Page 79 of Truth

Turning off the water, I dried my hands and went back out into the main room. Stephan was still there. He stood at the island, reading what I’d written so far.

“I’m proud of you,” he commented without raising his head. “You only have two more to go.”

“I thought of another one in the bathroom.”

He smiled at me and opened his arms. I went to him.

“What is it?”

“I like that I’m happy now. That I’m not always afraid.”

“Mmm. Yes. That is a good one. I like that about you, too.”

Stephan buried his face in my hair and took a deep breath. He did that sometimes, and when he exhaled, it always sent a chill through me.

“Only one more to go.”

It took me another hour to come up with the last one. I’d reread over my list several times hoping it would help me come up with something, but it didn’t. What did help was a memory of Stephan and me working out earlier that morning. He’d commented on how toned the muscles in my arms had become since I’d been working with Brad.

I tilted my arm back and forth. He was right. My skin was no longer pale and sickly. The muscles underneath were strong and healthy. I was strong and healthy.

10. I like that I’m strong and healthy.

Chapter Twenty-One

Stephan

After Brianna finished her list, I sent her to soak in the bathtub while I ordered us dinner. She was given instructions to relax. It also hadn’t escaped my attention that she’d taken one of her library books in with her.

Our food arrived a little before seven, and I went to tell her it was time to get out. The sight that greeted me made my heart thud solidly in my chest. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, exposing her neck and shoulders. She was almost completely surrounded by bubbles. To top everything off, she was leaning to the side, her right hand poking out from beneath the bubbles, to hold the book she was reading. She was completely engrossed. After five minutes of me standing there watching her, she was still unaware of my scrutiny.

“Enjoying your book?”

She jumped, nearly dropping her book in the water.

I laughed and walked toward her.

“I wasn’t paying attention, Sir.”

“Don’t worry about it. I told you to relax. You should be able to do that without having to worry about your surroundings, but you didn’t answer my question.” She looked confused. “Are you enjoying your book?”

Brianna glanced at the now-closed novel. This was one of the ones with a racy cover. The man on the front was shirtless, and the woman in his arms was only half wearing her dress.

“Yes. I like it.”

I took the book from her and pretended to skim some of the pages. “What’s it about?”

Her face turned a brilliant shade of red.

Pretending not to notice, I waited for her to talk.

“Um. He’s... a pirate.”

“A pirate. Hmm.” I turned a few more pages in the book, pretending to read. “What about the woman? Is she a pirate, too?”

She shook her head. The movement had her sinking a little farther down beneath the water. “She’s running away from her family. They... they want her to marry this mean man.”

“Ah. So this pirate saves her from having to marry.” I laid the book on the edge of the bathtub. “Is he a nice pirate?” I asked, brushing the back of my fingers down the side of her face.

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