“Wife,” I groan.
“Husband,” she breathes out, tapping my nose. “Don’t forget who you married.”
The sweet gesture puts a smile on my face. “How could I?”
“Too late for second guesses,” she says, though it sounds more like a question.
I will eradicate her doubts one after another. “We’re it for life, mi sol.”
“Then learn to share the power. I won’t be in your shadow.”
That would be impossible. She shines too brightly for anyone’s shadow.
As the elevator takes us upstairs, I gather her in my arms, eliciting a squeal from her. “What are you doing?”
“Carrying my wife inside.”
“I think carrying me over the threshold was supposed to happen after our wedding.”
I shrug, brushing my nose against hers. “We did everything backward anyway.”
The elevator doors slide shut behind us, and I carry her inside, every step charged with everything I am trying to hold back.
She gives me one of those wholesome smiles that makes me want to do everything right, so she never stops looking at me as if I am something wondrous.
In the bedroom, I set her down, and she walks toward the window, while my gaze follows her. Every instinct in me demands more, but I force myself to stay still.Keep it together.
She stares, transfixed, as if the answers she seeks are hidden somewhere beyond the glass.
I go into the bathroom and prepare a bath, hoping it will relax her.
When I return, she is still absorbed in the view, and I know the moment has shifted. I can be patient. I would wait forever for her. She has to come to me freely, not because desire overpowers her. I need her to feel safe, so I stand behind her and offer silent support.
“It’s strange, don’t you think? We keep doing the same things and expecting different results.”
I wrap my arm around her waist, and she leans back, her head resting against my chest. “I like Chicago. It’s soothing. I wonder why. Have I been here before? Was he from here?”
I groan low in my throat.
“Your jealousy is cute, Vian, but he’s dead, lost like?—”
“You’re not lost, and even if you were, I would find you.”
She turns in my arms, her eyes shining with a plea that undoes me. “Promise me.”
I tip her head back so she can see how earnest I am. My voice turns thick with determination. “I promise. Even if you don’t want me. Even if you hate me. Even if you abandon me, I could never leave you.”
She lifts onto her toes, placing a kiss on my lips. “My unhinged man.”
I chuckle. “I prepared a bath.”
“Will you join me?”
I cock my head and caress her cheek, wishing I could memorize her just like this, safe in my arms. “Will you regret it once it’s over?”
“Let me pretend, please…”
Whatever she needs, even if it ends up destroying me.
