Becoming Us

by Allie Everhart

  Emma smiles and finally lets go of my hand. “It’s pretty.”

  Haley jumps out of the pool. “Let’s get your floaties on.” She takes Emma away.

  Garret smiles at me as his hand touches my foot in the water. “I’ll see you later.”

  The swim lessons continue and the kids start to have fun. Mid-afternoon, they break for snacks, then it’s back to swimming. I talk to Lisa while the kids swim. She tells me about her sons and all the sports they’re in. I like Keith and Lisa and their boys. They seem like a nice family. And Keith is a good coach. He really cares about his team. I don’t think Garret would’ve ever fixed his shoulder if Keith hadn’t talked him into it.

  At five, it’s time for the kids to get back on the bus to go home. I help Emma in the locker room and dry her hair for her.

  “So did you have fun?”

  She nods. “Haley’s nice. I like her.”

  “And now you’re not afraid of the water.” I finish brushing her hair. “Okay, you’re all set.”

  She hugs me. “Thank you.”

  I hug her back. “For doing your hair?”

  “For letting me know it’s not dark.” She picks up her backpack.

  “What?”

  “Bye!” She waves at me as she follows another little girl out the locker room doors to the bus.

  “She’s cute, isn’t she?” Lisa’s next to me, picking wet towels off the floor. “She’s still so sad, but I think today was good for her. She was smiling a lot.”

  “Why is she sad?”

  “Her father was killed in a car accident last summer. The past few months have been difficult for her and her family.”

  “Oh. I didn’t know.”

  Lisa drops the wet towels in a bin. “You and Garret are free to go. Keith and I will finish up here.”

  “Okay.” I wait in the hallway for Garret, still thinking about Emma. So that’s why she thanked me for telling her it wasn’t dark. She didn’t want her dad to be in the dark. Because the dark is scary and bad. No wonder her face lit up when I told her it was light.

  Garret comes out of the locker room, his gym bag over his shoulder. “Ready to go?”

  “Yeah.” I turn to walk down the hall. My eyes are tearing up from Emma’s comment and I don’t want Garret to see.

  “Hey.” He steps in front of me. “Are you crying? Your eyes are all red.”

  “No, it’s just the chlorine in the air. Sometimes it irritates my eyes.”

  He takes my hand. “I’m starving. You want to go eat?”

  We go to a pizza place for dinner and as we’re eating, he tells me about Seth. He said Seth gets made fun of and bullied all the time because he’s overweight. He doesn’t go to the pool in the summer because he’s too embarrassed to be seen in swim trunks. And when he goes to the beach, he always keeps his t-shirt on and doesn’t go in the water. That’s why he never learned how to swim.

  “How was Emma?” Garret gets his wallet out to pay the check.

  “She was sweet, but really afraid of the water.”

  “You seemed to calm her down.”

  The waitress stops by and picks up the money Garret left.

  “Emma’s dad died last summer so she was asking me about death.”

  “What did you tell her?”

  “She thought when you die that everything’s dark, so I told her that it’s not dark at all. That it’s so bright you need sunglasses. And when she left, she thanked me. She didn’t want her dad to be in the dark.”

  Garret reaches across the table and holds my hand. “If we ever have kids, you’re going to be a great mom, you know that?”

  I don’t answer. I’m not ready to have another kid discussion. But I admit I liked being around them today, which surprised me because I usually don’t do so well around kids. But I must be getting better at it because all the noise and chaos didn’t really bother me. And I liked watching Garret teach Seth how to swim. He helped some of the other kids, too. He’s really patient and a good teacher. As I watched him, I kept imagining him teaching our own kids how to swim someday and it made me smile.

  Garret wakes me from my thoughts. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “You want to go to a movie?”

  “Let’s watch one at home.” He gets up from his chair, holding his hand out for me.

  “Are you in a hurry?’

  “Yeah, kind of.”

  “What are you in a hurry for?”

  “I’ll show you when we get home.”

