both know I’m happily married, right? Your fuckboy lingerie is wasted on me.”
Jake and Fielding had emerged from their room in the basement just moments earlier wearing light gray sweatpants and fitted black T-shirts. They looked good—and they both had smarmy smiles on their faces that told her they knew it.
Jake glanced down at his attire, then cocked an eyebrow in question. “Would you rather I watch the movie in my usual sleepwear?”
He preferred to sleep just like her husband: in his boxer briefs. In only his boxer briefs.
“Nope!” she popped the P for emphasis as Fielding plopped down beside her on the sectional.
“I figured I better bust these puppies out now,” he explained. “Mr. Buzzkill over there said I’m not allowed to wear gray sweatpants once little Wheeler gets here.”
Jake scoffed. “I said wear them at your own risk. I’m just trying to save your ass from getting smacked upside the head when Maddie inevitably flirts with you in front of Rhett.”
Tori burst out laughing. She hadn’t considered that particular dynamic when she invited both Fielding and Maddie to join them at the cabin for Christmas. She was glad Jake had the forethought to lay down some ground rules before Rhett arrived.
“You want in on this?” Fielding asked, spreading his arms wide and surveying the space between them. Tori rolled her eyes at his offer but shifted closer, placing one of the couch pillows between them so she could use his body as a cushion and lean back against him.
Penny promptly hopped off the couch and jumped up into Fielding’s lap, assuming her favorite seat in the house.
“Okay, let’s do this,” Jake announced as he came back into the living room with three bowls of popcorn. “Do I even need to ask what movie we’re watching, or should I just assume you’re going to pick whatever Tori wants?”
Fielding sneered and threw his hands up in defense. “Come on, man. I’m not just some yes boy. I have my own thoughts and opinions!” She smirked at his self-deprecation and the way he carried on like only Fielding could. “There’s no way I’m just settling for what Tori wants to watch.”
Shit. She was sure Fielding would cave and they’d be watching Judy Garland sing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
“Wait. Why are we letting him pick?” she interjected, trying to salvage her chances. “You know he’s going to fall asleep halfway through anyway.” That was the truth. Even if he wasn’t drunk or high, Fielding had a knack for falling asleep just about anywhere.
“So what are we watching then?” Jake countered, ignoring her protest.
“Home Alone.”
Tori and Jake groaned in unison. They should have seen that one coming. As insufferable as it might be, Home Alone was very on brand for Fielding Haas.
Within the first five minutes, Fielding was holding his sides from laughing too hard. Penny had been displaced twice so far because of his reactions.
“I think you just like this movie because you have the exact same maturity level as Kevin McCallister,” Tori observed. She couldn’t help but smile at the way he sat transfixed by the movie on the screen. It was almost more fun watching him than watching the actual movie.
“You’re not wrong,” he managed to reply while trying to catch his breath. He spent the next hour sharing Home Alone trivia and quoting the movie under his breath. But by the time Kevin was walking home and his grocery bags split, she was almost certain he had fallen asleep. She adjusted the pillow between them, but must have jostled him in the process.
“Hey. Do you guys think that if they remade this, they’d call themselves the WAP Bandits? Missed opportunity if they didn’t,” he yawned. “Wait. That’s an amazing concept for a holiday porno. Somebody write that down.”
“Stop…” Tori pleaded at his ridiculous commentary.
Ten minutes later, Fielding and Penny’s snores had finally synced. Not only had he fallen asleep, he had slumped over so one of his long arms and his head were draped over her legs, trapping her.
“Psst,” Jake called to catch her attention. “Come here,” he whispered, giving her a two-finger beckon.
Tori groaned, shifting her body out from under Fielding’s arm. “I’m… trying… he’s just so big and muscley,” she heaved, finally rising to her feet.
“And warm. And comfy. And amazing to cuddle with…” he muttered in his sleep.
She covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud and waking him up. Fielding could fall asleep almost anywhere, and he also talked in his sleep, something they had discovered over the last several months hanging out together.
She scooted across the sectional, burrowing into Jake’s side when he lifted an arm to invite her in. She was just getting comfy when a sharp pinch shot through the left side of her abdomen, right along her scar. It was the first pain she’d felt all day.
“You okay?” Jake asked, worry marring his features.
She nodded but readjusted her posture to sit up a bit more. She rarely had pain from her hysterectomy anymore, but every now and then, if she moved too quickly or contorted her torso, she was reminded of the surgery from five months ago. “I’m good. Just sat down funny, that’s all.” He accepted her assurance at face value. She could always count on him to not fret the way her husband was inclined to. He turned the volume all the way down on the TV before speaking again.
“Have you heard from him tonight?”
“He texted me right when the movie started. As of now, he says he’s planning to stay at the airport overnight. He’s afraid if he goes back to the apartment, he might get a last-minute flight but not make it back in time to catch it. Quinn keeps getting him added standby for anything coming into Ohio or Michigan, even Windsor or Toronto.”
Jake let out a heavy sigh. He absentmindedly started playing with her hair before voicing the fear they both felt in their bones. “Are you more worried about him not making it home or about him being at the airport all night?”
“Airport,” she answered without hesitation.
“Yeah. Me too. Fuck. This sucks. But he really has been doing well, and I know he has his priorities in order. Plus we both know it’s useless to try to convince him not to come at this point.”
All she could do was nod, lost in her own worry about the man she loved so much. Frustrated, on edge, and sleep-deprived wasn’t a good look on anyone. It was a recipe for disaster for an alcoholic in recovery. She knew Rhett would do literally anything to be with her, even if it meant putting himself at risk.
As if he could hear her spiraling thoughts, Jake whispered, “He’ll be okay, baby. I believe in him. Everything’s going to work out. Give me your phone. Let’s send him a selfie so he knows we’re thinking about him.”
She handed over her phone, then scooted closer so both their faces filled the screen. He put her in a fake headlock and plastered a goofy grin on his face while she looked right into the camera and blew a kiss. She took her phone back, typed out a text to Rhett, and sent it with their picture.
V: Be safe, husband. You have people who love you and can’t wait to see you.