Page 136 of Fractured Frets

“Do you honestly want that?” My heart dared to beat.

“More than anything.” She nodded. “And to show you how serious I am, how committed I am, I want to prove how much I love you.”

“Maddy.” Anguish poured from my soul. “All I’ve ever wanted is for you to love and trust me. I should’ve been more mindful of how much the gossip affected you when we were apart. Done more to gain your trust. For that, I am truly sorry.”

“I know.” She nodded and turned to face me. She closed her eyes and lowered her chin. “My issues with Harper stemmed from my ugly past. I hated being insecure. So I’m sorry too.” She headed toward me but walked around to stand behind me, barely leaving a gap between our bodies. I could feel her warmth, her tension, her want. It took all my strength not to move. She spoke over my shoulder. “But I’ve learned that I do trust you. More than I realized. We’ve told each other things that no one else knows. We kept our relationship a secret for months. I trusted you with my body. We’ve sent each other private pictures and dirty texts. You’ve never betrayed my trust. Nor I yours. And I never will.”

My knees buckled. My heart filled my chest. My mind had been blown. She trusts me. “Me either. I won’t ever break it.” I glanced at her over my shoulder and threw her a sly smile. “So out of curiosity, how do you plan on proving that you love me?”

“Two things.” She glided around to stand in front of me. She licked her lips, then swallowed hard. Nerves flitted in her eyes. “First, I did something for you. I got something for you.”

“What?”

“This.” She stuck out her tongue and a small silver ball pierced the center.

“Holy fuck.” My pulse skyrocketed as I shot forward and cupped her gorgeous face. My dick jolted to life. Rock hard. I was fucking rock hard. “You got a tongue ring?”

“Yeah.” She bobbed her head as the biggest smile took over her face.

I grinned like a sly dog when the light caught the shiny stud. That was why she’d been acting weird and talking funny. She’d been hiding it from me. My crazy bel girasole.

The tension evaporated from her body as tears glistened in her eyes again. “You’ve always made me feel sexy and beautiful. But I wanted to do something that made me feel better about myself and to kill my insecurities. Something that makes me feel empowered and confident...and yours. I want to make you happy in every possible way.”

“You did before...but this? Wow!” My dick twitched, wanting a sample of her tongue licking it right then. But no...I couldn’t go there. No. Not yet. No. Just no. No! Shit! She made it fucking hard to not have her then and there. “Mads, if this helps you, I love it. But you didn’t have to get a tongue ring for me. I love you as you are. ”

“You want me to get rid of it?”

“Fuck no.”

Giggling, she placed her hand flat against my chest. Her touch grounded me and made everything she’d said take a new hold on me. Her gorgeous brown eyes set on mine. “The second thing I’ve done...pending on you, is I’ve requested next season off my show. Based on my health issues and personal life, my producer has given me the green light to do so.”

I jerked my head back. My head spun so fast, I struggled to keep up. “You’re taking time off from filming?”

“Yes. To be with you. If you want me. Filming this season finishes just before Christmas. They can rewrite the last few episodes to ease me out of the storyline temporarily. I’ll have the next six months off—longer if needed.”

“Holy shit! Can you...they...do that?” My mind raced, slowly comprehending what she’d done.She wanted to give me her time. I’d only ever needed a slice, but now she wanted to give me every hour of every day. Fuck. This was too much. Too overwhelming. But...it was what we’d always wanted. More time together had seemed so farfetched; now it was within our grasp.

“Yes.” She entwined our fingers and kissed my wedding ring. “I want to give our marriage the chance it deserves. You’re more important to me than my show.”

Half-smirking, I grimaced. “I am?”

“Yeah, you are.” She blinked her damp eyes. “Sutton told me you and the guys are having a break.” She slid her hands up to my shoulders and closed the gap between us. “I would love to spend that time with you. I want us to find a place like we always talked about, away from all the chaos, and disappear for a while. We can focus on us and build our life together, so when we come back to reality, we have a strong foundation behind us. We’ll be able to handle whatever new crap life throws our way.” She pressed her warm palm against my cheek. “I love you, Slip. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me. Or when you went to rehab. I had my own issues to work though. Every day apart hurt so much. But I’m here now. And I don’t ever want to leave you again. Not ever.”

“Do you mean that?” The backs of my eyes burned. “You’re mine? No more bullshit?”

“One thousand percent. Forever and always.”

“God, I love you.” I stroked her hair. “Can I please kiss you?”

“Yeah. I’d like that.”

I threaded my hand underneath her silky-soft hair, cradled the back of her head, and drew her lips to mine. As our mouths connected, I breathed in the cocoa-butter scent of her hair and tasted heaven on her lips. I’d missed this. Missed her. Finally, our future had a path ahead. We could be together. With slow, sensual flicks of her tongue against mine, a calm settled over me. The clink of her tongue ring against my teeth stirred my dick to life again. But I was in control. Yep...yes, I am...maybe. Standing, wrapped in her embrace, her warmth engulfed me. She was here. For me. Mine.

We’d suffered and stressed over too many things. But that was going to change. We had each other. Nothing was ever going to break us apart. I felt it in my soul. I’d done that since day one. Even through the hardest of times, we’d survived...just. She’d given me strength to fight my demons, a voice to stand up for what I needed, and a reason to live every day. She not only loved me, but trusted me too. I’d never ask for anything more than that.

She stepped back and took my hands in hers. “I know this has been a lot to take onboard and understand if you need time to process everything as part of your therapy and recovery steps. So when you’re ready, I’ll be here for you. I don’t want you to rush into anything. But I meant what I said. I want to stay married. With no timeframes. No deadlines. Just for as long as we both shall live.”

“I don’t need time. It’s a fuck yes.”

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