Page 51 of While You're There
“I’m assuming we’re cancelling our dinner reservation tonight?” The knowing look he gave her told her he already knew the answer to that question. “You relax,” he instructed as he rose from the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. “I’ll go call the restaurant and order room service.”
She drifted off to sleep within seconds of him heading downstairs. When she woke up, the room was darker. Rhett’s arm was wound around her waist, his grip tight even in sleep. She reached down and interlaced her fingers with his.
She felt him stir behind her and pulled her body closer as he readjusted his own position. It wasn’t until he started stroking her ribs with their joined hands that she knew for sure that he was awake.
Tori felt a hint of melancholy as she lay in her husband’s arms. Their trip was coming to an end. Tomorrow they’d reboard the NorfolkStar private plane and make two stops: Rhett would get off in Virginia while she continued home to Ohio.
She meant what she said earlier. She couldn’t have imagined a more perfect trip or a more perfect start to their marriage.
She knew with certainty that resisting Rhett for so many years had been a mistake. His love was unshakeable, their fates inevitable. Agreeing to marry him was the best decision she had ever made.
“Can I ask you something?” she whispered, turning in his arms so they could talk face-to-face.
He didn’t reply, but his easy smile encouraged her to continue.
“How did you stay so steady all those years when I was pushing you away?”
A slight grimace flashed in his expression. If she hadn’t been watching him so intently, she would have missed it. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m sure there were other girls… hell, I insisted you date other people. But it felt like you never gave up on the idea of us. I had to work so damn hard to keep you away and hold you at arm’s length. How did you hold on for so long?”
Rhett let out a huff and ran his hand through his hair. She didn’t mean to upset him by trudging up the rockier parts of their relationship. But she knew they wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for Rhett’s commitment to the idea of what they could be. She was genuinely curious how he held on for so long.
He let out a long sigh and gazed up at the ceiling to avoid meeting her eyes. “Don’t laugh,” he finally replied. She nodded earnestly. She would never judge him for sharing his truth. “I’m sure it sounds sappy and juvenile, but our connection has always felt fated to me. There’s just something in you that belongs to me. And so much of me, of who I am, belongs to you. You were meant to be mine, beautiful, and even if I tried, I could never belong to anyone but you.”
She was stunned silent by his words. Not because the sentiment was new, or because she hadn’t had similar thoughts herself. But hearing him explain it like that tugged at every piece of her heart and soul. His truth was her truth. They belonged to each other.
“I would have waited longer, you know,” he confessed. “If things hadn’t worked out like this… if you hadn’t called me about your scans or if you ended our arrangement when I moved to Virginia… I would have held on anyways. I would have waited for as long as it took. I would have waited forever, just for the possibility of a life with you.”
Tori felt a pang in her heart as tears formed in her eyes. This man. His devotion. How had she ever thought she could live without him?
“Our love—what we have? It’s precious to me, V.Youare precious to me. I’m going to spend the rest of forever showing you how grateful I am for this love.”
She let out a muffled cry as he held her, stroking her hair and kissing her tear-stained cheek. As tempted as she was to just let him hold her, she couldn’t let the moment pass without matching his confessions with promises of her own.
“I know I can’t make up for all the years I held you at arm’s length, but I want you to be so sure of us now, Ev. There’s nothing and no one that can pull me away from you. Not now, not ever. I love you. I belong to you. And I plan to keep you forever, or for however long we get.”
Chapter twenty-one
Tori
Lookin’good,marriedlady.”
Tori’s whole face lit up when she heard Jake call out to her from across the Green. She’d been back in Hampton since last weekend, but she’d been so busy she hadn’t seen him yet. She had worked two shifts that week, but Jake hadn’t been there either day.Her days off had been filled with organizing things between her and Rhett’s bedrooms, writing thank you notes for the wedding gifts that continued to pour in, and helping Anne plan Maddie’s graduation party. She also had a volunteer planning meeting for camp and had spent time with Fielding.
“Hey! I missed you! I’m glad we’re both here today.” She assessed their setup for the morning. It was Small Business Saturday at Market Day, and Mike had asked both her and Jake to staff the tents he had reserved on the Green. She was in charge of the Clinton’s booth, responsible for running the coloring page station and passing out French toast samples. Jake was in charge of The Oak Barrel Tavern booth, passing out flyers for the grand opening next weekend, and handing out job applications.
It made her a little sad to think about Jake moving on from Clinton’s to The Oak, even if it was literally next door. But it’s not like she was going to be at Clinton’s much longer either, at least not consistently. She was on the schedule for a few more weeks before she took off her annual two weeks to volunteer at Camp New Hope. Then her hysterectomy was officially set for July 19. She’d have to be off work for at least six weeks afterwards, and Rhett was trying to convince her to come to Virginia for part of that time.
“Come here, you.” Jake was around his table in three strides, pulling her into a huge bear hug. She returned his affection and squeezed.
“I feel like we have a million things to talk about and catch up on. Starting with the honeymoon?” He raised his eyebrows suggestively as they both started setting things up at their respective stations.
“Ha! You wish. You know I don’t kiss and tell.”
“True. You just hope someone walks in or hears you instead.”
He wasn’t wrong. She still blushed at his ribbing.
