“I know. I tried, but…I thought not complaining about your family all the time was me being supportive. Didn’t realize that it just let you walk all over me.” A flicker of something broken passes through her eyes. “Stupid of me.”
“You’re not stupid. Never that. And…I did take you for granted,” I say firmly, locking my gaze on hers so she feels it. “Which is why step two matters. I don’t just want to pay more attention to you—I want to actually listen. To stop dismissing your needs or shrinking them down, because I see now that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.”
The sharp intake of breath and the sound she makes are evidence that this is still a raw nerve for her.
“And step three is to become the man you deserve.”
She frowns. “What does that mean?”
“A man who’s your husband and not my father’s son. A man who respects you and treats you as an equal. A man who shows you, every day, he loves you, so youdon’t ever feel you can’t complain to him about his family out of fear that he’ll leave you.”
Her expression folds in on itself.
“For the first time in averylong time, Aiden, I feel seen by you….” Her voice is husky, and I have to get close to her face to hear her words. “Thank you.”
My heart hurts at her words, at what I’ve put her through, how I have treated her, and the pain I have caused her.
Never again!
“Please don’t thank me, baby. I’ve always seen you. I just got tunnel vision with work these past two years. And I ignored every warning bell Diana rang on her way to that dumb kiss.”
Now, she pulls her hand away, and leans her elbow on the counter, angling a little to look at me. “What now?”
“I’m going to give you half of everything, as I said. I won’t challenge the terms of the divorce.” I pause for a moment to ensure I have her attention. “In return, I want twelve dates with you. Two for each year we were married.”
She scowls. “You want to date meafterwe get divorced? Why?”
“So I can woo you, show you I can be the man who deserves you so that we can marry again, but this time we’ll do it the way you?—”
“Whoa!” She raises both her hands to stop me from talking. “Our divorce isn’t finalized, and you’re talking aboutourremarriage?”
“Mia, I don’t know if I can win you back, but I will do everything in my power to, because I love you. Madly. Deeply. Only.”
She squints as if trying to make sense of what I’m asking. It takes her a good two minutes to respond.
“Twelve dates are a lot.”
Euphoria jolts me. Her words are a live wire, touching me, making my pulse accelerate.
She’s considering it!
“We were married for six years. Two dates for each year….”
She rolls her eyes before shooting me a pointed look. “What does a date entail?”
“It has to be on the weekend and for at least six hours.”
Her nose wrinkles. “Is that because we were married forsixyears?
No, it’s because that means I have more time with you, uninterrupted, so I can show you, convince you.
“Sure, let’s go with that.”
She straightens and looks straight ahead, not at me. “I don’t want there to be any…physical stuff.”
Oh, baby, I want all the emotional stuff with you first. We’ll get to the physical stuff when I earn it.
“Of course.”
