“I don’t think there’ll be a next time.”
Ethan’s smile inches up. “Oh, Cassidy. As soon as that little hole of yours has healed, you’ll be begging me to tear you open again.”
My cheeks flare at his crude words, and I look down to hide my embarrassment.
“We should go,” I mumble.
“You’re missing something,” he says.
I look at my reflection. “No, I’m not.”
Ethan sticks a hand in the pocket of his tuxedo. “Turn around.”
I swivel to face him, my breasts heaving inside my dress as I struggle to catch my breath. Every muscle in my body feels like he lit it on fire. I’m hot and cold all over, throbbing, pulsing.
It’s glorious.
And he’s right. I already want more.
I can’t see what he has in his hands, but at the faint prick against my earlobes as he guides them through my piercings, I realize they’re earrings.
Smiling, I reach up to rub them… and then stop.
My stomach bottoms out as I touch the earrings. “No,” I whisper, tears springing into my eyes. “Where did you…?”
He takes my shoulders and turns me around so I can see my reflection. I have one second to stare in amazement at the opals dangling from my ears before tears rim my eyes, blurring everything.
“I asked Richmond to speak to Cordelia. When she heard about what had happened to Rebecca, she insisted you have them back,” Ethan murmurs, squeezing my shoulders. “She might be on husband number four, but she understands family.”
I clap my hands over my mouth to stifle a sob.
When I walked into my house the night my mother disappeared, I vowed to her that I wouldn’t rest until I’d found her. That search led me to Ethan, but without his help, I’d never have found out what had happened to Rebecca. Maybe, by now, I’d have accepted that she abandoned me for a fresh start.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better husband,” I whisper, my eyes filling with tears again. Happy ones, this time.
“And I couldn’t have found a better wife if I’d searched every inch of this planet.” His hands trail down my body, cradling my belly. “Or a better mother.”
“That remains to be seen,” I tell him, trying to smile with wobbly lips. “For all you know, I’ll be terrible at it.”
“No, Cassidy.” His face is serious now, and it makes my chest clench with love for him. “We’ve both suffered enough. This is the happy ending we deserve. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen.”
I turn to him, standing on tiptoes to kiss him.
“I love you, Ethan,” I murmur.
And when he kisses me back, his love drowns me like a tidal wave.
He’s right.
I deserve this.
We deserve this.