  As soon as we walk in the house, he holds my face in his hands and kisses me, his tongue doing all kinds of yummy things that have me struggling to remain standing.

  I guess this is why he was in a hurry to leave the restaurant, although I’m not sure what got him in the mood. Whatever it was, now he’s got me in the mood, too.

  “Can we go to the bedroom?”

  “We can go wherever you want.” He unbuttons my shirt as he kisses me. “I just need to have you.” He slides my shirt off, letting it fall to the floor.

  “Why do you need to have me?” I smile as he unhooks my bra, then takes if off and tosses it aside.

  “Because you’re hot.” He kisses me as he walks forward, pushing me backward toward the bedroom. “And beautiful,” he says in between kisses. “And sexy.” We reach the bed and he lifts me onto it. “And all mine.”

  He slides my shorts and panties down. I flip over and toss the pillows aside and rip the comforter back. I feel Garret’s hands on me, strong and firm around my hips. I remain on my hands and knees as he kisses my lower back. He must’ve got naked when I turned around because I feel his bare chest on my skin as his kisses move up my spine. We stay there a moment, then I flip back around and lie beneath him.

  “You going somewhere?” He smiles.

  “Just changing positions.”

  “But I like that one.”

  “I want this one tonight.”

  “And that one tomorrow?” He lowers his body over mine.

  “Yeah,” I close my eyes and smile. “That one tomorrow.”

  His lips brush against mine, then he kisses me as he inches in excruciatingly slow, and pulls out just as slow.

  “Damn, you feel good.” He says it in a deep, sexy voice.

  I kiss him back and push my hips into him. Then it’s an all out race to the finish. It’s not that we’re in a hurry, but sometimes when we get to this point, we can’t slow down. Other times, we’re able to control ourselves better, but tonight it’s fast and furious.

  We collapse on the bed, Garret on his back and me sprawled over his chest.

  “That was fun,” I say, a post-sex smile on my face.

  “Always is.” He strokes my hair. “You want to go to a movie now?”

  “I guess we could. It’s still early. What do you want to do tomorrow?”

  “Make you pancakes.”

  I laugh. “At Garret’s Pancake House? I don’t know. I’m not sure I like their prices.”

  “You love their prices and you know it. So what kind of pancakes am I making?”

  “Apple cinnamon.”

  “Interesting choice.”

  “What? It’s fall, and you eat apples in the fall so I’m in the mood for apple-cinnamon.”

  “You sure it has nothing to do with the price?”

  I hear him laughing and look up at him. “I wasn’t even considering the price.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “What are you trying to say?”

  “The price for apple-cinnamon pancakes is shower sex, which we haven’t had for a while. And I know that’s your favorite place to do it.”

  “No, it’s not. I like the bed just as much.” I try to sound convincing.

  “Just admit it, Jade. You like the shower. You like being wet.”

  I rest my chin on his chest. “Whatever. You like it, too.”

  “Of course I like it. Shower sex is a combination of my three favorite things; water, sex, and you. I love feeling your slick skin an
d your wet lips and—”

  “Let’s just do it right now.” I jump off the bed, already turned on by his description.

  He chases me into the bathroom and scoops me up in his arms. “You know you can’t pay for the pancakes ahead of time.”

  “I’m not.” I smile. “So we’re doing this again tomorrow.”

  “You are seriously the best wife ever.” He kisses me as he reaches in to turn the shower on.

  I’m sure Garret thought that once we were married, I wouldn’t want to have sex as much. That’s the stereotype, right? The wife doesn’t want sex anymore but the husband still does? Well, it’s not true for me. I love being with Garret this way. And not just because he’s hot and totally turns me on. It’s more than that. The longer we’re together, the closer we become. Our love just keeps getting stronger and that makes the sex even better. So yeah, we’ll be doing this again in the morning.

