Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
She nods. “I’m confused.”
I’ll take confusion over I still want the annulment any day of the week.
“Tell me why,” I say evenly.
She glances at the bed and the rumpled sheets. “That, and this.”
“This?” I ask because I think I know what she means, but I want to hear it. I need to hear the words.
“Us.” Her hand circles the air in front of her. “What are we doing, Daniel?”
I want to drop to one knee in front of my wife and propose for the first time, but she doesn’t need that right now. She needs me to be the levelheaded one in the room. I’m far from that right now, though. I feel like my heart has my mind and body on a leash, leading me straight to forever with her by my side.
“What we should have done years ago,” I say, staring at her.
Her brows perk for a second before her lips part. Before a word comes out, she slaps her hand over her mouth.
I smile. “Are you speechless, Calvetti?”
Laughter flows from between her fingers.
“You are.” I chuckle. “This is a day for the record books.”
“It is,” she whispers. “And not for that reason. I’m not speechless.”
I inch my ass closer to the edge of the bed. “Why is this a day for the record books, Gina?”
She glances over her shoulder toward the water. The day is breaking more with each passing second. “It’s the morning after your first ride on a sailboat.”
“True.” I tap a finger on my bare knee. “What else is it?”
That snaps her head back in my direction. “The day after we made love for the first time.”
My cock hardens because the promise of more days like this is there in her words.
“You said you’re feeling confused, Gina.” I lean forward, resting both forearms on my thighs. “Let me help with that.”
She gazes down at her left hand. “I’m not going to Las Vegas.”
I swear to fuck, my heart just swelled inside of my chest.
“Unless you think I should.” Her gaze finds mine. “Do you?”
I shake my head. “Hell no.”
“I didn’t know that we’d do that last night.” She skims her hand over her leg. “I’m glad we did, but it was unexpected.”
I extend a hand to her. “I’m glad we did, too.”
Without hesitation, she’s on her feet, reaching for my hand before sitting beside me on the bed.
I know this woman and everything she’s been through. I know that there hasn’t been a man who has seen her for the gift that she is.
Dominick has told me too many stories about men who broke her heart, but I’d rather slice mine out of my chest than cause her pain.
“Maybe we need to…should we rethink,” she stumbles through her thoughts, trying to express them.
“You want to put the annulment on hold?” I offer.
“On hold,” she agrees with a nod. “I think I do.”
“I know I do.”
“You do?” Her shoulders sag, a sign that the tension she’s been holding is slipping away. “For a week or two?”
Forever, but I’m all for baby steps. “For a week or two.”
“Maybe when we get back to Manhattan, you can stay in my bedroom with me.”
I know how much courage it takes for her to put herself out there in this way for me. “I’m there, Gina.”
“I’m kind of scared,” she whispers as her bottom lip trembles. “I don’t know if this is the right path for us or not.”
I tug her closer to kiss the side of her forehead gently. “It’s our path, Calvetti. We pave it. We travel it.”
She lifts her chin until our eyes meet. “We won’t tell anyone yet, okay? I don’t want to put it out there in case it doesn’t work out.”
That’s fear talking, but I get it, so I nod. “Our secret is still safe with me.”
Her gaze trails over my face. “When you were asleep, I picked up your pants and this shirt.”
I figured as much since my pants were neatly folded on a chair in the corner of the bedroom.
“Then you stole the shirt.” I trail a finger over the collar. “You can keep it.”
“I’ll let you wear it for the drive back.”
I kiss her again, on the lips this time. “Deal.”
“The ring fell out of your pocket.” She steals a glance at my pants. “Your wedding ring.”
I nod, not ashamed that she found it. “I told you I’m keeping it safe.”
“I keep mine safe, too.”
Surprised that she didn’t trash it the morning after our Vegas nuptials, I perk an eyebrow. “You do?”
She starts to slide away from me, and as much as I don’t want her to go, I let her. She moves across the room swiftly, headed straight for the purse she brought with her. Her right hand dives inside it before the sound of a zipper being pulled breaks the silence.