Page 18 of His Naive Wife

He kisses my shoulder and neck before kissing my lips. Our eyes meet again, and a smile spreads across his lips.

“I love you, Emilee. I’ve loved you from the first moment I saw you. I knew then that my soul was finally complete.”

“I know I haven’t acted like it, but I love you, too. When our eyes met that first day, I knew you were the one. I didn’t understand it, but I knew.”

We kiss, and it's as if a spark has been lit inside me, one only Alex can control.

As he rolls onto his back, he pulls me close into his arms. My legs are intertwined with his. He kisses my forehead and lets out a big sigh.

“I promise next time will be longer,” he says.

“Oh? And when is the next time?”

“We have all night, every night, for the rest of our lives. There will be as many next times as you want.”

Epilogue

Two Years Later

Daniel

The champagne is flowing, the buzz of conversation fills the air, the glittering lights of the Empire State Building paint a beautiful backdrop, but all I can do is watch the beautiful couples on the dance floor. This must be their tenth dance together tonight. Not that I’m counting.

I grab another flute of champagne as it floats by on a tray, then look at my watch.

What is too early for me to leave? I wonder.

“It’s good to see you, Daniel. I was going to reach out to you this week.”

Harold Weinberger’s rich baritone is unmistakable. Having been friends with both Ryan Stirling and Alex Winterbourne, I was well acquainted with Harold and several of the other trustees. Most people with money in New York had some kind of contact with one or more of them.

“Oh? What about?” I ask, trying to determine whether I have any upcoming deals with him and his group.

Harold smiles as he looks at the dancing couples, Alex and Emilee, plus Alex’s brother Ryan with his wife Carina.

“They sure look happy,” he says.

Today marks Emilee and Alex’s two-year wedding anniversary. Since their first wedding wasn’t ideal for either of them, they decided to renew their vows and celebrate with everyone they knew.

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Alex look so happy before,” I say. “And Emilee is positively glowing as usual.”

I glance around the rooftop party and see a few familiar faces, including Carina’s grandmother Lydia, with her shock of red hair, seated close to the dance floor. She’s deep in conversation with Emilee’s father, and clearly flirting with him.

“You know, you could be happy like that, too,” Harold says.

“What are you talking about? And what were you going to reach out to me about?”

“How old are you, Daniel? You’re younger than them, aren’t you?”

“Thirty-five. Why does that matter?”

Harold was beginning to frustrate and annoy me.

“Because maybe you’ve been thinking about your legacy. Maybe you’d like to have kids one day or a companion for the rest of your life.”

“Are you proposing to me, Harold? I’m a little old-fashioned; I’d like to see the ring first.”

Harold laughs. “No, of course not. I was just thinking that your tee time buddies are dwindling.”

---