Wild Card

by Elsie Silver

“I...

“Gwen, baby, I need you to be quiet. You can scream for me later. But right now, I need you to shut your mouth and take this cock like the good girl I know you can be.”

“I’m always in your corner, Gwen. You ever need a pick-me-up? I’m your guy.”

“I really like you. I like you more than I’ve ever liked a man before. I think you’re it for me, but I’m not spending a lifetime with you tiptoeing around these subjects. We need to lay it out on the table, and if you really are carrying any deep-seated resentment against me for having dated Tripp, then you need to work through it. Because I can’t change it and I won’t be made to feel guilty for it for the rest of my life. I have apologized. I have shown up. I have chosen you at every turn and you throwing that history in my face just to avoid facing your own feelings isn’t going to cut it. I won’t tolerate it.”

“The end of what, Bash? We’re just getting started. You can’t get rid of me that easily. The problem is we can’t start off properly without you addressing these issues. You can’t just sulk and play the victim every time the going gets tough. You need to own your shit. We both know what we have is real. This is it for me and nothing is going to change that. But you still need to reach out to your son and make amends with him. We hurt him, and yes, it needed to be done, but that was a god-awful way to find out. So rather than acting like he wronged you, put your heart in your hand and go talk to him.”

“And while you’re at it, you need to do a little soul-searching to figure out if you can let go of the way we started so we can focus on what we are and what we’re going to be. Because I can’t handle feeling guilty for something that I would never have done on purpose. I won’t sign up for walking around on eggshells in my own home, trying to figure out what’s wrong or if I’ve offended you. It’s stressful and unhealthy, and I’ve lived that story already. I’m not doing it again. I deserve more than that. But most of all, Bash, you deserve more than that.”

“You’re a fucking wild card. Unpredictable and never what I expect. You scare the hell out of me every damn day. But today more than any of them. Because I thought I lost you.”

“And I love you, and I hadn’t even gotten the chance to tell you.”

“You’re my limes, Bash. I’m the tequila. You and me? We’re gonna spend the rest of our lives making margaritas, okay?”