Page 61 of Tempted By the Bosshole

“I won’t tolerate any more BS. If something upsets me, I’m going to say so. I’m going to insist things change until I don’t feel marginalized or shoved in a corner.”

“You should. And you should expect the people in your life to listen and compromise.”

“I do.” She blows out a deep breath as new tears tremble on her lashes. “But I also realized that I can’t see my future without you. You make me feel special and adored. Everything you crave is what I want, too—home, marriage, kids. That’s what I’ve been missing. Being your wife, even if the circumstances weren’t great, made me feel complete. I was upset when I found out about the picture because I took that to mean I wasn’t special to you, that I’d fallen for you when I was nothing but the means to an end.”

“No. Baby?—”

“I knew not to expect more from my dad because he’d disillusioned me long ago. I wasn’t surprised when Eric treated me that way because he’d shown his true colors almost from the start, and I didn’t have the will or self-esteem to stop him. But I really thought you were different.”

“I am. Give me another chance to prove it, Isabella.” I squeeze her hands. “Give me a real chance to make you happy.”

“All right.”

My heart stops. “Y-yes? That’s it? No more pushback or fighting or…”

“None of that. I came here this morning, speech prepared, to tell you I intended to come home, be your wife, have your children, and live happily ever after because I love you.” Her tears begin flowing. “Believe me, I tried not to choose you. My mind told me to be smarter. But my heart decided for me. Because you showed me what being truly loved felt like—safe and accepted. I just needed to know that you valued me, too. I’ll give you my heart and my respect in return. If you want to share that life with me?—”

“Yes. Fuck, yes. A million times, yes.” I sweep her off her feet and into my arms, then kiss her like she owns my heart, because she does. “I’d marry you again if I could.”

“You can…in a way.” From her coat pocket, she pulls her wedding ring, slides it into my palm, and holds out her hand. “Only speak vows to me this time if you mean it.”

Smiling so wide I think my face might crack, I take her hand and settle the diamond band at her finger. “I do. Always and forever. I love you.”

Once the ring winks up from her finger, she blinks at me, smiling through her tears. “I do, too. Always and forever. I love you.”

I pull her closer, finally feeling complete for the first time, maybe ever. “God, I swear last night felt like a thousand years.”

I press my mouth to hers, not caring if I ever come up for air again.

“It felt the same to me,” she whispers finally. “I don’t want to spend one more night without you. Take me to bed.”

My heart skids across my chest and grinds to a breathless halt. “Now?”

“Is there a better time? I’ll be fertile in a few days. I figure we should get in some good practice, be really ready for New Year’s Eve.”

My grin widens. “Other than you, there’s nothing I’d love more. I’ll spend my life showing you that.”

Isabella shucks coat and shirt, then drops them on the hardwoods. She toes out of her tennis shoes and slides down her leggings—no panties—until she’s deliciously naked, her tits round and her lush thighs hiding the secrets I need to know. “Well?”

“Hell, yeah, I’ll get naked with you.”

She watches as I remove every stitch and toss my clothes wherever. Then she approaches me, suddenly solemn. “Good. Because other than you, there’s nothing I love more, husband. Let’s start our forever together right now.”

“As long as you understand that, since I’m now more focused on you than revenge, I’ll be even more voracious for you.”

My beautiful wife smiles. “I was counting on that…”

EPILOGUE

Valentine’s Day

The last seven weeks have been the happiest of my life. That’s not an exaggeration. Having Isabella in my life every day and in my bed every night has been my best dream come true. As I promised her, not a day goes by that I don’t both tell and show my wife that she’s not only more than enough for me, she’s everything.

And she’s blossomed. My sweet Isabella has come out of her shell. She’s not afraid to rock the boat—with anyone. Peers and upper management at Force Financial? She not only tells me when I have a bonehead idea, but she told Marcus Hunt, who was recently promoted to COO, that he was wrong about a projection. Nicely, of course, but firmly. She even suggested a new reporting tool to Mr. Force. And he ran with it. She has so many reasons to feel positive about her professional future, and I’m so damn proud of her.

She also stood up to the contractor building our new house. When he tried to tell her that she didn’t really want a private balcony off our bedroom, she insisted I didn’t need to get involved because she had the situation in hand. That was true…but I still told our contractor in no uncertain terms that what my wife wants, my wife gets. The building process has been smooth sailing since.

Despite the fact I spent hours with Isabella in the office earlier, I can’t wait to see her again. Yeah, I’m that schmuck. I work with her all day, I fuck her all evening, and I cuddle her all night—and I still can’t get enough of her.

---