I glance over my shoulder to find her hesitating in the doorway, looking so small and fragile that it makes my chest ache.
“I know.” I run my hand through the water to test the temperature. “But I need to. I’m determined to spend the rest of my life making things up to you, Riley.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“Yes, I do.” I get to my feet and cross over to her. “I owe you everything.”
Riley offers me a small smile as I lead her over to the tub.
Neither of us talks as I help her undress, but the moment she steps into the water and lowers herself down, I see the tension start to melt away from her body, which has my own shoulders relaxing.
“You know, I used to think baths were pointless.” I sit on the floor beside the tub with my hand resting on her lower belly. “Why would anyone want to lie around in dirty water?”
“And now?” Riley has the ghost of a smile on her lips.
“Now I think I would happily sit here all night if it meant you were safe.”
Riley’s eyes flutter closed as she leans back, letting the water come up to her chin.
I can’t take my eyes off of her, but if she feels me staring, she says nothing.
When the water finally starts to cool down, I help her out of the bath and get her tucked up in bed.
“I can’t believe you’re still here,” she says softly as I climb onto the bed and curl myself around her. “After everything.”
“Well, you better believe it because I’m not going anywhere,” I murmur into her hair. “Is there anything else I can get you?”
“The only thing I need is your arms around me until I fall asleep.”
“I can definitely do that.” I tighten my arms around her. “Anything else?”
“I want to know that you’ve forgiven me.”
The pain in her voice is unmistakable, and I hate that I was the one to cause it.
“Of course, I’ve forgiven you. Will you forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive. And I tried telling you, you know? Multiple times.”
“That’s okay, I understand.”
“No, you don’t. What I mean is I actually planned on telling you several times but always got interrupted before I could.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“The last time, the one where I had decided it was time I finally man up, was when I had my first morning sickness episode, and I knew I couldn’t hide it from you anymore. That you would find out, eventually, and I wanted you to hear it from me. I didn’t want to hide it anymore. So, I made you a special dinner. I was waiting for dessert to tell you. I even told you I had something important to tell you.”
Fuck. I remember that night. “That’s when one of our bars got attacked, wasn’t it? When you made the torte?”
She nods. “But like every time I tried to tell you, something happened to pull us away. It was like something didn’t want me to tell you.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t stay and listen.”
“I understand. People had died. I couldn’t be selfish. There was so much happening, I knew you were swamped. I didn’t want to be another burden. And that was my mistake. So, I am truly sorry.”
“I’m sorry too, for making you think you were anything other than my first priority. But all is forgiven from me. Do you forgive me?”
“Again, there’s nothing to forgive.”
