Page 39 of This Woman Forever

“No one has slept in that bed, Ava.”

“They’ve not?”

Why does she look so surprised? Did she honestly think I’d be cool making a marital bed out of one of the places I used to fuck? “No one has been in this room since I cornered you.” I raise my brows. Take that, Mrs. Ward. “And the bed is new.” What a waste of fucking money it was. And, actually, subpar in the quality department. I’m not sure I’d get away with returning it, though.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not having you in a bed that others have”—she knows exactly why, for Christ’s sake—“frequented.”

She appears to snuggle deeper. “And no one has been in this room since me?”

“Only me,” I say, nodding to her body. “Get your underwear off, I want you naked.”

“Did you sit in here quietly and think about me?” She fails to keep her grin in check as she wriggles out of her knickers.

Oh, if she only knew. I drop my boxers and wander over to the chest of drawers, pulling one open and plucking out her bra. “More than you know.”

“That’s my bra,” she gasps, her eyes following it through the air as I toss it onto the cabinet.

I get into bed with her, and she's all over me like a rash immediately. “Comfy?” I whisper, following the path of her hands as they travel my chest, hearing her hum her answer. “How do you feel?”

“I’m fine.”

My sigh collides with Ava’s, and I pull her closer, hug her harder. “She’s fine.” If I could only make her see that she really will be fine. Because I’ve got her. Always. “Go to sleep, my beautiful girl.”

And maybe in the morning she’ll see the light.

The hope.

Maybe.

Her eyes are getting heavy, her lips parting. It’s been a long day. Certainly unforgettable. For the right reasons? Not really. And, worryingly, I’m not all that confident about tomorrow, because I’m not willing to let another day pass without us finding out if my wife is expecting our first baby.

Our first.

Ava’s first.

Not my first.

My throat becomes thick, my hold of Ava naturally tightening. “I’m not replacing you,” I whisper, staring at the sheet covering our bodies.

Then what are you doing, Daddy?

“Searching for redemption, my darling.”

You don’t need redeeming.

“Oh, but I do.” I smile, swallowing over a lump. “I wish I still had you.”

Uncle Jake’s looking after me.

I feel a tear fall, and I release one arm from around Ava and roughly wipe at my eyes. “That’s good,” I muse, smiling through my trembling lips. “Do you think I’m crazy?”

Sometimes.

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