14. Chapter 14
Chapter 14
-Annabella-
M y husband was more complicated than I thought. He was not just cold. He had something more inside him, and he truly seemed to want to make things work. Maybe I shouldn’t give up so easily, I wondered.
“Try…” I whispered.
“Yes, try,” he pressed.
“How?” I inquired.
“We made a plan, did we not? Date nights and all of that,” he said with a little smile.
“Would it make a difference?”
“Why not try? Now I know why you signed the papers, and you know why I signed the papers. Even though it might not come from love, we have no secrets,” he pointed out.
“I… guess you’re right.”
“And also, now I know it wasn’t me you imagined beating that morning,” he teased.
I chuckled, unable to help myself. “Maybe a little it was.”
“Good to know,” he remarked, yet his smile never faded.
We looked at each other for a little before I began nodding, confusing Kace.
“Okay, we can try,” I confirmed.
“Makes me very happy to hear,” he admitted.
“Date night tonight,” I told him, pressing a finger into the table.
“All right.”
“And no insults!” I added.
“I don’t insult. I speak honestly,” he corrected me.
“That can be insulting too!” I shot back.
“It’s honesty.”
“It’s insults.”
“It’s speaking the truth!” he defended.
“It’s being a jackass!” I retorted.
We began glaring at each other, and I realized what had just happened. I began waving a hand between us, and he began to look puzzled.
“This is what I mean!” I pointed out.
“What?” he asked.
“It took two seconds, then we began arguing again!”
“Huh, then we must be like a real married couple,” he joked.
“That’s not funny!” I snapped.
“Fine, fine, not insults. Movie night, let’s stick to it,” he said.
“I mean it! If you insult me, I am leaving!” I retorted.
“Yes, you love that threat.”
“Because I mean it!” I exclaimed.
“Yeah?” he challenged.
“Yeah!”
“Wasn’t I your escape? If you had another one, then why didn’t you take that one?” he asked, calling me out.
“I…” I stammered.
“Yes?” he pressed.
“Maybe I should sleep in a hotel,” I retorted.
“Expensive in the long run.”
“Might be better. Or maybe I should change my name and just move out of the country!” I groaned.
“It is an option, but something tells me you’re not the daring type.”
“I can be daring!” I defended.
“Yeah? Tell me something daring,” he urged.
“I…”
“Yeah?”
“Well, I once… um… I mean in school…”
“Yes?” he pressed.
“I got it!” I told him, his expression showing his interest. “I once stole my parents’ alcohol and went to a party they told me not to go to.”
“Oh really? You broke out?” he asked.
“Well, they weren’t home… so…”
“I see,” he said with a small smile. “Did they catch you?”
“Well, I wasn’t there very long. Zac had invited me, but he was quickly surrounded by friends and sort of… forgot me,” I whispered.
“Aha… So you went home?” he asked.
“Yeah…”
“For how long were you at the party?”
“Maybe two hours,” I replied.
Kace leaned to the side, running his hand over his mouth to hide the obvious smile. But I could see how much my story amused him, regardless.
“But I did lose my dad’s very expensive whiskey,” I admitted.
“Yeah? Did you replace it before he found out?” he asked.
“I… might have found a way to replace it, yes.”
“I see,” he said, his voice holding a clear chuckle.
“Okay, so I might not be the most daring type! What about you?” I pressed.
“I can name a few things, depending on what you think is daring. But from what I just heard, anything is daring to you, even just having sex in public places.”
My cheeks began to heat up a little. “I don’t need to know about former girlfriends.”
“No? We shouldn’t have the girlfriend and boyfriend talk now, so we won’t be surprised later?” he inquired.
“I have seen yours in magazines and on the internet,” I told him.
He nodded a little. “So, you’re already prepared. Should I not be?”
“What?”
“We might run into former boyfriends of yours,” he pointed out.
“You don’t seem to want to leave the house, and honestly, I'm fine with that not happening,” I admitted.
“Because you’re hiding?” he asked.
“I'm not an extrovert.”
“But you are hiding,” he pointed out.
“I am, but so are you, are you not?” I shot back.
“I never said I wasn’t. But what if they are brought up in a conversation?” he asked.
“Boyfriends?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“Why? And who would do that?” I questioned.
“Maybe your family,” he said. “You don’t seem to like them very much, and from what I have now been told by you, they don’t seem to have your back.”
“No, not really,” I whispered and began twirling the ring in my hand around.
“Should I not be prepared?”
“But you, they probably like. I mean, you do business with my dad,” I pointed out. “Isn’t that enough reason not to try to humiliate you?”