Now I felt like an idiot. I should

Now I felt like an idiot. I should have figured it out before. What was the point of being so gorgeous when people bothered you all the time? It was a curse, not a blessing. “It won’t happen again.”
“It’s not your fault, Jared.”
“Yes, it is,” I said sadly. “Come on. Let’s finish that list.”
“Okay.” She started to push the cart but I got behind it and guided it for her. She smiled at me then grabbed her items. I trailed behind her and just watched her shop. A few men stared at her, but when they caught my look they looked away.
When we were done, we went to the checkout counter and met Ethan. He was about to combine his items with hers so he could pay for it, but I stopped him. “I got it.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re sure?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Elisa looked at me. “You don’t have to do that, Jared.”
“I take care of you now,” I said. “I don’t mind.”
Elisa fell quiet.
I grabbed her face and kissed her. “I want to take care of you.”
She smiled at me. “You’re so sweet, Jared.”
I paid for the groceries then grabbed the bags. I didn’t let her carry anything. When Ethan was done, we left the store. I noticed he only had one bag. “What did you get?”
He said nothing for a moment. He grabbed the box and showed it to us.
“Tampons?” I asked with disgust.
He shrugged. “Sadie asked me to get some.”
Elisa smiled. “Tom used to do it for me all the time.”
“Yeah, but that’s different.”
“How?” she asked.
“It just is,” he said.
“Are you sure you want to get married?” I asked.
“I’m having second thoughts,” he said with a laugh.
“It’s not too late,” I said.
“Stop being jerks,” Elisa said. She looked at me. “You would do it if I asked you to.”
I smiled at her. “Well, that’s different. I would do anything for you.”
She smiled at me and Ethan rolled his eyes.
When we got home, I helped Elisa put all the groceries away while everyone stayed in the living room. When we were done, I looked at her. “I’m really sorry about today. It won’t happen again.”
“Jared, you didn’t do anything wrong. When you saw someone bothering me, you took care of it.”
“It shouldn’t have happened at all.”
“He didn’t try to hurt me.”
“That’s beside the point.” I grabbed her face and looked at her. “You never have to worry about your safety with me. I want you to know that.”
“I believe you, Jared.”
“I can go to the store for you if you’re more comfortable with that.”
She sighed. “As much as I would love that, I can’t stay in the house forever.”
I kissed her nose. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
“Okay,” she said. “And Jared?”
“Yeah?”
“I know you can take care of me.”
I smiled. “That means the world to me.”
We moved into the living room and sat on the couch. I played with Tommy for a while then read him a story. Becky crawled into Elisa’s lap and started to color in her coloring book. Ethan and Sadie sat on the couch tangled up together. Ethan drank from his beer while he played with Sadie’s hair.
As much as I enjoyed spending time with Elisa as a family, I wanted to go to bed and make love to her. It’d been on my mind since the first time we did it. I felt awkward that Ethan was in the next room, but I didn’t care enough to not pursue it.
When Tommy finally fell asleep in my lap, I smiled. Ethan and Sadie retired to bed and we put the kids to sleep in their rooms. I didn’t want to be presumptuous with Elisa by assuming we were going to bed so I waited for her to initiate it.
“So, are you ready to go to sleep?”
“No, but I’m ready for bed,” I said with smile. “Are you still okay with me sleeping here?”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
We went into her bedroom and closed the door behind us. The bedspread was white with purple pillows. The rug on the floor was also purple. The room was littered with picture frames of her kids. She had a private bathroom and a walk in closet. It was nice of Ethan to give her the better room even though he was paying the rent. I stepped toward the bed and saw the picture frame on her nightstand. It was a man with brown hair. I knew that was her husband. When she caught my look, she walked over and turned it over, face down.
I stood next to her then grabbed the picture, returning it to its position.
She held a look of surprise.
“I told you when we got together that I understood that you still loved your husband. You don’t have to hide him from me. I would never want you to.”
Tears bubbled in her eyes.
“And I certainly don’t want you to forget about him.”
She wiped her tear away. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I said I would settle for a part of your heart. I know you can’t give me the whole thing.”
She said nothing.
“Leave this picture here.”
Elisa nodded. “You’re the sweetest guy, Jared.”
“No. I’m just in love with you. I want to make you happy, not cause you pain. You can love both of us. I’m okay with that.”
“I don’t want to forget about him,” she whispered.
“Good.” I kissed her on the forehead then started to strip my clothes away.
Her tears disappeared as she watched me remove my shirt and pants. I recognized the look in her eyes. I knew she wanted me. When I pulled down my briefs, she stared at my cock. I was hard but I was always hard around her. I walked over to her then pulled her shirt from her body. She lifted her arms and let me remove it.
Elisa placed her hands on my chest then felt my body. She stared at me hungrily while she felt all my muscles. The longing in her eyes made me feel aroused. I liked knowing I made her feel that way. I grabbed her pants and pulled them down then removed her underwear.
As I held her face and kissed her, I guided her toward the bed and laid her down. She immediately wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled me toward her.
“Jared,” she whispered. “I want you.”
“I know,” I said as I kissed her everywhere. I placed my cock against her stomach and let my juice drip on her. She grabbed me and started to stroke me. I continued to kiss her while I played with her nipples, making her even hotter.