  16

  GARRET

  I really need to get some studying done. It’s Sunday afternoon and I spent all morning having sex with Jade. Well, not the whole morning. We took a break long enough for me to make the apple-cinnamon pancakes she wanted. And shit, they were a lot of work. I hadn’t made them before. You have to shred the apples on a grater, which almost shredded my fingers off. I don’t think I’m making those again. I’ll switch those out for some other kind of pancake.

  It’s funny how much Jade loves this new tradition of ours. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to replace Al’s Pancake House. But she likes Garret’s Pancake House just as much, mainly because of the prices. I was totally kidding when I made up that menu. I didn’t think she’d go for it. But she did, and now she loves it. She keeps asking me when I’m going to have my ‘buyer’s choice’ promotion, in which she gets to make up a price.

  “Garret, your phone’s ringing.” I hear Jade calling me from the bedroom. I’m in the living room, trying to study even though I don’t feel like doing it.

  She brings me the phone.

  I see Sean’s name on the screen and answer it. “Hey, Sean. I swear¸ I was planning to call you today. You just beat me to it.”

  “Hey, Garret. Is Jade there?” Sean sounds serious. He never sounds serious. He’s always joking around.

  “Yeah, she’s right here. Why?”

  “Can you put me on speaker?”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Just put me on speaker so I can tell you both.”

  “Jade, Sean wants to talk to us.” I motion her to the couch. “I have him on speaker. Go ahead, Sean.”

  “Harper’s in the hospital.”

  “What?” Jade yells it. “What happened?”

  “She’s okay. She’s in pain but she’s okay. She tore her rotator cuff. Like completely tore it. It’s pretty bad.”

  “When did it happen?” Jade takes the phone from me.

  “This morning. We were at the gym and she was using one of the weight machines and she heard a loud snap in her shoulder. Even I heard it, and I was two machines down from hers. After it happened she couldn’t lift her arm. I took her to the emergency room and they ran some tests on her shoulder and found she’d torn her rotator cuff.”

  “But they’re not keeping her in the hospital, right?’

  “No, they’re sending her home later today. The doctor is calling her parents right now. I’m in the waiting room.”

  “Does she need surgery?”

  “Yeah, that’s how they fix a full tear like that. It doesn’t heal on its own. They’re not sure when the surgery will be. For now, her arm’s in a sling so she doesn’t do more damage.”

  Jade starts firing off questions at Sean, mostly medical questions he can’t answer. Questions about tendons and bones and ligaments.

  Jade became an expert on shoulder anatomy when she found out I was having shoulder pain. My injury was caused by being shot in the upper chest, which damaged the surrounding tissue, so it’s nothing like Harper’s injury. But before I went to the doctor, Jade read everything she could about shoulder and chest anatomy so she could understand whatever the doctor was going to tell us. It wasn’t necessary, but she didn’t know any other way to help me and she was desperate to do something. I love how she takes care of me like that. I don’t need her to, but I love that she still does.

  “The doctor just left the room,” Sean says. “I need to go back in there.”

  “Hey, so does this mean she’s done with tennis?” I’m almost certain of the answer but I ask anyway.

  “Yeah. She’s done. Even after the surgery, the doctor told her not to play tennis because the shoulder is more susceptible to being torn again.”

  “When can I talk to her?” Jade asks.

  “She told me to tell you she’ll call you later. She’s still in a lot of pain right now and the painkillers she’s taking make her really tired. She’ll probably fall asleep as soon as we get home.”

  “Okay, well, tell her we’re thinking of her. She’s not going back to the dorm, is she?”

  “No, I’m having her stay at my place so I can take care of her. I’m taking the next few days off from work. I’m sure I’ll get fired, but whatever. She needs me.”

  “You’re a good boyfriend, Sean.”

  “Garret would do the same thing for you.”

  “I know he would.” Jade smiles at me. “Harper and I are very lucky.”

  “I gotta go. I’ll talk to you guys later.” He hangs up.

  Jade sets the phone down. “Do you think she’ll be okay?”

