Page 48 of A Merciless Husband
The only real memories I have of my mother are in this cottage, hence why it was the first place I thought of when considering places for our honeymoon, which I’d been given charge of planning. In a way, I want to introduce her to my mother. This feels like the closest thing I can get to that.
Even after my mother died, Aunt Marjorie would bring me here to escape my father. All it would take was a business deal gone awry or some other bullshit reason for him to turn his sharp tongue towards me.
It’s my sanctuary. And I hope it’ll be that for Amy and I now, too.
Amy makes her way into the cottage while I bring the luggage in. She’s holding a picture of me as a baby in my mam’s arms when I enter the front door, and it nearly takes my breath away. Amy found the traces of my mother immediately, like my mam was just sitting at the entryway, waiting for us to arrive.
“Who are these people? It seems like someone’s house. You’d think they’d remove the personal photos before they rented out the place.” She runs a finger down the metal edge of the frame.
I set the luggage down with a grunt and kick the door closed. “I didn’t rent this. I brought you tomyfamily home.”
She turns to me with wide eyes and then looks back to the picture. “Wait. Does that mean the baby is..?” She looks back to me and I nod. “You’re so cute!” Amy’s tone is that same excitedvoice that happens when she has an outburst of joy. It leaps from her before she can help it and she looks hesitant immediately.If she wants enthusiastic acceptance and love from me, she’ll get it.
“I was.” I chuckle and set our bags down, stepping behind her to wrap my arms around her, resting my chin on top of her head. “That’s my mam.” I kiss her hair. “I brought you here because this place is important to me. My mam brought me here when things were rough at home with my father.”
She turns and looks up at me with those sweet doe eyes, studying me. “You didn’t tell me that before we left. I just thought we were going to the ocean.”
I give her a small smile. “I wanted it to be a surprise. And…I’m still getting used to sharing.”
The beauty of the smile she gives me never gets old. It’s sweet and tender, vulnerable in its softness. I’ve never seen anything like it, no one’s ever given me such a gift. It’s something only my Amy could do.
“I like when you share,” Amy says with a cheeky wink. I can’t help myself, I lean down and kiss her, enjoying the sweetness of her lips and how they feel against mine. “Mm, I like when you do that, too,” She adds on with a grin after I pull back.
I kiss her forehead, and then her nose, and then her lips again. “Good. Come on, let’s get settled. I’d like to go into town and get some food here soon, maybe go for a walk in Cobh, enjoy the sunset. What do you think?”
Amy’s whole face lights up, making me smile. I don’t think I’ve ever smiled so hard in my life since meeting her. Even in the midst of my obsession, I never understood just how much I needed her. “That sounds so wonderful.”
I kiss her forehead one final time, unable to help myself, before turning and grabbing our luggage to take upstairs. I set them at the foot of the bed, taking a moment to survey the room.The air feels a bit stale and stuffy, but untouched. I don’t usually stay in this room when I visit. The master bedroom was always where my mam stayed. But I know she’d want me to stay here with Amy.
It’s cozy. Nothing luxurious. A queen-sized bed covered with old quilts, the carpet on the floor probably older than me. Worry prickles in the back of my mind that Amy won’t like this. Maybe she expects me to give her a glamorous lifestyle now, one that shedeserves,and this is far too…worn out and primeval for her. Hell, maybe it’s too worn out even for me. Perhaps I’m clinging to something that I should’ve let go a long time ago.
“Look at how cozy it is up here!” Amy appears by my side, smoothing a hand over the quilts. “These are pretty. It’s hard to find good ones like these anymore.”
I nod, brows furrowed as I look at the quilts. “My grandmother made them. My mam’s mam.”
Amy turns to me with an infectious smile. “They’re heirlooms, then. How lovely. You almost don’t want to use them to keep them in good condition, but you know your grandmother would probably want you to. It’s like a hug from her in the past.”
My mind clears of all the cobwebs with the fire of her joy. She’s right, my mam and her mother would want me to use this place to its fullest. I can feel their spirits here with me, just happy to see me at peace.
She sits on the bed and then lays back. “I forgot how rough car rides can be.”
I chuckle. “What happened to your American resilience for car rides?”
She turns and sticks out her tongue, making me chuckle. I love seeing the fire I’ve always known was there come out. “Icoulddo more. That doesn’t mean it wouldn’tsuck.Or that it’s not nice to stretch out after it.”
I poke her in the ribs. “So sassy.” I lean down and kiss her, our lips not quite fitting right since I’m perpendicular to her. “Let’s stretch out, then, and go for a walk.” It takes everything within me not to make a crude joke, but I know we’re both tired, and I’m not quite ready to move on from just focusing on her pleasure alone quite yet.
She raises her eyebrows, fluttering her eyelashes at me in mock innocence. “You don’t want to stretch out my body inotherways?” She says the joke for me, and damn her, I want to worship the ground she walks on for it.
I growl and kiss her forehead. “Don’t tempt me, leannán. I’m trying to be a gentleman and a good husband to my wife on our honeymoon.” I stand back up and go about setting up our luggage.
She scoffs and sits up, the old bed creaking from the movement. “You act like thatwouldn’tbe behavior fit for a good husband, but I disagree. A lot.Especiallyon a honeymoon.”
Her faith in me warms my heart, and I chuckle and hold out my hand. “Come. Let’s get some food in you and a good walk. Then we’ll see about me performingotherhusbandly duties. I’d really like to show you Cobh. Enjoy the sunset with my wife. Is that too much to ask?”
She smiles and takes her hand in mine. “No. Not at all.”
I wonder if this woman knows just how much she has me wrapped around her finger.
