Kaden #2
Her hand slides to my cheek tenderly as she cups my face. Her eyes shift from my lips to my gaze, something sparking in her. For a moment, she appears frightened. Then she takes a deep breath as her thumb brushes my bottom lip. “I love you, Kaden.”
Is it possible for the whole world to stop moving? For the planets and life to cease to exist between a breath and a thought? Because I feel as if time itself is standing still at this very moment.
Her confession isn’t prompted by the horrid things I forced her to do that brought us here. She isn’t speaking from a place of survival or obligation. She’s being true. True to her heart and what’s inside of it.
I shake my head in disbelief. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear those words again…” Breathing feels impossible as I force my lungs to expand. “I love you so much it fucking hurts, Sunny.”
Her eyes round as her chest rises and falls deeply. “I’m so afraid—”
“Shhh,” I shush her quietly as I press my forehead to hers and wrap my arms around her. “I’ll never hurt you again. I promise.”
She closes her eyes tightly, nodding. “I’m going to give you a fair chance, but if you leave me again, I won’t survive it.”
My heart stops at the desperation and vulnerability in her voice. I knew I broke her before, but I never thought…
No. We’re getting our second chance. No more fuck ups or excuses. This is about us. And I’m not going to fail her for a second time.
“Look at me, Melody,” I whisper. Her eyes flutter open, her tears of anguish and loss threatening to fall.
“I made a mistake before. Choosing that life over you is the biggest regret I have. It kept me up for so many nights trying to relive the life we should have had.” I brush my thumb as the first tear falls, catching it.
“I’ve only ever wanted you, and I shouldn’t have been so stupid before.
I’m not asking for forgiveness. I don’t deserve it.
But I am asking you to trust me when I say that I would rather die than hurt you again.
I’ll hand you the fucking gun, and you can deal the final blow. Because I’m nothing without you.”
She gasps, her face morphing into shock. “Kaden…”
I chuckle, the sound low. “I’m being serious, Sunny. I don’t want to live in a world where we don’t exist. I can’t.”
She’s pensive as she stares at me with her sparkling brown eyes. There’s always been a beauty to the honey gold that captivated me from an early age. She’s stunning.
Her fingers brush over my jaw, achingly unhurried. “I meant what I said on the altar…”
My eyes widen.
“I never knew what I was searching for until I met you. Then everything clicked into place at once. Life becomes brighter with you around.” She gives me a tear-filled smile. “I’ve missed you so much.”
My lips crash over hers. All the missed time, sleepless nights, and yearning for the only woman I’ve ever loved bleed from me. She’s my beginning and my end. My everything. And I’ll strive to prove it every day.
As we pull apart, we both chuckle at our situation. The atmosphere is light, and it makes my chest ache to see her smiling so genuinely.
“How about I run us a bath?” I ask as I brush her hair behind her ear.
Her eyes light up. “Bath salts! I bought some earlier while I was out, and I want to try them.”
I blink. “What scent?”
“Eucalyptus,” she beams.
I freeze. “Eucalyptus?” I repeat carefully, turning the word over.
“Yes. Very relaxing.”
My head rears slightly. “Don’t koalas eat that?”
Her lips thin. “That’s…not the same thing.”
“It literally is,” I huff.
She slaps a hand over my chest before shuffling forward on her knees. “I put it by the sink in our bathroom. Can you prepare everything? I’m gonna go grab something.”
My intrigue is piqued as I stand and follow her instructions. She breezes out of the room as I search for the bath salts. There’s a blue bag resting on the counter, and after reading the label, I turn it over in my hands.
A generous amount.
I can do that.
I fill up our massive clawfoot tub with scalding water, knowing that Melody likes to boil herself alive. It can’t be healthy to take such hot baths. I rip the bag open, blinking at the smell.
It’s actually nice.
I pour a generous amount, staring down at the heavy salt that sits at the bottom of the tub. I think I’ve done well until my wife returns and smacks my bicep sharply.
“Did you use the whole thing?!” She exclaims.
I scoff as I show her what’s left at the bottom of the bag. “It said generous. How the fuck am I supposed to know what that means?”
She snorts, taking it from my hands before tossing it into the sink. “You’re supposed to mix it in the water.”
I shove my hand under the surface, twirling my wrist as the salt moves with the current. There’s so much that I know it won’t mix properly.
“Kaden.”
“Yes, my love?”
“Get in the tub.”
I hang my head, running a disgruntled hand down my face. “I’ve failed you—”
“Shut up.” She giggles as she holds something up to me.
Her e-reader is in her hand, the screen illuminated with the title of chapter one. I lift a brow. “Are we reading porn in the bath?”
“Yup.”
“Fuck, you should have said that earlier,” I say as I get in. I settle in the water, wincing as bath salt gets in places it shouldn’t be. “Get in so you can suffer with me.”
She smiles as she eases down in front of me, resting her shoulder back on my chest. She uses her toe to cut the water, then leans her elbow on the lip of the tub so I can see the book. A few words jump out at me instantly, and my eyes widen.
“This guy is a monster?” I ask, intrigued.
“A shifter,” Melody corrects.
“I have no idea what that means. What the fuck is a knot?”
My wife glances over her shoulder at me, something mischievous sparking in her gaze. “Have you ever heard of the omegaverse?”
“No, I have not,” I say matter-of-factly with a smirk.
“Oh, my god!” She exclaims excitedly. “I get to explain this to you.”
“Well, go ahead. I have to know what I’m getting myself into.”
She rambles on about this new world I’ve never heard of before.
The whole time, I’m on the edge of my seat, actively listening to the fast cadence of her voice and soaking in the joy that radiates from her.
I’ve missed these moments so much that I trail a hand across her shoulder as she talks, basking in the rekindled connection that mends with every day.
She gives me a complete crash course, and I’m confident that I know the basics enough to go into this book without being clueless. As she holds up the e-reader for us, the warmth of the water surrounds us. It’s the most relaxed I’ve been in years, and I end up becoming immersed in the story.
“That’s what a knot is!” I say loudly as we get to the first sex scene.
Melody giggles. “How did I know you would like this?”
“You’d better find a safe spot for your e-reader because I’m going to steal it to jump ahead,” I smirk.
She turns a warning glare over her shoulder at me. “Don’t you dare.”
Once our fingers have become shriveled from water exposure, I soap up a loofa before washing both of us with gentle touches. Melody leans over the rim of the tub, her arm dipping as she nearly drops her device to the floor. Exhaustion weighs her down, her eyes becoming half-lidded and lazy.
“I think it’s time to get out,” I whisper with amusement.
She groans. “One more chapter.”
“We can finish it in bed,” I counter as I rise from behind her. She slinks dejectedly out of the tub as I use a towel to dry her and then myself. We slide under the covers in our bedroom, still naked, as we finish up our last chapter of the night.