My whole body tingles from head to toe and a smile lights up my face as I pat the top of his hand that's resting on my stomach before he lets go and smacks my ass as I walk away.
Drew has been different this week. He pissed me off a few times making a big deal about putting the toilet seat down after he used it. I mean, give me a break! You don’t need a present and a pat on the back for doing crap like that! But he does deserve a present for everything else. Ever since he helped his dad build that bookcase, he’s been super helpful with everything. The past four nights, he’s got up each time Billy cried and gave him his bottle, telling me to go back to sleep. Last night Billy had slept through the night for the first time. Drew has even used the sex swing that is still in the corner of our room and agrees that it makes a great baby swing, especially when I show him where he could store extra bottles.
On Wednesday of this week, he had shocked me again after work. I was late getting home from running a few errands so I could relieve Drew from kid duty and he could head to work, so we barely had time to even say, “Hi” to each other as we passed in the doorway. As soon as I set my bags down inside the door, the first thing I noticed was how absolutely spotless the house was. Not one toy or dirty dish in sight and there was a basket of folded laundry on the couch. Before I could say anything, he grabbed my hand and placed a small, white box in it before kissing the tip of my nose and then racing to his car to make it to work on time.
When we first started dating, we went to the movies one night and he bought me a giant bag of Skittles. I sat there for fifteen minutes before the movie started and picked out all of the red and purples ones, putting them in a napkin in my cup holder before handing him the bag. From that point on, every once in a while for no reason at all he would give me a little white box that was filled with just purple and red Skittles. I couldn’t even tell you the last time he did that for me.
I knew exactly what would be in the box and my hands shook and my eyes filled with tears as I closed the front door and opened the lid. Sure enough, the box was filled to the brim with purple and red Skittles. Not only was he stepping up his game around the house before I even had a chance to sit down and talk to him, he was starting to do the little things that I loved the most like giving me my favorite treats.
And tonight, he had given me another favorite treat: kissing my collarbone.
I can’t wipe the smile off of my face as I enter the kitchen and find Liz and Claire seated at the table, arguing over who is going to win the game.
“Ladies, ladies! No more arguing. The winner has just entered the room,” I tell them with a smile as I sit down at the table with them.
“Well, it’s about fucking time you got your confidence back!” Liz tells me. “Bartender, pour us a round of shots!”
Jackson laughs and turns toward the counter, filling up drinking glasses with a few inches of black cherry vodka.
“You know he’s not a bartender, right? He’s a carpenter,” I whisper to Liz.
Jackson comes back over to the table and places a glass in front of each of us.
“Shut up and do your shot!” Liz tells me.
We down our shots, let out a cheer, and Jackson begins our questions.
~
“Alright, for five points, making your score a grand total of forty-five, Drew – what would Jenny say is her favorite place to make love?” Jackson asks.
“VAGINA! IN HER VAGINA!” Drew screams excitedly.
Jackson looks over at me and nods, and I flip over my card for everyone to see my answer.
Jim and Liz groan from their spots on the floor, and Carter and Claire start to laugh while Drew bounces up and down and gives me a high five when he sees the word “vagina” written really big on my card.
“WOOOHOOO! We are kicking ALL of your asses!” Drew shouts as I throw my card down to the discard pile on the floor.
I don’t know why I was so worried about this game. No matter what, Drew and I know each other very well. It doesn’t matter if we aren’t on the same page or even reading the same book. Which we never are anyway because I like romances and Drew only reads the funny pages, and it just occurred to me that that statement is kind of dumb. Who reads the same book at the same time? I takes me months to read a book and other people might read fast. That’s just weird.
Anyway, we were really kicking everyone’s ass and unfortunately, poor Jim wasn’t going to be plowing the back field tonight since he and Liz are currently in last place with only ten points.
“Jim, who did Liz say is better at handling money?” Jackson asks him.
Jim chuckles and finishes off his drink, setting the glass on the coffee table next to him.
“Man, this is an easy one. Me!”
Liz flips her card over and then smacks Jim in the chest with it.
“Are you kidding me? You went to the store two weeks ago and bought seventy-two bottles of Windex. Who the fuck even USES seventy-two bottles of Windex in their entire life?” Liz complains, throwing her card down on the floor.