Page 102 of Love Him Like Water

“I’m not trying to get you to believe that I’ve been a good husband to her, Nico,” I admitted. “I didn’t know she chose this. I thought she was forced into it. Honestly, I thought she’d want fucking nothing to do with me because of it. So I left her alone. I didn’t know…”

“She didn’t tell you she dug her heels in about this?” Nico asked.

“No. I had no fucking idea. Kinda hard to imagine her digging her heels in about anything, actually.”

“She doesn’t usually,” Nico agreed. “I couldn’t wrap my head around this. Until she told me today,” he admitted.

“Know you got no fucking reason to believe me on this, but I never wanted to hurt that girl, Nico. I just… I didn’t know what she needed from me.”

“And if you did know?” he asked, suspicious.

“I’d have tried to give it to her. Can’t claim I’d be great at it, but I’d fucking try. She deserves that, at least.”

Nico sucked in a deep breath.

The muscle ticking in his jaw said he wanted to beat the shit out of me. But the look in his eyes suggested he was trying to see my side.

You had to respect that about men like Nico. Who were able to try to see all sides. Who were mature and experienced enough to set their feelings aside to see the situation for what it really was.

“If I let you in,” he said after a long moment, “understand that this is up to her. I don’t give a single fuck if our families go to war for the next three generations, I will not stand by and let you try to force her to leave with you.”

“I wouldn’t do that. She’s been through enough,” I added. “I just want to apologize. I won’t try to talk her into shit. She wants to stay here with you, so be it.”

“Even though it won’t look good to your family?”

“Even though,” I agreed.

Nico took a step back, pulling the door open. “She’s taking a nap,” he said, waving toward the hallway where a door was cracked ever so slightly. “I’m right out here,” he added, tone holding a hint of a threat.

“Got it,” I said, nodding. “Thanks for giving me a chance,” I added before moving to the bedroom door, and pushing it open.

I didn’t fully close it, knowing Nico would be hovering, and not wanting him to think I was doing or saying anything that I wasn’t willing for him to hear.

“Hey, mouse,” I said as I moved in, flicking on the light as I toed out of my shoes, then made my way to the bed where she instinctively curled herself into a tighter ball.

Didn’t think I could feel more like a shithead.

That just proved me wrong.

“Know you probably don’t want to hear it,” I said, making my way toward the side of the bed she was curled toward. “But I gotta apologize to you,” I told her, climbing up on the bed. “I didn’t know, Lore. I had no fucking idea.”

“That you yelled at me?” she snapped back, voice muffled by the pillow her face was stuffed in.

Despite everything, I was proud of her for speaking up.

“I don’t think I realized I was yelling,” I admitted. “There was… something serious going on in that building. And I needed you not to be there. I used a work voice on you. I didn’t mean to be that harsh. Didn’t realize how off my tone was until I watched the security camera video. I didn’t mean to yell at you. I’m sorry about that. I don’t yell at women.”

“I just wanted to talk to you about something,” she said, voice small.

“I realize that now,” I agreed, tentatively reaching out, touching her hair. She stiffened for a second, but relaxed as my fingers started to gently rub her scalp. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“Doesn’t matter now,” she said, voice cracking.

“Matters to me.”

“Yeah right,” she grumbled.

“I’m here,” I said.

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