Page 59 of Dark Notes

The night he got into my apartment flashes through my mind, as do his words.

“I needed you.”

“You said you needed me. That’s what you meant?”

He nods. “That was the worst time, yes.”

I shake my head. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Squeezing my hand, he admits, “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

My heart breaks for him. I should have been there during such a difficult time. This is the hard part about fucking up. You can say you’re sorry, but you can never undo what you did to hurt someone you love.

“Jagger, I’m so sorry. I will never be able to make this up to you, but I’ll try.”

Pulling my hand to his lips, he kisses my knuckles softly. “I understand why everything happened the way it did, which is exactly why I won’t throw it in your face. You’ve been subjected to enough pain.”

“I love you, and I won’t destroy us again,” I whisper.

“Come here.”

He scoots his chair out and pats his lap, and I shake my head.

“We are in a fancy restaurant.”

With a chuckle, he says, “I don’t give a fuck where we are, or who’s here. Get over here.”

I get up reluctantly and walk over to him, and speak low.

“What if someone has a camera?”

He chuckles like he is truly entertained by my question.

“Baby, they have seen pictures of me snorting coke from a woman’s ass crack. I think they can handle me holding my woman in a restaurant. And if they can’t, fuck them.”

I giggle as I sit on his lap. “You’re going to need to explain that to me.”

He grins. “Later.”

Wrapping his arms around me, he whispers into my ear, “I already forgave you. Now you need to forgive yourself. Holding onto this guilt is not good for you. Let it go. I have you now.”

“I’ll try.”

He places his hand on the side of my neck. “McKinley, this is unromantic as fuck. I hope you’ll forgive me for that. Marry me. I will buy you whatever goddamn ring you want. A hundred carats, if that’s what you want. I swear to fuck, I’ll make you happy if it kills me. Be my wife.”

I giggle. “Your language is terrible, Wild. Twofucksand agoddamnin a proposal? Even still, I’ll marry you.”

Jagger stares at me with disbelief. “Wait. Did you say yes?”

“I said yes. The poor groupies will be crushed, but hell yes, I’ll marry you.”

He breaks out into a huge smile, and wraps my hair around his fist. “Now you’ve made up for everything.” He pulls my head closer and kisses me.

The waitress comes over and clears her throat, separating us, while she wears a fake smile. “Ready to order?”

Jagger answers her, “Prime rib for two, with baked potatoes, butter on the side, and a salad for my future wife, with honey mustard dressing on the side.”

I smile as she walks away. This is one of the things I love most about him. He always pays attention to everything, so he knows exactly how to order my food.

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