Page 109 of Married to Number 22

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“Trust me,” I tell her, “orgasms are better. Plus,” I murmur, peeling her hand from my cheek and pressing a kiss to her palm, “holding you as I drift off is the best sleep aid on the planet.”

I expect her to laugh.

Or to swat at my chest.

But, as usual, my tiny tornado surprises me…

By bursting into tears.

“I…Luns, sweetheart, what’s the matter?”

She lifts her head, sobs still hitching her chest, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I-it’s j-just—” A deep, shaky breath. “I love you so damned much!”

Forty

Luna

“What’s that, sweetheart?”he says quietly, smoothing back my hair, sounding completely befuddled.

And I get why.

Because I’ve lost my mind.

Despite everything, I still want to clamp my hand over my mouth, to smother those words.

The curse is…well, it’s going to wreak havoc on this moment and ruin my life with Aiden and I’ll be alone and sad and?—

Just stop being so fucking afraid.

Just cut the bullshit.

Just accept the truth I know in my heart.

Of coursethere’s no curse.

There’s tragedy and there’s life and there’s happiness and there are beautiful moments punctuated by sadness and grief andlove.

So much damned love that it seems to grow by the moment.

And God?—

What have I learned since I knocked on Aiden’s door? That there’s so much more to be gained by living than sitting on the sidelines and hiding from real connection.

Plus, who am I kidding?

Even when I felt alone, I still had Grams and her house, Bri and my job at the shelter, and the moment I saw Aiden on TV, I did everything in my power to search him out.

To tie myself to him.

And Kathy and Matt and Smitty and the others.

I could have walked away from Smythe, could have sold Grams’s house and started a simple life over somewhere else. I could have contented myself with doing something good that I could accomplish on my own.

But…as Grams knew, I wouldn’t walk away.

I would fight.

I would find a way.

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