Page 135 of The Broken Heart Playlist
“No, I didn’t,” she says. “But back to the dress for dinner. I suppose you’ve booked us into some ridiculously expensive restaurant tonight?”
“You suppose right. Only the best for you, sweetheart.”
She holds back a sigh and I hold back a grin. My money still makes her uncomfortable. I bought her a diamond bracelet a couple of months ago and she thanked me with a kiss on the cheek. Then I gave her a color-coded organizational chart and she practically hyperventilated from excitement.
The money is coming in handy, though, when it comes to fueling Kate’s strange obsession with rollercoasters. She’s on a mission to try them all, no matter which country they’re in. The bigger the better, she maintains. Which, by the way, is a statement I’m totally on board for.
I’ve been taking her and Lisset to theme parks all over the world. This is our third theme park holiday and the first one without Lisset. Tess insisted it should be just the two of us this time and I didn’t put up a fight. Although I adore the miniature version of Kate, I’m head over heels in love with the adult version.
“I still can’t believe we’re in Italy,” Kate says now. “It’s magical.”
It’s a country that suits her. The lilting accents, the breathtaking scenery, and the people passionate about life. I chose Italy because of Gardaland, an amusement park in northeastern Italy. There are seven rollercoasters here and we’re going on them all.
We’re staying at the penthouse suite of a five-star hotel. Kate whispered self-consciously that she feels like a celebrity, but that’s not enough for me. She should be made to feel like a queen. That’s who she is to me. My Queen.
I lift her hand and kiss her knuckles. I keep holding her hand while we wait in line for the ride.
Recently, Aaron joked that I couldn’t go five minutes without touching my wife. “And what’s wrong with that?” Tess retorted with an elbow jab to his ribs, knocking that smirk right off his face and right onto mine. I notice he’s been doing a whole lot of touching since that rib-cracking elbow jab.
It’s taken a while for her family to come around to me. Fortunately, their capacity to forgive matches their capacity to fiercely protect their own. They’ve all pretty much forgiven me for hurting Kate. Tess has been especially helpful. She made it a point to remind everyone that Aaron broke her heart, but they all forgave him. There were a few grumblings, but they’ve softened toward me.
We reach the front of the line. I’m not too keen on the whole rollercoaster thing, but if my wife wants to ride one, she will. And I’ll sit strapped in next to her and have her nearly burst my eardrums with her screaming.
A mild earache afterward is worth it simply to observe her face after she finishes the ride. As if she’s conquered something.
I don’t know what the deal is with the rollercoasters, but I suspect her grandmother does, judging from the secret smile they share whenever the subject comes up.
It’s fine. The two of them can have their little secret. I still have a few of my own. One in particular that Kate will hopefully never uncover.
Loving her has brought me more joy than I thought possible. The fact that I get to love her daughter as well is an added, incredible bonus.
Right before Kate and I got married, Lisset asked if she could call meDad. If ever there was a question to break me, it was that one. Punched the air right out of my lungs and drove me to thebathroom to cry like a baby. Of course, then I had Kate banging on the door.
“Hey, if I can’t cry in the shower alone, you can’t cry in the bathroom alone.”
I had to unlock the door just to save it from permanent damage.
Kate held me tight while I said over and over, “She wants to call meDad. Did you hear that?”
“I did,” she assured me, smiling through her own tears. “I guess it’s better than some of the names I wanted to call you when we first met.”
That’s my wife, always ready to make me laugh when I’m sad.
Three months into our marriage, we moved into a new house I bought in Brown Oaks. A mansion, Kate calls it, but she might be exaggerating. Yes, there’s an infinity pool, a library for Lisset, a cinema room, a fully-equipped gym, and a professional kitchen, but it’s hardly a mansion. What sold me on the house, though, were all those extra bedrooms.
When Kate turned to me, her eyes full of questions, I explained, “For our children.”
She blinked at me in shock. “How many children are you planning on?”
“Since I’m not completely insensitive, we’ll start off with six and then reassess.”
Those smoky eyes of hers widened in disbelief. “Gideon Garrett Walker, if you think—”
And then I solved our argument like I do all our disagreements. I captured her mouth in a long, leisurely kiss and effectively quieted the flow of words.
“Fine,” I relented when I lifted my mouth from hers. “I’ll go easy and we can start with five...Oooff.” These Miller women and their elbow jabs.
I have to admit, though, I find it unbelievably sexy when my real name slips out of her mouth. We opted to remain with Gideon Walker and preserve our anonymity. It’s a relief not to be hounded at every turn. I’m working on another project idea and Kate is making a heck of a name for herself as a food stylist.
