Page 103 of Only You
‘We’re… not that simple.’
‘Since when was marriage ever simple?’
Selene cleared her throat before it could tighten more, tucking her hands behind her back to stop from fidgeting under his gaze.
‘We don’t have the life for those kinds of promises,’ she explained. ‘I’m too ambitious and what kind of marriage lasts hopping from one place to another? Hell, it’s not even legal in half the country!’
‘It is in New York City.’
Selene raised her brows. ‘So, I’m just supposed to stay there my whole life?’
‘Right, because you’re the world traveller,’ he quipped, and Selene glowered at him.
‘Be realistic. With marriage, there’s kids,’ she continued. ‘What kind of life can we build for them? There are things you don’t understand about me, things that I’m not even sure you want to know and I’m sorry, but I refuse to be the wife that lives a whole separate life from her husband. That’s the only way my parents are surviving now. It’s a nightmare, but what if they were usbeforeeverything? You never even talked about a future with me!’
‘I didn’t have to.’
‘Why?’ Selene pushed.
‘Because of our life now!’ He stood up, pinning her in place with the blazing look in his eyes. Selene swallowed nervously but didn’t look away. ‘Anytime anyone has given us hell, we got through it. We faced it together. We never cared how it looked to everyone else. Why should we care now?’
‘Becausethisincludes the law,’ she whispered. ‘You keep acting like it doesn’t matter, as if I still don’t use the back door to go home unless you’re there.’
‘Sel, it’s because of the law I need to do this. I need to know that you’re safe and cared for, that this life doesn’t leave you with nothing,’ he insisted. ‘I’m not saying it’s perfect, but if there’s a chance…’
‘It’s still too dangerous,’ she hissed. ‘Everythingchanges after marriage.’
‘I have been there every time you have changed,’ Jack pointed out, her argument dying on her tongue. No matter what had happened in her life, he had been the one thing she could trust to remained consistent. But was that still true?
‘Things can’t stay like this forever. And even if they do, I don’t care. I refuse to let some greedy, fat politician who wished I died in a fucking war tell me who can be my wife,’ Jack declared.
She shook her head. ‘You’re reckless.’
‘But you like that about me. Sometimes, I think you admire it.’
He winked at her, trying to be playful, but she groaned. The mere idea was insane. Still, she felt the same enduring weakness she always had whenever he had a crazy plan. She hated how part of her wanted to try, the curiosity that urged her to give in to the excitement in his eyes that told her thatherJack was back.
Yet, for a moment, Demir’s face flashed in her mind, and she paused as Jack pressed his forehead against hers. She closed her eyes, feeling the caress of his breath against her lips.
‘You’re the only thing I’ve never questioned in my life,’ he said softly. ‘No matter what. So, if you have to say “no” right now, it won’t change anything. I’ll be here arguing with you regardless.’
Selene laughed, her voice a breathless whisper.
It felt nice to have something so familiar. She didn’t fool herself into thinking Jack would be a perfect husband or that their marriage would be a dream come true. She knew it would be a very harsh reality. She also knew she could trust it and him.
Perhaps Demir was a fantasy. There was an honest, good man in him under the rough exterior he’d created to move through life. She’d seen whenever Demir let his guard down. Even when he didn’t, he was still everything she wanted in a man but never had the courage to admit. Yet, that alone made him the scariest thing in her life.
Selene closed the inch of space between her and Jack, her frayed nerves smoothing out under his lips.
‘Okay,’ she whispered between kisses. She felt Jack’s smile grow against her lips, and he lifted her off her feet. She let herself get lost in the excitement, Jack’s elation rubbing off on her. Suddenly, the thought of taking on the world didn’t seem so bad.
She wanted to keep kissing, but he pulled away, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small box. Selene froze at the sight of it, unable to take her eyes off the black velvet square as he opened it. The ring was fairly simple, a row of three diamonds on a gold band, the centre stone slightly bigger than the other two. Even in the low light, the stones sparkled, hinting at how much money Jack had spent. He slid the ring on her finger. It was heavier than she expected, the weight of change lingering around her as he pulled her into his arms.
‘See? That wasn’t so hard,’ he whispered. Selene didn’t respond; she just kissed him again.
The next morning, she woke up crying from a dream that disappeared as she tried to remember it. The band of her engagement ring was smooth against her cheek as she wiped her tears, and she paused as a faint memory of smoke resurfaced, but the dream faded beneath the morning light. She looked at her hand, frowning.
She’d made the right choice and yet…
