Page 114 of Married With Lies

Cale scoops me up in his arms and I wrap my legs around his waist, clinging to him for dear life. He’s warm and solid and a little sweaty and he smells like Ivory soap.

How can I not kiss him?

Resistance is futile. I’m raining kisses on his neck and his jaw, rough from not shaving for a few days, and then I find his lips. His hand gently captures a fistful of my hair and the kiss is so long and so passionate that I’m out of breath, practically panting, by the time I come up for air.

Then I remember that I’m sort of mad at him. As ecstatic as I am to have Cale here all safe and whole and sexy, he deserves a scolding or two.

With reluctance, I unwrap my legs from his waist and face him with what I hope is a deeply stern expression. “Where have you been? For three weeks I’ve hardly heard a word from you.”

He sighs and drags a hand through his black hair. He hasn’t had a haircut since I saw him last. I’m also now noticing his eyes are bloodshot and there are rings of exhaustion beneath them.

Meanwhile, the dogs are thrashing around in their kennels and wondering why they’re not invited to this happy reunion. The noise makes it tough to have life and death conversations.

Instead of trying to shout over the dogs, I gesture that we ought to go outside. Cale lets me take his hand and lead the way.

Beyond The Doghouse and the barn and the paddock there’s a large clearing that I haven’t figured out a plan for yet. It’s carpeted with soft summer grass and looks like a lovely place for a jolly picnic or a serious talk with your unpredictable lover.

Maybe we can have that picnic after we sort a few things out. Cale joins me when I drop down into the grass. I scoot closer and link my arm through his, just to keep him close. In spite of my annoyance, I can’t seem to keep my hands off him. If Cale disappears again, my bruised heart will certainly never recover.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I’m so sorry, Sadie. After everything I’ve put you through I didn’t know how happy you’d be to see me. I was prepared to grovel.”

“Oh, you’re still expected to grovel. But first thing’s first. No more secrets. Why have you been avoiding me?”

He sighs and stares out at the tree line. When he’s finished gathering his thoughts, he nods, and then faces me with a film of tears in his eyes. But his voice remains steady, if grim. “A lot of really terrible shit went down these last few weeks.” He swallows hard. “Vinny is dead.”

I gasp out loud and cover my mouth. The doughy face of Vinny Tello skates through my mind. Then I think of Kiki. Poor Kiki. I lower my hand. “I take it Vinny’s death wasn’t due to natural causes.”

“Not unless you consider a volley of shots fired from a three fifty seven Magnum natural.”

“You saw him get killed?”

“I was with him when he took his last breath.”

“Cale.” I reach out and wrap him in a hug. My surge of relief is also terrifying. Cale doesn’t need to tell me it could easily have been him who was shot.

He sinks into the embrace for only a moment, before pulling back and gripping my shoulders with sudden urgency. “I need you to understand something. You were all I thought about. Being away from you is fucking agony. Every day there were at least two hundred moments when I had to stop myself from calling you.”

“Why did you stop yourself? I was here waiting the whole time.”

“Sadie, I haven’t done right by you. When we made this deal I didn’t think about how I’d be pulling you into a dark and ugly world. I’m not asking you to forgive me for that. I don’t forgive myself. You were right, you know.”

“You’ll have to be more specific.”

He smirks but turns solemn again in a hurry. “I was protecting my brother. Richie has always been determined to bring the two of us into the fold. But I thought if he had me at his side then he would give up on getting Luca too. I sent Luca away and did everything in my power to shield him from our uncle.” He shakes his head and his shoulders slump. “It wasn’t enough. I got outplayed. I never saw it coming. Luca guessed that I was looking for a way out as Richie’s successor. And I underestimated just how strong Luca’s connection is to Richie. He made a deal that he’d take my place if Richie let me go.”

I’m having some difficulty picturing good-natured Luca as a ruthless mobster. But more than anything, I’m sorry for Cale. He must be devastated.

I’m still trying to figure out a way to best convey my sympathies when Cale tenderly moves a wild curl that had fallen across my forehead. He brushes a rough knuckle over my cheek and tells the rest of his story.

“Luca never knew that our marriage was phony. He did what he did for more than one reason. He didn’t just want to be Richie’s heir. He traded his future for mine. He wanted to give me a chance to be happy with the girl I love. Luca understood how I felt about you before I understood it myself. Sadie, you have my whole heart, for what it’s worth. I love you. I’ll pay any penance and I’ll never stop trying to be the man you deserve.”

Cale’s words have rendered me unusually speechless. I don’t dare move a muscle out of fear this isn’t real, that I’ll awaken alone.

Cale hauls me into his lap. I straddle him so we’re face to face. He touches his forehead to mine.

“Baby, anything you want from me is all yours. Just tell me there’s hope we can have a life here together.”

“Here? You mean you’re leaving New York?” If his arms weren’t holding me tightly then I’d be jumping up and down.

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