Page 89 of The Stallion
“I know you’re lying here, believing that you are nothing more than some murderous monster—” He started, adjusting our position so that I was nestled against his side and he could see my face. “But do you know what I see when I look at my sweet girl? I see a fiercely determined woman taking her life back from a man who never deserved it in the first place… I wish I had met you long before you met him. I would’ve treated you so much better. I would’ve given you the world…”
My husband rolled onto his side before guiding his body over mine and settling his weight between my thighs with his forearms supporting his upper body on either side of my head.
“I will give youeverything, Bria. Just say the word, and it’s yours—that’s how he should’ve treated you from the very beginning. You’re not a trophy or some pretty little thing to put on display and puff up an undeserving ego. You’re perfection, a dream, and I’m the luckiest fucking man alive to have you now. You think you don’t deserve me?… Sweet girl, we were made for each other. And deserve to live happily, forever. Without a single goddamn exception.”
Gazing into my husband’s eyes, I found my sense of self in every word he spoke. It was an affirmation that I wasn’t as broken as I felt and that even with my jagged edges, I was still someone worth loving.
“Dallas.”
“Yes, wifey?”
“I love you…” My voice broke as I murmured those three heavy words, feeling my heart squeeze and my stomach twist to the point of feeling sick.
I didn’t care if I sounded clingy or needy at the time. Dallas made me feel whole, and I couldn’t bear the mere thought of ever losing his affection.
Lowering himself until his nose just barely grazed against mine, my husband smiled—the charming smile that melted my heart and set my ovaries on fucking fire.
“I’ll love you beyond life, sweet girl. And every day we’re together, I plan to show you exactly what you’re worth, and it’s a hell of a lot more than what you’ve previously been given.”
“Forever, Ponyboy?” I giggled coyly, wrapping my arms around his neck as our breaths mingled between us, my eyes dropping to his lips that begged me to taste them.
“Even an eternity wouldn’t be enough time spent with you.”
But it’s a good start…
Chapter 36
Dallas
Weekshadpassedandto my relief, whatever the fuck Dustin had done to clear Bria’s name had indeed worked. There was nothing on the news, here or in Phoenix. I had one of my employees at Isla keep an eye on their local cast, just in case.
Bria had spoken with her friend, Asher, several times over text, call, and video chat, and she had the same impression—it was as if it had never happened.
For what started as a publicly announced crime in front of over a thousand spectators and several news crews who had witnessed and recorded the event, the Las Vegas PD and Special Forces arrest ended as nothing more than an embarrassing blind accusation and rumor—the credibility of both was damaged in the fallout.
It took only a week for the name Connor Harrison to die out, just as fast as he legitimately did.
From what I had gathered, everyone now believed that he ran away with another woman, changed his entire identity to start a new life, unable to handle the one he had previously been living, jealous of the man who stole his girlfriend.
Another lie twisted to fit a narrative that cleared my sweet girl’s name of all liability and charges. Not going to lie, I would have stolen her from him even if he were still alive today.
He didn’t stand a chance against me, and I always ensured I got what I wanted regardless of the cost.
Something told me that I would have found Bria no matter what—our paths were always meant to cross.
With the chaos now behind us, we took a few days to disconnect from the real world, and our time spent together was nothing but heaven.
I had Nash fill in for my parts in the show, while I remained home, comforting my wife and spending every waking hour showing her just how much she meant to me.
My work could wait; she would always come first.
When Bria was ready to come out of her shell and face the world, confident that she no longer had a target on her back for the allegations, she returned to the stage with me. And the two of us have been performing our water routine every night since.
On our last performance, an idea suddenly struck me. I remembered when Alec had choreographed this routine, inspired by his wife, and how it had become a fundamental part of the show after the fact.
I wanted to do something similar for Bria—create a dance tailored to her that expressed every ounce of the adoration she elicited from me.
I had put off the initial idea for almost a year, with only vague bits and pieces to run with, but with her in my life, there was no better time to bring it to life. And I knew exactly what that performance would entail.
