Till Summer Do Us Part(127)

“What was it this time?”

“Asked her what’s one thing she wished Matt did different in the bedroom?”

“Perfect. That’s the question we were considering, right? To show our progress with her?”

“Yes.”

“And what did she answer?”

“She said she wished he was more adventurous.”

Sanders nods and tosses me the ball.

Ever since I got back from Camp Haven, I’ve had weekly meetings with him. We talk about me and my relationship with Mika and my mom—he doesn’t just focus on marriages but all kinds of relationships, which I like—and of course, I’ve been heavily focused on educating myself on what Scottie experienced in her marriage. No man is perfect, so I know I won’t ever care for her perfectly. But that man made vows to Scottie. He declared that he’d do everything in his ability to love her well, and he didn’t take those vows seriously. It just pisses me off, as not only did she learn to devalue her needs, but her self-confidence suffered terribly.

I have also learned that even though she might seem happy on the outside, she’s probably comparing every new moment I have with her to her ex. Sanders said it’s a natural thing to do, especially when it comes to someone who was in a mentally absent relationship.

Which is exactly what Scottie endured.

Sanders explained to me that being mentally absent from a marriage can dismantle a person’s confidence, because it makes it seem like they’re not important, that they have no significance. And if treated like that for sufficient time, they start adapting those qualities, which is why when I first started complimenting her, she wouldn’t accept the compliment.

It’s why I ask her a question about Matt after our dates, because I don’t want to repeat the same mistakes. I also want to ensure she feels significant. Valued. Listened to. Happy.

“More adventurous. Do you think you can make that happen?”

I catch the football and give him a look, making him laugh. “What do you think, Sanders? My damn dick is pierced.”

He lets out a roar of a laugh. “Adventurous it is. So is that what you’re going to do next as one of the big dates?”

“I think so,” I say, thinking back to all the little things we’ve been doing during the week.

Dinners, walks in the park, riding the ferry just to fucking ride it and spend time together. There are moments that I’ve been capturing with her the last few weeks, and when we’re not together, we’re constantly texting or talking on the phone. But the big dates, or the dates that are centered around the bucket list that we wrote out at Camp Haven, those are the ones that I’ve been planning and putting effort into.

“You ready to get intimate with her?”

“We’ve already been intimate, Sanders.”

“Well aware,” he says. “We heard it at the camp.”

That makes me smile.

“And I saw you two in the lake.”

I chuckle. “That was hot.”

“I’m surprised that water didn’t make everything shrivel up.”

“You know, I’m just that attracted to her that no cold water could make my dick disappear.”

“Aww. To be young again.”

I toss the football to him and answer his question. “But yes, I am ready to be intimate. I think it’s time. We’ve been doing this for about three, four weeks now, and every time I answer no to her request to go into her apartment, I can see her get sadder and sadder. I think it’s time.”

“Good. You have everything you need?”

“Yup,” I say. “I’ve got everything. Just have one question for you.”

“What’s that?” he asks.

I glance around his room, taking in the wreck of an office he maintains. “There’s something that’s been on my mind, ever since we signed up for the marriage camp.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, from a quick Google search, I was able to find that your grandparents owned Camp Haven before you. It was a sports camp, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“And then it was passed on directly to your mom, right?”

“Yes,” he drags out, trying to see where I’m going with this.

“Of course, being the curious one that I am, I looked up who your mom is.”

His smile grows wider.

“Fucking Whitney Martin is your mom.”

He slowly nods. “Uh, she was a legend matchmaker in the seventies. Not that you need to know this, but Camp Haven was where the most infamous couples were matched. Olive and Rund, the cat burglars of Brooklyn. Nancy and Hank, the pyramid schemers. Georgina and Tom, the Assassins of 8th Avenue.”

I blink a few times. “She matched up felons.”

He chuckles and then rubs his hand over his cheek. “Yeah, she really knew how to join people together with common interests.”

“Please tell me you didn’t study at the same school she did. Because I really like Scottie and if you helped me figure out things with this girl and she ends up being a night killer…”

He smirks. “About that.” He stands. “Didn’t really go to school for any of this.”

“What?” I nearly shout.