Best Laid Plans

Complicated

A/N: Another double because these are quite short...

Jade

"I think I'm in love with my wife." I surprise myself by saying the words aloud. They hang in the relative silence, accompanied by the sound of steps hitting pavement and the everyday noises of a large city waking up.

Tyler and I are on one of our semi-regular early-morning jogs. He lives in the building next to mine with his wife and children. We usually manage to squeeze in a walk or jog together a couple mornings a week.

"Sounds complicated," Tyler finally mutters, his tone laced with sarcasm. I don't miss the side-eye I get either.

"Shut up. It is complicated."

"Wives always are."

"It's too easy between us. It can't be this easy, can it?"

"Jade, you were crazy about her the moment you met her. You told me so yourself."

"I know. I was. I am."

"How often does that happen? For anyone? That you meet someone you click with, be it a date or a colleague or a cat you find in a dumpster? It doesn't happen that often, because it's rare. It's like you started the relationship off on a home run. Enjoy it."

"It was hardly a home run. I knocked her up and left without getting her number."

"That you did." I glance over to see Tyler smiling like my life is a source of amusement for him.

"Oh, fuck off. I seem to recall you knocking up a co-ed not that long ago."

"I thought we were talking about you?" We both move to the right to make way for a bicyclist we're about to cross paths with.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Listen, enjoy the easy. Because you've got years of difficult ahead of you. Kids change everything. You're in the midst of a sex-crazed honeymoon period fueled by pregnancy hormones. Things should be easy."

"Things can't change that much," I observe. Now it's my turn to side-eye Tyler. "You and Sophie keep having them every twelve to eighteen months, for fuck's sake. Are you trying for a boy or something?"

"Nah. If we wanted a boy I'd provide a sample to my lab, have them run a flow cytometry to separate out all the Y chromosomes and then have Sophie stop by my office for an intracervical insemination. Easy."

"You can hear yourself, right?"

"Would you rather I'd said I could jerk off into a cup and then turkey-baster my wife if we wanted a boy?"

I furrow my brows in disgust. "Fair point."

"A boy would be cool, if it happens. Or we can have half a dozen girls. I don't care."

"Really? You want six? You guys just had a third one like two months ago."

"I'm greedy." He shrugs. "I'll take as many as I can get before Sophie tells me to get a vasectomy."

We jog in silence. A solid half-mile or so while we're each lost in our own thoughts, enjoying the run.

"Let me ask you something. Professionally," I add, then wish I could take it back.

"Sure."

"The pregnancy sex drive. Is that a real thing? Because Perrie-" I cut myself off. "You know what, never mind."

"Oh, it's real," Tyler replies like this is a normal conversation. Maybe it is for him, but I can't imagine anyone actually brings this up during a doctor's appointment and leaves with their wife still speaking to them. "Increased blood flow. Increased production of progesterone and estrogen. Totally normal. Just try to keep up."

No kidding. I'm pretty sure Perrie woke me up last night for sex. She claimed she was worried that our cat was choking up a hairball, but Tubbs was on the chaise longue sound asleep, so I'm pretty sure she made that up. I wonder if she'd even like me as much as she does if she wasn't so sexually needy because of the baby? And yeah, I immediately make a mental note never to say that out loud lest she try to knee me in the balls.

"Keep in mind it's different each pregnancy and she may or may not have the same interests with the next one," Tyler adds. "Just follow her lead."

The next one? I don't even know what's going to happen between us after this one. This is all so new. Unexpected. And I damn near railroaded her into a quickie wedding. This might all blow up in my face long before we can create a sibling for the one currently incubating.

"She makes me feel like a horny teenager. This pregnancy. That fucking bump. And is it strange that I feel proud of myself for impregnating her? And I feel possessive as hell about her. It's messed up, right? I should look into therapy. Can you give me a referral?"

"Totally normal," Tyler assures me without missing a beat.

"Yeah?"

"Absolutely."

I think on that for another half-mile. It's not like I'm sexually attracted to random pregnant women. Just Perrie. She's absolutely glowing. And she smells incredible and damn if watching her body change because of our baby growing inside of her doesn't make me hard as hell. She's beautiful and I'll never forgive myself if I mess this up.

"Sometimes I'm not sure that she trusts me," I admit. It bugs me, even if it's more than fair.

"Why should she?"

"Thanks. Appreciate that."

"Jade, she's what? Twenty-six? Which means she's experienced a solid decade's worth of her dates disappointing her before she met you. Then you knocked her up, stalked her, dragged her to Las Vegas and married her."

"It wasn't quite like that," I interrupt.

"You get my point. If she'd already met The One, she wouldn't have been available when you came along. She has plenty of experience with disappointment and she doesn't owe you her trust, you gotta earn it."

"I know. Love wasn't in the prenup, you know? I worry she's only with me because of the baby."

"She is only with you because of the baby."

"Thanks."

"Better reason than being with you for your money."

"The hits just keep coming with you this morning." We've finished our normal course along the river and are now jogging at a slower pace, heading back to home.

"You're doing things a little out of order, but you're crazy about her. And I've seen you together, she doesn't seem to be averse to the idea of you." I shoot him a murderous look and he laughs. "The rest will fall into place if you work for it."

If it doesn't blow up in my face first, sure.

"Have you told her everything?"

"No," I snap, with a glance in him direction. We're stopped by a traffic light, so I turn to face him. "You know it's complicated. And it has nothing to do with how I feel about her."

"I know that. But take it from the married guy, she may not see it that way. Just talk to her."

"I will." The light's turned green and we're back in motion, crossing the street and headed for our respective homes.

"Don't wait too long. Tell her before someone else does, Jade."

"I will."

Famous last words.