Chapter 52
52
Theo
C at is crying. Not huge sobs, but sad little gasps for breath and tears that trickle down her face. She tries to stop them with her fingers and fails.
“You’re getting the paper wet,” I say.
“Fuck the paper.” She tosses it onto the ground.
“Are you okay?” I want to hug her, but I don’t know if I should. “I’m sorry if I upset you. You wanted a divorce, sweetheart. I want to give it to you. If there’s something else I can do to make things better—”
“I love you,” she says brokenly. She hitches a little breath that goes straight to my heart.
“You what?”
Surely, I misheard her.
Her eyes are watery and filled with emotions. Even with her face wet and her lips trembling, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
She inhales. “ I love you, Theo.”
My pulse leaps. This is the outcome I wanted, and one I never let myself hope for. I step forward. “Say it again.”
“I love you.” She finally smiles.
“And you don’t want to divorce me?” I grab her around the waist.
She shakes her head. “No,” she says quietly. “I thought I wanted a divorce, but it turns out I just want you. Any way I can have you.”
“Any way you can have me, eh?” My lips curve up.
“Don’t make fun.” Her eyes are glinting with happiness, even as she admonishes me. Her teeth sink into her bottom lip, and I press my thumb against her mouth. I’m lighter than air in this moment. “Aren’t you going to say it back?”
I nearly laugh. “You need me to say it?” I press a kiss under her ear. “How can you possibly need me to say it? I’ve shown you with every action.” Another kiss on the pulse in her neck. It’s fast and thready. She was nervous. The realization wraps around my heart and squeezes. “But I’ll tell you, just so there’s no room for doubt.”
I lean back to look her in the eyes.
“I love you,” I say. “I will always love you.”
“Oh thank god,” she says, sagging in my arms.
“Were you worried?” I laugh softly. “You didn’t doubt me, did you?”
“Not even for a moment.” She reaches up to kiss me. “Thank you for being patient with me.” She murmurs the words against my mouth. I kiss her back, hot and hard.
“You were worth it, princess. I would have waited years for you.”
The bedroom at the house feels fuller with Cat in it. Her head is pillowed on my chest as she traces the tattoo there with her fingers.
“What does this mean?” she asks.
“Nothing.” I laugh. “Did you think it had a greater meaning?”
“I totally did.” She smiles. I can feel it against my chest. “I’ve been obsessed with it. You have to know that it’s enticing, right?” She levers herself up on an elbow to look at me .
“Enticing how?”
“This little part right here peeks out over your collar.” She brushes a finger over my neck. “Every time I saw it, I wondered what it led to. That wasn’t intentional?”
“Nah. I just liked the design.”
“Wow.” She flops on her back, and I laugh.
We lie there for moments, just breathing and watching the ocean beyond the balcony.
“Were you serious about living here?” I ask. “Would you like that?”
“I would,” she says. “I love the house, but mostly I like who you are here. You seem happier. More carefree.”
My chest aches. “I am happier. It doesn’t feel like I need to compete here, or impress anyone. I can just be.”
“You don’t need to impress me.” She yawns and snuggles into my side. “I’m already very impressed.”
“Tell me more, wife.”
She inhales softly.
“You like that?” I turn so I can tuck her in closer against me.
“Say it again, please.”
“Tell me how much you like me, wife.”
A laugh bursts from her chest. “It’s different when it’s an order, you dork.” She sighs. “But I’ll tell you anyway. I like how capable you are. I like watching you do things. I like how you leap right in, sometimes recklessly. I never do that. I like that you push me to do things I wouldn’t do alone. I like how fun you are. You always have a joke or a smile. You don’t take yourself too seriously. You’re honest and open with me about how you feel. You don’t play games.” She smiles up at me. “I like how smart you are. I like watching your mind at work. I like how charming you are. Others get to see you how I see you. I think the women you meet must fall a little bit in love with you with every word you speak, and I like that I get to be the one who goes home with you.”
“Always,” I tell her. It’s a vow.
“Want me to continue? ”
“It’s okay.” My voice is ragged, and my chest is tight.
I don’t miss the fact that of everything Cat listed, she didn’t even mention my looks.
“I love you,” I tell her several minutes later, as her breathing deepens and my lids fall shut. “I will always love you.”
“Always,” she murmurs sleepily.