Chapter 28 #4
Over the next few days, he mended the broken wooden fences along the eastern pasture and even pulled wet, decaying leaves off the gutters.
I stood in the yard, bundled in a wool coat, directing his movements while he balanced on the pitched roof.
‘Move two feet to the left, Angel. You missed a clump near the downspout.’
‘Got it, boss,’ he called down, his hair falling over his forehead as he reached into the zinc tray.
I still struggled to forgive him for his past choices, the memory of his secrecy acting as a stubborn wedge between us.
One night, after a dinner he prepared of grilled chicken, wild rice, and roasted asparagus, we settled onto the living room sofa to watch TV.
A breaking news segment flashed across the display, detailing Reese Rosedale’s official transfer to a maximum-security incarceration facility.
I sat up, intrigued.
‘My mother texted me with an update on his sentencing this morning.’
‘How’re you taking it?’ Angel rasped, turning his head to study my profile.
‘It left me cold,’ I admitted, staring at the screen. ‘I felt nothing. I removed all emotional investment from Reese a long time ago.’
Angel cleared his throat, his broad shoulders tensing as he made a decision.
‘In the spirit of being truthful from now on, you need to know I had a little to do with him getting caught.’
I swiveled toward him on the cushion, my jaw dropping as I gaped at his calm face. ‘What? Tell me, please.’
He explained that, based on the letter I took, his private investigators unearthed the financial fraud, and he ordered the team to leak the evidence to the press and federal authorities.
‘Angel, really?’ I whispered, processing the magnitude of his retaliation.
His expression went hard as flint.
‘He bullied you, me, my mother, and my father. Hell, he threatened Six Sinners. He blackmailed us with an imaginary million dollars that we now know is never going to come our way. He’s an entitled bastard who treated you like you were nothing, and he stomped over everyone in his path.’
I fell silent, mulling his words.
‘You mad at me?’ he asked, a rare flicker of doubt crossing his smoky eyes.
My gaze met his, and a sudden chuckle ripped from my throat.
I laughed, the sound building until I slumped back against the sofa cushions, my chest shaking.
‘He freakin’ deserved it all. Evangeline was just another soul he tore apart. We were all victims of his narcissistic control.’
I wiped a tear from my eye, looking at my husband with fresh awareness.
‘Am I angry? Hell no. I’m impressed, Angel.’
A slow smile broke across his face, and we shared our first genuine, unburdened chuckle in months.
The lighthearted mood shifted in an instant, our smiles falling away as an intense desire and yearning ratcheted between us.
The air electrified, his proximity causing my pulse to race.
He cleared his throat, his calloused hand reaching out to wrap around my fingers.
‘Roxy.’
I tried to pull away. ‘Angel, I -.’
He held on to me, handling me gently.
‘I really do love you, you know that right?’
I just stared at him, lost for words.
‘I did you dirty. You’re justified in being upset, and I deserve to feel uncomfortable. I need you to know I’m putting you first and only for the rest of our lives.’
He took a breath, eyes narrowed on me, his thumb still stroking and gliding over the back of my hand.
‘Roxy, I know I don’t deserve the same from you, and I’m also very aware that you waited a long time for me to love you the right way.’
His words pierced my heart, and I almost gave in, blinking fast to keep away the tears.
‘Angel please.’
‘I do now. I was a fool, heck, slow as hell, but now I am here for you. Always, and forever.’
He squeezed my hand, his thumb tracing my skin.
His eyes burned with sincerity.
‘I’m not trying to play games, babe. How can I appeal to you and make you understand I mean what I sai? That you’re the only one for me?’
I shrugged, unable to speak.
He tilted his head, gazing deep into my eyes.
‘Roxy, I’m willing to go to hell and back for you.
You’ll note I’ve never run after or fought so hard for any other woman as much as I have for you.
When your sister jilted me, I could have chased after her but I didn’t.
Because in the depths of my soul she wasn’t worth dying for.
You, my love, are my beautiful war, Roxy.
I now see what I was slow to; you’re the woman I cherish and adore the most. Hear? ’
Silence fell for a long moment, then I averted my eyes from him, mind and heart churning.
When I turned to face him again, my soul lurched with so much passion for him.
However, I still wasn’t quite ready to let him off the hook, unsure whether he even deserved it.
I studied our joined hands, aching with yearning yet still defensive.
‘Just give me time, Angel, but thank you for sharing your truth with me.’
We locked eyes for a beat until he released a soft, patient sigh before slipping his strong arms under my knees and back.
He carried me to my bedroom, tucked me into the sheets, leaving me alone with my churning, conflicted thoughts.