Page 244 of The Reason I Married Him
“I was thinking about what I wanted to talk to you about tonight, and all that came to mind was our wedding day. I’m not sure we ever truly talked about it. We went from saying I do, to taking pictures, to dancing and eating, to straight to an airplane. We never reflected on the day. But I want to tell you”—his hand crawls up my hip to my side—“that was one of the happiest moments in my life because I felt you were my person that day. You became my person. It happened quickly, but every time I looked into your eyes, I felt like I was looking into the future. It felt like all my insecurities were washed away, all my thoughts on what love is were erased from my memory, and a new seed was planted.”
His hand slides over my stomach, and I lean into his hold.
“Those days in the cabin, it was everything I could have asked for, Aubree. But I want so many more nights there with you. I want to take you there during the holidays, spend our anniversary there, take Mac down there and create memories with her, but most importantly, I need you to know this.” His voice grows deeper as he says, “If I had to choose, if I had to give up the cabin to be with you, to gain back your trust, to earn your love, I’d do it without even thinking. I can always create new memories in a new cabin, but I can’t replace you. I can’t replicate this feeling I have when you’re around me.” His hold on me grows tighter as my breath shallows. He moves his lips closer to my ear, a mere whisper away. “You are what I care about. You are my end goal, Aubree. Only you.”
I lean against him, to the point that when he tugs on my stomach, I roll to my back, and I’m staring up at him. His handmoves up to my face, where his thumb strokes my cheek before he tucks a piece of hair behind my ear.
“I love you, Aubree, so fucking much, and I plan on proving that to you every day. Not just with my words but with my actions.” He leans in, and I give in, letting him take hold of my heart again. He brings his forehead to mine, and my heart bursts. My mind is made up. I don’t think I can go another night without him wrapped around me, with me holding in these feelings I have for him.
“I . . . I love you, Wyatt,” I say, finding my voice.
He lifts just enough to look me in the eyes. “Fuck, are you serious right now?”
The look of shock. The watery eyes, it’s almost funny enough to smile. But I hold myself together as I nod.
“Very serious, Wyatt. I never stopped.”
“Baby,” he says, stroking my face. “Fuck, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry that you had to hear about my past from Cadance and Wallace and that you had to experience them at all. I should have protected you better, and I swear, moving forward, I’ll do just that. Above anything else, you are my number one priority.”
“You’re mine too,” I say as I touch his chest. “I . . . I just want you to be honest and open with me. I know there’s still so much to learn, but when I ask you something, please tell me the truth.”
“I will,” he says. “I know that trying to protect you from the truth only hindered our relationship. I won’t do it again. Please just tell me that we’re okay, that we will be okay, that . . . that this marriage is still real.”
I smile up at him and run my hand to the back of his neck. I look into the eyes of a man I never saw coming, and I realize that the farmland was the reason I married him, but I’ll stay because of who he is as a man.
The loyalist.
The protector.
The lover.
The jokester.
The rock I’ve needed for so long.
“It’s so real,” I say just before he brings his lips to mine, and we kiss.
His lips control mine as they open, and our tongues meet. His hand drives up my shirt, removing it in an instant and leaving me naked in his arms. He lifts up for a breath and stares down at me, his eyes in total wonderment.
“Fuck me, I’m so lucky.”
I pat his cheek. “You really are.”
He throws his head back and laughs before he moves down my body and spreads my legs.
On the contrary, I think I’m the lucky one.
Epilogue
WYATT
“What do you think?” Ethel asks as she approaches me, wearing a green velvet kaftan with her hair done in an updo. “I think it came out beautifully, and have you seen the line outside?”
I take in the living room of the inn. Ethel transformed it into a miniature book signing with two other authors she had met along her journeys. She arranged everything. All I had to do was announce that I’d be signing at Five Six Seven Eight and show up.
Three tables are lined up side by side. She decorated them each in fall colors, which goes with the theme of the signing: Fall In Love With Books. There are orange, gold, and red leaf garland strung around the room, mums and pumpkins gathered together and stacked on hay bales and wagons throughout the inn. Cider donuts and warm apple cider are being served. She has prepared a set list for her to casually sing while people visit and we’re signing books. Honestly, it’s a really nice setup.
“You did a spectacular job,” I say. “I’m really impressed, Ethel.”
