Chapter 27 Don’t want to shortchange you
By the time Arielle and Thomas returned home, it was already 4 hours later.
They did not offer any explanation. But the glow on Arielle’s face and the satisfied smirk on Thomas’s were self-explanatory.
“You ruined my date to screw your wife. You have a big house; you could have done that anytime.” John grumbled under his breath.
Having been friends with Thomas for over a decade, despite working for him for eight odd years, they shared a good rapport, even though it could not compare to that between Thomas and Mathew, who had been friends since diapers.
Brenda heard him and laughed but did not comment on it.
“She is sleeping now. I think John and I will get going now. I will come some other day to eat garlic shrimp.” She said to Arielle before she started tidying herself.
“I would ask you to stay back, but we have not even started prepping for dinner. We will probably end up with takeouts now. You guys have fun. Call me next time you have time off, and I will cook you a feast.” Arielle joked with Brenda.
The entire group had been very close to Brenda despite knowing her for less than a year. She was honest, straightforward, and had an uncanny ability to behave just like kids when she was with them. It made her a favorite with the kids.
As soon as John and Brenda entered John’s house, he pinned her to the door and kissed her passionately.
“I wanted to do that the whole afternoon,” John admitted when they pulled back to catch their breath.
Brenda pushed him to the couch and sat on top of him.
She teased him mercilessly by grinding on him but would swat his hands away every time.
“Fuck!” John growled again.
“Sure, baby,” Brenda purred as she took off her top and bra – slowly and seductively.
“One of these days, I am going to get ED, you little vixen!” John complained as she continued with her slow progress.
Brenda laughed and sped up, looking at his frustrated face.
After they both tumbled from their high, Brenda lay on top of John, breathing in pants as John caressed her back, tracing her spine with his knuckles and making her moan.
“If I ask you to marry me, will you agree?” John asked.
“What?” Brenda stood up startled.
“I love you so much. And I want more. But to be honest, at this point, I am not sure what that ‘more’ entails for me. You are only 27, while I am 34. A small part of me wants what Thomas and others have, a happy family. Though, I am not exactly sure if I want kids yet. Besides, unlike all of them, I have a close-knit, happy family who would want to be involved in everything in my life – all the big and small events.”
John tried his best to explain his feelings, “Don’t make that face! I don’t mean in a creepy or intrusive way, more like participating when called or throwing a surprise, now and then, and being a phone call away no matter what or when.”
Brenda heaved a sigh but continued to look at him silently, aware that he had yet to finish.
“But one thing I am sure of is that I am very much in love with you and don’t want to be apart. I am serious about you. It’s not a passing crush. And let’s be honest, I am old enough not to think with my other head. So, just tell me what you want.”
John laid out all his feelings and asked her to take a call because he was not sure of anything except how he felt about her. And he did not want Brenda to feel short-changed.
Brenda kissed him and said, “I love you too. And I can see a future with you. Us – living here close to your friends and being welcomed by your family. My entire family is in the force, and it was not a happy home. I am already an outcast because I chose to be a police officer and not an army. Plenty of expectations, rules, and orders, but not all that much warmth. I had always hoped to marry someone who comes with a warm family because I wanted to be a better parent to my kids and wanted guidance.”
Brenda paused before adding.
“But I don’t want to have kids now. I don’t want to get married right now either. If you proposed, I would say yes, but maintain a long engagement. How about we live together? When we are sure, we can get certificates first, and your family can plan a wedding. We can skip the whole engagement part.”
John thought for a while and nodded, “That makes sense. But Brenda, I am not very good at relationships. I have had girlfriends, and they had complained that I had neglected them and wasn’t emotionally available. If you ever feel shortchanged, let me know. You are the one person in the world I don’t want to see feeling wronged. It would break my heart.”Copyright by Nôv/elDrama.Org.
Brenda was okay with that, “That’s fine with me. Besides, you already know I don’t sugarcoat things. And you have never neglected me. Between the two of us, I am the one who never has time for you and has too many secrets – courtesy of my job and my birth family.”
John laughed, “Wow! I feel so much lighter now.”
Brenda huffed and teasingly ordered. “That’s good. Now, please make something nice for dinner.”
John played along, “On your Command, officer.”