Page 68 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 4

“Not anymore than I hurt you. Now please, what does the last paragraph say, Jules?”

Her bottom lip quivered.

I repeated it from memory.“That night was the best and worst night of my life. The best because I now know what itfeels like to have loved you. And the worst, because I know what it feels like to love you, knowing you’ll never be mine.”

She fell to her knees before me, tears running down her face. “I wish I had been strong enough to talk to you about what happened.”

“I wish I’d been strong enough to admit I was a fool and fight for you. I’m sorry, Julianne. I’m sorry for all of it. And if you can find it within yourself to forgive me, I’ll spend the rest of my days making it up to you.”

She shook her head and cupped my cheeks. “I have already forgiven you. I wouldn’t still be married to you if I didn’t. I knew what I was getting myself into when I signed that contract. When the officiant declared us as husband and wife, and I kissed you. But as we genuinely fell deeper in love with one another, I let the past go.” She ran her fingers through my hair, easing some of the tension racing through me. “What happened when we were kids is in the past. We both have to let it go so we can move on. This is out in the open now for both of us. No more secrets. It happened. We both regret the way it went down, but we are smart enough and mature enough to leave it where it belongs, in our past. We’re paving the way to a beautiful future, Gio. After all we’ve endured, we both deserve it.”

Jules pressed her forehead to mine.

“God, I love you so much, Julianne. And I really am sorry for being such an idiot. You didn’t deserve that. Especially from me. And the fact that you are being so graceful about it now shows how incredible you are. I promise to never keep anything from you again. No more secrets.”

She shifted her head and kissed my lips. I cupped her face and kissed her back with all the love I had to give. My body started to quake; kneeling for so long had morphed into a full body ache.

“Are you okay?”

“Help me back up,” I hissed in agony.

She jumped up and helped me to stand. I put my hands on her shoulders, feeling light-headed and dizzy.

“Breathe, baby, just breathe with me.” She inhaled for a few seconds and then let it out slowly.

I paired my breathing with hers as my back felt like the fire had returned, licking across my skin and burning everything in its wake. Every time the pain meds wore off completely, I felt the flames again. At least, I no longer smelled the burning flesh. That had been the worst.

“We need to get you inside.” She looked at her watch. “You’re long overdue for your meds and a nap.”

“I’m tired of fucking sleeping all day,” I grouched through gritted teeth. The pain was worsening, making it difficult to hobble back up the path toward the house.

“Maggie says…”

“You heal when you sleep,” we both said at the same time.

“Will you lay with me? After that conversation, I need you close.” I didn’t care if I sounded like a wounded animal—because that’s exactly how I felt.

She pouted, and her mouth was so beautiful I wanted to kiss it, but the fiery heat tapping into my nerve endings was preventing me from doing anything but grinning and bearing it until I could take the meds.

“If you need me, I’m there. Doesn’t matter what it is. Helping you run your empire while you’re healing, yelling at you for the stupid shit you pulled in the past, or lying down with you so you sleep soundly. Gio, I’m never leaving you. This is our life now. I’ve got the one I’ve been in love with for as long as I can remember, and I’m never letting you go.”

“Good,” I managed through a wince.

Maggie stood inside the kitchen, waiting for us, hands on her hips. Today’s scrubs were a plethora of rainbows with cute little bubble clouds on each end.

“I see you overdid it, just like I told you not to. Don’t think I didn’t catch you kneeling. Pffftttt!” She shook her head. “Come on now, Pookie. Let’s get you sorted with your meds and back in bed. No more walkabouts today. No more begging to do some work. It is my job to help you heal, and by golly, I’m going to do it, whether you help me or not. Ya hear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Ohhh, ma’am. I like it. Very respectful. Maybe if you’re good, I’ll have your chef whip up your favorite dinner.” She bolted ahead of us, allowing Jules to lead me to our room.

“What was the chef supposed to make for dinner?” I asked to keep my mind off the mind-numbing pain.

“Your favorite meal. I asked him to do it. She heard me. Now, she’s playing you like a fiddle,” Jules snickered. “Serves you right.”

“We need to have a son,” I griped.

Jules stopped us both in our tracks. “Um, come again?”

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