Page 79 of Ardently Yours

“You’re kidding me? This is what it’s supposed to taste like? The only asparagus I’ve ever eaten is the color and consistency of baby poop.”

Arden laughs. “What kind of asparagus do you eat in Pennsylvania?”

“I don’t know about the whole town, but my mom buys it in a can, and it’s nasty.”

Conversation is easy as we feast our way through dinner.

We finish with creme brulee. It reminds me of fancy pudding with a crunchy top, and it's delicious. When I’ve had enough, I feed Arden the last bites from my spoon.

Afterward, we set everything aside on the table, including my nearly empty margarita glass, and I wrap my arms around my upraised knees. “I should have spoken up sooner and told you I wasn’t enjoying the whole frou-frou thing.”

Arden pulls me down to lie on the cushions with my head cradled against his shoulder, his hand drifting up and down my back in a comforting rhythm. “I don’t expect you to be the only one whose life is going to change.”

“What if we got married, and I cooked dinner some nights, instead of your staff?”

“I’d love to eat the food you cooked.”

“Your staff won’t get upset that I invaded their territory?”

“Staff are there to make you more comfortable, not less. They’re paid to provide a service withinyourhome. Anyone who tries a power trip on you can find another job.”

“I just need to know you’ll back me up if I have to”—I wiggle my eyebrows—“assert my dominance.”

He laughs, then turns serious. “Always.”

“What if I served you meatloaf with ketchup on top?”

He remains silent for a moment, then says, “I would try it. And if I didn’t like it, I’d probably sit through dinner with a smile on my face, then sneak out to the kitchen later to see if I could track down somefoamy fish.”

I snicker. “I’m sorry. That fish was so disgusting.”

Arden shakes under me. “You want to serve me a loaf of meat with ketchup on it. You didn’t even specify what meat it would be. Random . . . loaf-shaped . . . meat.”

When we’ve stopped laughing, I look up at the night sky, so vast and full of the unknown, and the flutter of trepidation returns. “I don’t know how long it will take for me to learn to fit in. It makes me a liability in your life. I was raised with a dinner party meaning a rowdy family gathering with people sitting around a table, passing the mashed potatoes, and five conversations happening at the same time.”

“There’s not a thing wrong with how you were raised. True etiquette is about kindness. You have that in spades. I would never be ashamed of you or Bronnie.”

Rolling us until he’s braced over me, he searches my eyes, his thumb skating gently over my cheekbone. “Charlotte, my life is a thousand times better because you're in it. You could never be a liability.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“It is exactly that simple."

I bite my lip and nod, but anxiety continues to buzz inside me, a constant static ofwhat ifandbut maybeand more than all of it, a low-grade fever of fear that sears through me and whispers, “The other shoe will drop. Greg will get his way with the hydraulic lift or someone else will find another reason to dig in the basement, and they’ll know it was you. There are no happy endings.”

Arden rolls off me and sits, draping his arms over upraised knees, his gaze unfocused on the glittering waves. “You don’t believe me.”

“I don’t think you’re lying, but I wonder if you have rose-colored glasses on about the two of us.”

He turns toward me and shakes his head. “I’m the last person who would do that. Until you, I was a cynic through and through. I had a miserable first marriage. Do you think I’d ever sign up for more of the same?”

Because You Loved Me

Arden

She sucks in ahard breath, but I plow through what I have to say because my gentle reassurances aren’t getting us anywhere. She’s working up a head of steam to pull away from me. Again. It’s her go-to every time she gets scared, and I need her to stay like I need my next breath. “You’re worried about things that don’t matter to me. Not only do I not need you to ‘laugh like a richperson,’ I don’t want you to. You’re brilliant and kind and the most amazing person I’ve ever known. There isn’t a thing on this earth you would ever do to make my life less. Only losing you could do that.”

I look away, unsure I’ll be able to say the things I need to, otherwise. ”My marriage with Ariana was a travesty. We were two people who could barely hold a conversation with each other, brought together by a business deal between our fathers. No one expected me to love my wife. Or for her to love me. It was about keeping and building wealth.”

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