by Todd, E. L.
When they left the house, Coen held his mom for a long time. After a second, Vivian started to cry. She held onto Coen while she sobbed. Sydney stepped away and gave them their privacy. Coen was so much bigger than his mother, a head taller and almost a hundred pounds heavier. He held onto her while she gave into her despair.
“It’s okay, Mom,” he said.
“I just miss her.”
“I miss her too.”
“She would be so proud of you,” she whispered.
“I know.”
Vivian pulled away. “Let me know if you need anything, baby.”
“I got Sydney. She’ll take care of me, Mom.”
“I’m so happy you found her.” She hugged Sydney and held her tightly. “Thank you for loving my son. We’re so grateful to have you.”
Sydney felt her heart tug. Coen’s family always made her feel loved. Everything that had been missing her whole life was fulfilled with Coen and his family. She had everything she would ever need. “Thank you being the mom I never had.”
“I love you, honey.”
“I love you too,” Sydney said.
Vivian pulled away. “Please drive safely.”
Coen nodded and pulled Sydney out the door.
They left the house and returned to the shack. When they walked inside, they went into the bedroom. Sydney had work to do but she abandoned it, knowing Coen needed her. They took off their clothes and got into bed. It wasn’t that late, but neither one of them wanted to do anything.
Coen lay on his back and faced the ceiling. Sydney curled up next to him and trailed her fingers down his chest. She knew this would be one of the rare nights when they wouldn’t make love. There was too much despair and pain to feel any pleasure. Sydney lied still and listened to him breathe.
“Thank you being so amazing,” he whispered.
She didn’t know what to say. “I love you.”
“And I know you do.” He ran his fingers through her hair.
“I’ll always be here for you.”
“And I’m grateful.”
“Are you going to school tomorrow?” she asked.
“Yeah. Life goes on.”
She rubbed his shoulders and his arms. “When my father died, I blamed myself until someone made me realize it was the last thing my father would want, for his daughter to suffer for the rest of her life. I know Theresa would feel the same way.”
He looked at her. “How did you know?”
“I can tell when you feel guilty and responsible, Coen.”
Coen sighed. “If I wasn’t a wimp, I could have saved her.”
“It was out of your hands,” she said. “There was nothing you could have done. There is only one person to blame.”
He nodded.
“Whatever happened to him?”
“The fucker is still in jail.”
“I’m glad.”
He sighed then turned on his side, pulling her to his chest. “I’m glad I never have to suffer alone again. It’s such a relief.”
“I’ll always be beside you.”
“I know,” he whispered. “It makes everything so much easier. I hate remembering what my life was like before you came into it, like a shooting star that set my world on fire. I never thought my wedding day would be the greatest day of my life. When you walked down the aisle, I wasn’t even sure if the moment was real. I never felt so much pain and so much happiness at one time.”
Her eyes softened. “We’re mates for life. And that’s what they do for each other. Always put each other first.”
“I’m just grateful that my wife is perfect. I definitely upgraded.”
She smiled. “You’re so sweet.”
“Because I’m your husband,” he said. “And I’ll always be sweet to you.”
“Except when you’re an asshole,” she teased.
“Well, I do have my moments.”
She chuckled. “They are pretty common.”
“Just remember that every time I’m an asshole, it’s for a good reason.”
“Say whatever you want to make yourself feel better.”
He pulled her closer to his chest. “I love you with my whole heart, seahorse.”
“I love you too.”
Coen moved on top of her then pulled her hips toward him.
“We don’t have to do this,” she said automatically.
He pressed his face close to hers. “Life is too short not to enjoy it. And I’m married to the most amazing girl in the world, my other half. I’m not taking it for granted. I will make love to you every night. It was one of my vows.”
She grabbed his face and kissed him. “If you insist.”
He smiled at her. “I know you get grouchy without it.”
“You’re a million times worse.”
“It looks like we are dependent on one another.”
“It seems that way.”
4
The anger Sydney had for Coen had disappeared. As far as she was concerned, it was just a fight and needed to stay in the past. After the day he had, she decided to drop it. Hopefully, he wouldn’t bring it up again. Sydney was determined to finish her research and graduate on time. There were days when she hardly got any sleep and barely ate, but it was a necessity. And she loved what she did. That made it a lot more bearable.
When she and Coen walked to the cafeteria together, Sydney glanced at him. He seemed better today. He hadn’t mentioned his sister or his family. Everything seemed to be normal again. Sydney was still observant of his actions. She could read him better than anyone. “Everyone says they are here for you if you need them.”
He turned to her. “You told them?” The anger was evident in his eyes. “We don’t have to tell our friends every little thing.”
“I didn’t,” she said quickly. “I just told them we were having some family problems. I had to explain why you weren’t at school.”
Coen breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’ll always keep your secrets, Coen.”
“I know.” He squeezed her hand. “It’s too hard for me to talk about it. I just want to keep it to myself.”
“I understand that better than anyone.”
