Page 64 of Broken Mercy
“Are you sure? So far, you’ve only had to get used to half a husband.”
“I’d prefer the full one.”
“We’ll see,” he says like he’s sure I’ll be disappointed, but he’d be surprised at how good it feels, knowing he wants to be here as much as I want him to.
CHAPTER 18
TALIN
Ipause at the front door of the only home I’ve ever known and turn to my husband. He’s in jeans, a cashmere sweater, an outfit I practically picked out for him. “Now, I’m going to say this because you didn’t complain about coming here one single time?—“
“It’s your family, Tallie. This is normal for a married couple.”
“We’re not a married couple.” I pat a hand to his chest to shut him up. “But since you didn’t complain, I won’t make you stay late. We’re out the door by eight.”
He laughs and moves my hand away, tugging me closer. “What if I have a nice time?”
“You won’t.”
“I like your siblings.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.”
“Papa only wants you here to pick your brain about security stuff. Ever since that break-in and what happened to Davit—“ His grip on me slackens and he looks away like he’s ashamed of something. I wonder if it’s his work or the way the family loves to use him for what he knows. “But Davit’s fine and nobody even knows what the burglar took. Or at least one person does, and he’s not saying.”
“I don’t know how much I can help, but I’ll try anyway.”
“I know you will. That’s why you’re getting out early.” I kiss him gently. It’s so familiar and normal now, and he barely reacts to it. As if we’re actually a couple.
The shift’s been slow. He’s been staying home every night for the past week, and he was right, I did have to get used to him being around more often. But not in a bad way—I found myself wanting to talk his ear off, bugging him about minor things, chatting away about decorations and places we could go eat, treating him like my husband. I kept waiting for him to disappear and pull away.
Except he didn’t.
He stuck around. At night, we’d have sex—sweaty, passionate, boundary pushing in a positive way—and during the day he’d only leave for a few hours at a time like a relatively normal person. We’ve gone out to dinner twice, lunch three times, and each time he held my hand on the walk back home.
Last night, he told me about Vegas. He talked about the job, how it went wrong, how the fallout nearly killed him, how Alexan and his sister saved his life, and how he feels like he owes the family now. Except owing them is not far from being owned by them. What’s left unspoken is what happens in the future once the jobis done, when he’s got his blackmail material and rides off into the sunset. Do I follow him? Tag along like a lost puppy? Or do I find my own way?
And what would that even look like?
My life’s been a straight, narrow road, with clearly marked stops along the way. I haven’t had to worry about work, money, purpose, anything like that. Papa provided everything in abundance. Sure, I wasn’t as pretty as Annie, not as charming or nearly as clever and outgoing, but I still knew what was expected of me. If I kept on walking forward, doing as I was told, the next goal would appear in the distance. Maybe it was a mirage, but at least I had a direction.
Without all that, who would I be?
The thought of casting myself adrift is terrifying, but it’s also exciting, and this past week has given me a very small taste of it.
Because Brenden expects nothing of me. He asks nothing too. No responsibilities, no meetings, no charitable events, no partners to meet, no smoky rooms or glittering gowns.
Just the two of us trying to fill the days.
Annie answers the door, no surprise there. She wraps me in a tight hug and I’m briefly overwhelmed. I haven’t seen her since the party. We went from spending all our time together to being ripped apart, and I didn’t think it would hit me this hard. I mean, she’s such a pain in the ass.
“I’m really happy you’re here,” she says, beaming and wiping her eyes.
“I am too.” I hug her again. “But stop acting like I died or something. I only moved to a different house.”
“That’s practically forever away.”
