Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 122206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
She said nothing. She just stared at me. I reached over the table and took her hands in mine.
“Talk to me.” I rubbed my thumbs over her knuckles. “Just tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it, please.”
“Why haven’t ye broken up with me?” she blurted, shocking the life out of me. “I lashed out at ye in the garage in front of your family and our co-workers. I embarrassed us both because I was insecure and jealous. Why haven’t ye dumped me? Is it because of what happened with Finn? Ye feel bad about dumpin’ me after what he put me through?”
I stared at my missus, and the overwhelming urge to laugh and cry hit like a fist to the gut.
“Baby,” I choked. “Oh my God, I thought ye were gonna break up with me.”
“What?” Ina shouted, her body jolting with my words. “I thought ye were waitin’ for the right moment to dump me. That’s why I told ye we should talk so ye could get it over and done with.”
“I thought ye were gonna end things.” I laughed. “Jesus Christ, I’ve been sick all fuckin’ day, honey.”
“Me too.” She laughed, rubbing her eyes. “All week actually. I felt somethin’ was wrong.”
“Me too. I thought ye were pullin’ away from me.”
“No, never,” she said, shaking her head. “I just thought that maybe ye thought of our fight and didn’t want me anymore. We haven’t kissed or touched—”
“Ina, I thought ye didn’t want me over that fuckin’ fight, and with everythin’ that happened with Finn, I didn’t want to push ye to have sex.”
“We’re so stupid.” She laughed and cried. “We’ve made ourselves worry over feckin’ nothin’.”
“Absolutely nothin’,” I agreed. “I love you, Ina.”
“I love you, Dante.”
She got up and quickly moved towards me. When she sat on me, her mouth fused with mine, and I groaned into the kiss. Christ, how I survived without her kiss and touch was beyond me.
“Babe,” I murmured against her mouth. “We need to have everythin’ about our fight out here, and now so we can get passed it.”
“I’m so sorry.” She clung to me. “For the things I said. I had no right to be upset or angry over things ye did with women before ye even knew me. I just … it makes it hard to breathe just thinkin’ of ye bein’ with other women and so many of them. I love you so much, Dante.”
“I love you, too. Don’t apologise.” I brushed her hair back out of her face. “I know it hurts you. I wish I could take it all back. I would if I could.”
“It won’t be an issue anymore because I know you’re mine.”
“I am,” I said. “I’m all yours, gorgeous.”
“About Alannah.” She swallowed. “When we admitted our interest in one another that night in the hallway of your apartment, ye said ye didn’t do relationships, only one-night stands. I assumed that meant ye never had a relationship. Everythin’ I’m angry over is because of things I’ve assumed.”
“Ye wouldn’t have assumed if I was more forthcomin’ with ye about her.” I looked into her eyes. “I want to make it very clear that every other woman I’ve even been with, includin’ Alannah, got Date. You’re the only woman who has Dante.”
“I love you.” She sniffled. “Dante, I love you.”
I lifted my hands and signed, I love you so much more, country.
Her lower lip wobbled. “I thought ye were gonna end us.”
“What happened at the garage could have been dealt with a whole lot better, I won’t argue against that, but honey … we had a fight. A valid one. We were both wrong. You shouldn’t have said some things based on shock and hurt, and I should have been forthcomin’ about me past and the women in it. We both fucked up, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna end the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You are the best thing to have ever happened to me, Ina.”
She placed her hands on my face, and my eyes roamed over hers. Her bruises were in that faded yellowing stage of healing. The ones on her throat were a little dark still, but they too were disappearing. I hoped the memory of what caused them would wane to nothing one day too. I looked up into Ina’s big green eyes, and I knew I could never be without her. She had woven herself into every fibre of my being. I was utterly in love with her.
“Will ye marry me, Ina?”
Her lips parted with shock.
“I didn’t plan this,” I said. “I don’t have a ring or even a speech prepared, but I need to ask you to become me wife because I am so deeply in love with you, and I never want there to be a day where I don’t wake up and go to sleep with you by me side. You’re my happiness, sweetheart. Please, say ye’ll marry me.”