He nodded. “I know you do.”
When they came into the cafeteria, their friends were already sitting there. Sydney still wasn’t used to not having Nancy around every day. But she was happy for her friend. Because of Thatcher, she was becoming more and more popular. It seemed like they traveled as much as they stayed home. Sydney missed her best friend.
Henry studied Coen’s face when they sat down. “I hope everything is okay.”
Coen nodded. “Everything is fine.”
Derek looked at Coen. “I fed your wife yesterday.”
Coen smiled. “Thanks.”
He winked.
“Even though I’m perfectly capable of feeding myself,” Sydney argued.
“If I didn’t bring you lunch every day, you would nibble on a piece of celery,” Coen snapped.
Sydney glared at him.
“I’ll get us something,” Coen said as he walked off.
Henry caught the tension. “He’s still angry about that fight?”
Sydney wasn’t sure. “I don’t know. I think he was half serious, half teasing me.”
Ren finished her sandwich. “You hardly eat. I don’t get how you do it.”
Henry stared at her affectionately. “She isn’t a garbage disposal like you.”
She rolled her eyes. “I like food. What’s the big deal?”
“It’s not a big deal,” Henry said. “It’s really cute.”
Ren smiled. “That’s better.”
“Coen is just looking out for you,” Derek said. “Don’t be mad about it.”
Paola wrapped her arm through his. “If Derek wasn’t so amazing in bed, I’d be livid with him all the time. He forced me to move in with him because he thought my apartment wasn’t safe. As soon as we got together, he was psychotic and controlling.”
Derek narrowed his eyes. “I’m just looking after you, baby.”
“Well, living in a bad neighborhood and my diet are two different things,” Sydney said.
“You are so argumentative,” Henry said. “Just tell him to back off.”
“I did,” she said. “But we’ll see how long that lasts. My husband is the most stubborn man I know. If he doesn’t get his way, there is no way.”
“He sounds just like you,” Henry teased.
Sydney smiled. “I guess that’s why we get along so well.”
“I can’t wait to get married,” Ren blurted.
Henry stiffened but said nothing.
“Talk about dropping a hint,” Derek said with a laugh.
“No,” Ren said quickly, looking at Henry. “That isn’t what I meant.”
Sydney felt bad for Henry. She decided to steer the attention away from him. “Marriage isn’t always a honeymoon. Coen drives me crazy. If we didn’t have amazing sex, all the messes he makes, all the times he doesn’t put his shit away, and all the times he forgets to turn off the stove would become a divider in our relationship.”
“But there’s no denying how happy you two are,” Ren said.
“Well, of course…” Sydney smiled when she thought about the past few months. She hadn’t ever been happier. She wished they had gotten married the day they met. Even then, it still wouldn’t have been soon enough.
Coen returned to the table, placing a grilled cheese sandwich, fries, a cup of fruit, and an ice tea in front of her. He stared to eat his sandwich like everything was normal.
“Is this Hometown Buffet?” Sydney asked.
“What?”
“There’s no nutritional value to any of this.”
He glared at her. “It’s call fat and carbs. You need them. Grilled vegetables and fruit aren’t going to cut it.”
Henry shifted his weight, clearly uncomfortable.
Sydney took a deep breath and swallowed her anger. Now she knew Coen was still mad about their fight the other day. Wanting to avoid a confrontation in front of her friends, she opened the cup of fruit and ate it. Coen watched her but said nothing.
“So, Henry and I are writing a piece together for the paper,” Ren said. “It’s going to be about Nancy.”
“Cool,” Derek said. “That’s awesome.”
“That’s all you’re going to eat?” Coen snapped.
Sydney flinched at the hostility in his voice. Her friends were just as caught off guard.
“I already told you none of this has any nutritional value.”
He leaned toward her, close to her ear. “Eat it. Now.”
“Fuck you, Coen.”
His eyes narrowed. “You aren’t eating enough calories, plain and simple. You don’t eat meat so this is what you get. I’m not getting you another fucking salad.”
Ren glanced at Henry, silently asking if they should leave.
The tension filled the air.
Derek cleared his throat. “So, does Nancy know?”
Henry looked at him. “Yeah. We’re interviewing her. I think the art students will like it in particular.”
“I don’t tell you what to eat,” Sydney snapped. “How would you feel if I made you be a vegetarian?”
“It would be valid if I had high cholesterol and a recent heart attack.” His eyes still burned with anger. “You aren’t eating enough, Syd. You are going to get sick. This isn’t healthy.”
“Let’s have this conversation later,” Sydney said.
“No, we are having it now,” he snapped. “You would just tell them about this fight anyway.”
“Coen, you are making everyone uncomfortable.”
“Then eat your food.”
“You are really pissing me off,” she said.
“The feeling is mutual.”
She pushed the plate away and stood up. “Forget it.”
Coen glared at her as she walked off.
