. I only have family in there. I’m always at work. When could I possibly cheat on her? I’m lucky to steal time for her. I can’t find time for another woman.”
Sean smacked his shoulder. “But she doesn’t know that. She just knows that you say you’re at work.”
Kevin drained his bottle. What was he supposed to do? Set up nanny cams in his office so Kathy could see him working?
“Emma doubted my ability to be responsible. I finished the coursework for motorcycle repair, and I’ve been at the same job to show her I can. If you need to call Kathy from work to let her know where you are and what you’re doing, do it. It’s a fucking phone call. I know you. You
