‘I said, I’ve lost the ability to talk.’
‘Allow me… You’re a great fuck, Sean Butler. The best I’ve ever had.’
Sean raised himself up on those god-like arms and regarded her, still seemingly struggling to form words. But the bright tenderness on his face spoke volumes. He leaned down and pressed a loving kiss to her forehead, the tip of her nose and then her mouth.
‘No one comes close to you, Cherry. No one at all.’
And Cherry thought she might combust into flames and die in her husband’s arms.
Chapter 24
Sean
‘You know what you’ve not said yet?’ Sean planted little kisses on Cherry’s earlobe, listening for that little whimper that caught in her throat when he did that. The love swing swayed gently beneath them.
‘Thanks for assembling the swing?’ she offered.
‘No, you thanked me for that.’
‘I haven’t suggested we do it on the swing?’ Cherry deliberately rocked the seat so it swayed a little more.
‘You haven’t, and if that’s a suggestion, then we can do it in, say, half an hour.’ Sean tipped his chin to the incipient moon slowly emerging into the evening sky. ‘But what you’ve not said is that any of this was a mistake.’
‘Oh, I see.’ Cherry pulled up the throw as the air cooled around them. ‘I don’t think it’s a mistake. How could something so good be wrong?’
‘See, this is what I’ve been trying to tell you…’ Were they at last on the same page? Could this be the breakthrough he’d longed for?
‘Are you absolutely sure, though?’ She leaned away from him a little. ‘You certain you can handle life with me?’
He knew what she meant when she said ‘life with me’, but so many things combined now to tell him that life with her was exactly what he wanted, no matter the shape or size. Her strength and courage. Her wicked sense of fun. The way he couldn’t be away from her for a day without aching for her. And the sex. If Cherry walked out of his life now, Sean might become a monk, because being with anyone else would be a crushingly empty experience.
As for the tough stuff…
‘Cherry, I was born to handle life with you. But the things you talk about “handling” are a hypothetical for us.’
‘I know, but you don’t know––’
‘Okay. Let me stop you there.’
She stalled. ‘What?’
‘You are going to have to stop assuming I can’t cope with things, especially things that haven’t even happened. I’ve just watched my dad die from one of the most unforgiving illnesses there is, and I’m still standing.’
‘That’s true.’ She leaned over and kissed his cheek. ‘Sorry.’
‘Lie down.’ Sean motioned to his lap.
‘What?’
‘Lie down. I want to tell you a wee story and see your beautiful face.’
Cherry manoeuvred her head into his lap, like she had in Central Park, blanket tucked under her arms. ‘Is that better?’ She gazed up at him.
‘Aye.’ Sean softly swept at her hairline with his thumb. ‘You know, when I was in my twenties, I went out with this woman who was a few years older than I am now. Went off to London to be with her. You could say it was my awakening in many ways. She showed me quite a few ropes.’
‘Ah, well, that might explain a few things.’ She touched his jaw. ‘Sexy man.’
‘Thanks. We’re always learning. Anyway, she ended things after six months, told me that I wasn’t the sort of guy she could see herself settling down with. Not that I wanted to settle down with her, but it grated, because she said I was fun, the sex was great, but that she had higher ambition than a village boy. Like I was some sort of idiot with straw coming out of my ears.’ This was too long ago now for it to bother Sean, but it was the right tone to illustrate his point to Cherry.