Sydney went to the science building and waited for her next class to start. When she saw Aaron walk down the hallway, she grabbed her stuff and bolted into the bathroom. The last thing she needed was for Coen to hear about another interaction with him.
Sydney stared at her face in the mirror and tried to control her anger. She understood Coen’s opinion. She hadn’t been eating like she normally did. She was just too tired and stressed to feel any appetite. But telling her what to do, forcing her to eat when she wasn’t hungry, and ridiculing her in front of her friends was unacceptable. She wouldn’t put up with that. They were equally passionate and headstrong, which made them both enormously stubborn. But Sydney wouldn’t give in.
When she went to the aquarium after school, she immediately got to work. Their experiment had been successful the night before. She streaked the bacteria onto isolated plates then returned them to the incubator. When she diluted the salt concentrations, she checked the levels then recorded her data. The dilution method by the sharks was fascinating. The only problem was, Sydney didn’t understand how this phenomenon could be applied to humans. If there was some way the salt concentration in humans could be limited by some sort of drug, diluting it, it would help the diet of millions of Americans. But Sydney also thought good dietary practices would solve all of that. Unfortunately, most people didn’t feel the same.
As the evening continued on, Sydney inserted the data into the computer. When everything was recorded, she looked at the time. Her shift was almost over. She dreaded going home to her husband, but she was eager to finish a paper that was due soon.
Gilbert opened the binder and looked at the readings. “Something isn’t right.”
“What do you mean, sir?”
He glared at her.
“I mean, Gilbert,” she corrected.
“Were the glasses cleaned properly?”
“Yes,” she said.
He thought for a moment. “Was the salt concentration a hundred to one?”
“Each specimen was ten to one.” She opened the procedure and showed it to him.
He sighed. “I apologize. I forgot to mention it needed to be changed.” He took out his pen and marked her lab notebook. “We need to do it again.”
Sydney sighed. She had already been there all night.
“You run along, Syd. I’ll take care of it.”
“What? No. We’re a team.”
“And I know you are still a student that has class early in the morning.”
Sydney shook her head. “I’m not leaving. We can get this done much faster if we work together.”
He eyed her. “If you get tired, you are free to go.”
She turned to the glassware and repeated the experiment. With Gilbert’s help, they were able to complete it in less than three hours. Normally, it took her five. By the time they were done, it was midnight. Now she knew she was in worse trouble with Coen. Her phone was in her purse and she forgot to call him to let him know she would be late. Now she didn’t want to go home even more.
After they locked up the lab, they left the building and walked to their cars.
Coen was standing in front of her car, his arms crossed over his chest.
Sydney sighed when she saw him. This was going to be bad.
“You got nothing else to do than wait for your wife all night?” Gilbert asked.
Coen didn’t look at him. His eyes were on Sydney. “Goodnight, Uncle.”
Gilbert got into his car then drove away.
Sydney stood in front of Coen, her gaze averted. He didn’t speak or move, but he was frightening to look at. His shoulders were tense and his eyes were bright with menace. She knew how mad he was by the look alone.
He grabbed her purse and pulled it from her shoulder.
“What the hell are you doing?”
He took out her phone and went through it. “Well, it’s working.”
She sighed. “We had to work late. I couldn’t just leave.”
“And that’s fine,” he snapped. “But a fucking courtesy call would
have been nice.”
She looked at the ground.
“Look at me,” he snapped.
Sydney met his gaze.
“It’s past midnight,” he said. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?”
“I said I was sorry.”
“All you had to do was send a text message. I would have been fine with that.”
She glared at him. “Coen, we got caught up in something. I can’t just leave and make a phone call.”
“It’s my uncle. Yes, you can leave and call your husband, telling him you’ll be late. That’s completely appropriate.”
She shrugged. “I said I was sorry. What more do you want?”
“I want it to never happen again,” he snapped. “That’s it. You’re constantly running around. I can’t keep track of where you are. But late at night, I would like to be updated. What if someone grabbed you when you walked to your car? What if you were in an accident? My paranoid mind works in overdrive.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I’m getting really fucking sick of hearing that,” he snapped. “We’re married now, so no, I take care of you. You take care of me. We’re a team. If I was out late, I know for a fact you would be just as livid as I am right now. Don’t act like you wouldn’t.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, closing herself off.
“So, is it going to happen again?”
“I can’t promise that it won’t.”
His eyes narrowed.
“But I can promise that I’ll always try to remember.”
“That’s good enough for me.” He walked into his truck and slammed the door.
Sydney walked to her Jeep and got inside. Coen waited for her to leave first like he always did.
When they got home, Sydney opened her laptop and started to work at the kitchen table.
Coen stared at her. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I have a few things to do before bed.”
His hands curled into fists. “Have you eaten dinner?”
“No,” she said. “But I’m not hungry.”
He glared at her.
“Coen, not now. I’m too tired to argue.”
He left the room and returned a moment later. He tossed a pregnancy test on the table.
She eyed it. “Coen, I’m not pregnant.”
“Take the test.”
