Chapter 33 Giselle #3
the apology on the wrong foot, so I figured I’d get the family chefs to help.”
Shawn chuckled, and it gave her a measure of hope. After they filled their plates, she retrieved a chilled bottle of wine
and poured some into the wineglasses. For the first few minutes, they ate in silence while the music played softly in the
background.
“We haven’t done this in a long time,” Shawn said.
“No, we haven’t.” She studied his handsome face, and regret filled her soul. “You were right about everything. I’m so sorry
I hurt you, Shawn. You loving me is one of the best things that has ever happened, and I haven’t been the wife I vowed to
be to you.” Giselle lowered her head. “I’m so, so sorry.” Strong hands lifted her out of the chair.
He lowered himself into the chair and cradled her on his lap. “I’m sorry too.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. I’ve shared some of my childhood, but maybe it’s time I tell you all of it.
” Giving herself a mental pep talk, she painstakingly told him about the days when her family had to struggle to make ends meet.
“Some days there wasn’t enough food for all of us because my father had taken the money and done who knows what with it.
” Giselle gauged his reaction, but it revealed nothing.
While Shawn knew she hadn’t grown up with the same privileges he had, she’d been embarrassed to let him know just how far down her family had been for fear that he would think she wasn’t good enough.
She continued, “You already know about all the stuff my mother says.”
“And that’s why we keep our distance,” Shawn said with a slight edge in his voice.
“I know.”
In their first year of marriage, they’d tried splitting the holidays between their families. After that initial Christmas
with hers and the way her family had complained about the lack of expensive gifts, berated Giselle about how much food she
had on her plate, and generally just made the day miserable, Shawn stated that they wouldn’t be spending one more holiday
with them.
“You’ve always tried to protect me from their harshness, and I love you for it. But there’s more.” This piece was harder to
tell because it had affected their relationship.
When she hesitated, he placed a soft kiss on her temple. “Tell me, baby. It’s okay, I’ve got you.”
Feeling his strong arms around her gave her the strength to continue.
“I didn’t realize until recently how my father’s abandonment had unconsciously affected me.
I was talking to your mom, and she mentioned something about me falling all the way in love with you.
I thought I had, but I was wrong. I unknowingly held back parts of my heart because I’d told myself I was never going to love anyone like that again.
I’ve never allowed myself to love you completely because if you left . . .”
Shawn brought her closer and kissed her. “Baby, I wish I’d known about this years ago so we could have found a way to work
through it. I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that without having someone in your corner. But you’ve got me now, and
we will get through this, no matter what it takes.”
The tears started again as the weight of her past began to drop off like pieces of a crumbling wall.
“There’s one more thing,” he continued. “I’ve tried to remain respectful with what I say in dealing with your family, but
I’m telling you now if any one of them comes at you again, they’ll have to go through me. And this time, I’m not promising
to be nice about it. We are not going to allow them to take advantage of you or treat you any kind of way ever again.”
“I love you, Shawn, and I’ve been so scared that after all the hurt I caused, our marriage would be over. From now on I’m
going to love you with everything in me. I don’t ever want to lose you.” The fear that had gripped her for the past twenty-four
hours had finally started to ease.
“I admit I was pretty upset the other night and said some things I’m not proud of, and I do owe you an apology, but me leaving
you was never an option. I promise you I will never leave you. Never. I meant every word I said the day we married. That said, I need you to promise to talk to me. I don’t ever want us to get
to this place again.”
“I will. Um, I’ve been thinking that maybe I need to go talk to someone about all this . . . this stuff inside me.”
“If you want to go on your own, that’s fine. If you want me to go with you, I’m there. Just say the word.”
Giselle hugged him. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”
He leaned back and raised an eyebrow. “Girl, you know you own my heart.” He fingered the hem of her dress. “Now, about this dress.”
“Do you like it? I’ve never worn anything like this before.” She was self-conscious about her body and had a lot of work to
do to find confidence and begin to love herself.
“I absolutely love it, and you should wear dresses like it more often. In fact, I like it so much that I’m going to take it
off you slowly and make love to you all night long. How does that sound?”
“It sounds like a dream. But tonight is for you. I want to show you how much I love you.” Giselle kissed him. He owned her
heart too.