Page 114 of Wild Ever After
I shake my head as a yawn keeps me from speaking.
He shifts his weight from one foot to the other. “Is it okay if I stay in here with you for tonight? I don’t want to be far, in case you need something.”
I scoot over to make room for him. He kicks off his shoes and lies down with his back up against the headboard.
“Thank you for being here.”
“You can always call me. No matter what.”
I close my eyes again as another yawn escapes. “The pillows smell like you.”
“I would have taken you to the other room but…”
When it seems he isn’t going to finish that sentence, I glance up at him. “But what?”
“I didn’t want to see your stuff all packed up.” His jaw tightens.
I’m so tired it takes my brain a second to process. “I haven’t packed anything.”
“But the green chair is gone, and you were moving the recliner.” His dark eyes scan my face for understanding. “I thought you were putting it all back like it was before you moved in.”
“The green chair will look better in my office, and I was moving the recliner back because you love it. I never should have made you move it in the first place.”
“It’s just a chair. I don’t care where it goes.”
“I know. That’s why I wanted to move it.”
“I don’t follow.”
I’ve never been one for grand gestures, or really gestures of any kind. I’ve always loved simply and selfishly. Declan showed me that there was another way. His love is big and generous. And I want to love him back in that same way so that he can feel how good it is to be loved that way.
I swing my legs to the side of the bed and stand, wincing only a little as I put weight on my right foot.
“What are you doing?” Declan is by my side in a flash, circling my waist and taking the pressure off my right foot.
“I need to go downstairs.”
“Lie down. I’ll get whatever you need.”
“No. I want to get it myself.”
He looks exasperated but picks me back up again.
“No.” I wiggle to get him to put me down. “I need to walk by myself and get it.”
A deep growl rumbles in his chest, but reluctantly, he sets me down. “Why can’t you let me take care of you? That’s all I want. Whatever it is you need downstairs, it isn’t an inconvenience for me to get it.”
“I know, it’s just…” If stomping wouldn’t hurt, I’d do it now. “I love you, and I wanted to get the divorce papers you left and rip them up in front of you.”
He looks stunned.
“I was moving the recliner back to show you that I want to be here with you. It was dumb, I know. It wasn’t the sexy or grand gesture you deserve for all that you’ve done for me, but it was all I could think of at the time. I never wanted to get divorced, not really. But I thought it was the only way to know that we were both in this because we want to be.”
“I want to be,” he says.
“Me too.” I take a step closer to him. “Six months ago, I didn’t believe in the idea of marriage. Then you came along. Now I can’t imagine life without you. I am so in love with you, Declan. Crazy in love. I want our happily ever after, if you’ll still have me.”
He takes me by the upper arm and pulls me back to him. His mouth descends on mine, and he kisses me, while taking my feet out from underneath me.