  “She’ll be fine. Rotator cuff injuries are common with athletes. But she’ll have a long recovery and a lot of physical therapy.”

  “But she can’t play tennis anymore. She loves tennis. Being on the tennis team is the main reason she went to Moorhurst.”

  “Yeah, it’s going to take a while for her to accept the fact that she can’t play anymore. When you’re an athlete and you can no longer do your sport, it’s almost like a death. You mourn the loss of that part of your life. That’s why I was freaking out when I didn’t think I’d be able to compete on a swim team again. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to swimming.”

  “But you’re getting better, right? You never talk about your shoulder anymore.”

  “Because I barely notice the pain. The physical therapy, and all the time I spend at the gym and the pool, is paying off. By next year I know I’ll be competing again.”

  “I can’t wait. I’m going to all your meets.”

  “Well, yeah, I would hope so.” I lean over and kiss her. “You’re my only fan. I need someone cheering me on.”

  “I’m also going to the pool with you while you train.”

  I’m smiling at her. “You want more pool sex, don’t you?”

  “No!” She playfully punches me. “I just like to go there and hang out with you. I find it relaxing.”

  I talk by her ear. “You’d be even more relaxed if we had sex.”

  “I don’t think I can do that again. I’m too worried someone will walk in.”

  “That’s why we need to hurry up and get a house so we can get our own pool.”

  “I don’t want a house here. I don’t really like this town.”

  “We wouldn’t have to live here forever. Just until we’re done with school.”

  “I’d rather keep renting. I don’t want to buy a house, then have to sell it in a couple years. Besides, I thought we were going to build a house so we could make it the way we want it.”

  “We are. So when do you want to do that?”

  “I don’t know. When we talked about it last summer, I thought it’d be in maybe 10 years, after I finished med school and a residency and found a job. But now that I’m not doing that, maybe it could be sooner.”

  “How about after we graduate?”

  “I don’t know what we’ll be doing for work so it’s hard to say. We’ll have to be close to wherever our jobs are.”

  “Jade, we’re not going to have regular jobs where we have to show u
p at an office and sit in a cubicle from nine to five. We have money. We don’t need to do that. Which means we can live wherever we want.”

  “Then what are we going to do for jobs?”

  “We’re going to be self-employed. Have our own business. Be our own boss.”

  “You’re just deciding this for me?”

  “Would you rather spend hours in traffic commuting to and from work, then sit at a desk all day? Be ordered around by a shitty boss and have to deal with office politics? Have only two weeks off a year and be told when you’re allowed to take it?”

  “All jobs can’t be that bad.”

  “Most of them are exactly like that. Ask anyone. That’s why most people hate their jobs.”

  “I don’t know how to run my own business.”

  “That’s why you have me. I can help you.”

  “But then I’ll have to hire employees and I don’t think I want to do that.”

  “You don’t have to. Your business can just be you. A sole proprietorship. Lots of people have those.”

  “Wow. You really know a lot about this stuff. You must be smart.” She smiles.

  “Bringing out the insults again?”

  “I just told you you’re smart.”

  “Yeah, sarcastically.”

  “I know you’re smart. I was just kidding. You’re able to figure out that stock market stuff. That makes you practically a genius.”

  “Not really. But I’m pretty smart when it comes to business stuff.”

  “So what are you going to do after graduation? I know you want to start a company but what’s it going to be? Have you decided?”

  “Not yet, but I’ve been thinking that maybe I’ll start with a nonprofit while I’m figuring out what the for-profit business will be.”

  “You mean like a charity or something?”

  “Yeah, but it has to be something I feel strongly about. Like yesterday when we were at the pool I was thinking, why don’t they have free classes like that all over the country? A lot of kids drown because they don’t know how to swim. But a lot of them don’t have access to a pool and don’t have money for swim lessons. So maybe I’ll start an organization that gives kids free swimming lessons.”

  “You should definitely do that. You could partner with colleges, like the program here does. Colleges usually have pools and most have a swim team.”