Page 33 of Give It a Day
I lift her chin up so she has to look at me. “You’re not failing, Kaye. You’ve had to do unspeakable things, and you’re still standing. That’s not failure. That’s strength.”
She snorts softly, a hint of bitterness in her smile. “Strength? That’s one way to put it.”
“It’s the truth,” I say firmly. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. But I see it. I see you.”
For a moment, she looks like she wants to believe me. But then she shakes her head. “What about you, Dae? What do you want?”
The question catches me off guard, but I don’t hesitate. “I want us to build something better.Together. I want to take everything we’ve been through, all that we’ve had to deal with, and turn it into something better.”
She quirks a brow, her skepticism clear. “That’s a tall order, even for you.”
I smirk. “Good thing I’m not afraid of hard work.”
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t pull away. Instead, she shifts slightly, turning to face me more fully. “You really think we can do that? Build something better?”
“I do.” My voice is steady, certain. “We have more in common than you think, Kaye. We’re both direct, even if you like to hide it sometimes behind that sharp tongue of yours. We both know how to get things done, how to take charge when it counts. And we both want more than the lives we’ve been handed.”
She’s quiet for a moment, looking lost in thought. Then she sighs, leaning back against me again. “You make it sound so easy.”
“It won’t be,” I admit. “But nothing worth having ever is. And you’re worth it, Kaye. We’re worth it.”
She doesn’t respond right away, but her fingers trace idle patterns on my arm, her touch soft and contemplative. “I don’t know exactly what I want yet,” she says finally, her voice quiet and small. “But maybe I’ll figure it out. Eventually.”
“You will,” I promise, pressing a kiss to her temple. “And when you do, I’ll be right here, ready to help you get it.”
“You’re annoyingly persistent,” she mutters, her tone light but teasing.
“And you love it,” I reply, grinning against her hair.
“Youarereally good at forging bonds, aren’t you?”
“And you’re good at putting up walls,” I counter. “But I’ll spend a lifetime tearing them down, if I have to.”
“You keep saying that. Alifetime. But you seem to be conveniently forgetting that all I have to do is get through the honeymoon, and then…” Her brows knit as she sternly side-eyes me.
She’s testing me, as she often does, and I’d be lying if I said I don’t enjoy it. There’s something magnetic about the way she carries herself, with so much defiance that makes it impossible for me to not be around her. I want her to be obedient to my demands. I want her to let me take control, to rely on me.
“I’m in this, Kaye.All in. And you are too, whether you want to admit it or not.” I pause, letting the weight of my words sink in. “But I’m willing to wait for you to catch up.”
Frowning, she averts my gaze. “We’re practically strangers, Dae. You might end up finding out things about me you might not like. So maybe you’ll want that annulment too.”
I consider her words, my thumb brushing over her shoulder. “Tell me something that’ll make me sign those annulment papers so fast it’ll make your head spin.”
“Hm…” She smirks at my challenge. “I like doing…pretty messed up things in bed.”
My brow arches at her admission. “Messed up how? Like things I did to you in my car?” I ask with my voice coming out rougher than I intended, but then again, I’ve never really hidden my desire from her.
“Maybe.” She shrugs. “Do you really wanna know?”
“Yes.” I trace a finger down her cheek. “What kind of things do you enjoy? Because I want to do all those things with you.”
She pouts, furrowing her brows in delightful confusion. “What? Thisis supposed to scare you off.”
“You’re just making me more and more curious about you.” I lean in, my lips brushing against her ear. “I want to hear all about these messed up desires, Kaye. I want to make them all come true for you.”
With amusement and defiance in her voice, she suggests, “How about for our honeymoon trip, we pack chains and ropes, and I can show you instead?”
I groan hungrily into her ear, jaw clenching as my eyes close, imagining her tied up and spread for me. “Little bird…” My voice comes out as a raspy whisper. “You keep talking dirty like that—even if you behave during our honeymoon—I won’t want to hear you joke about ever leaving me.”
