Page 410 of The Christmas Wife

"I confess, I didn’t. I resisted it for a long time."

"And now?"

"Now, I know there is no future for me without you."

Her features soften. "Then you’ll tell me about the incident?"

39

Mira

"I can’t." He turns and stalks to the window again.

"Why not? Don’t you trust me?"

"It’s not that." He drags his fingers through his hair. "It’s not something I speak about to anyone."

"But I’m your wife." I move toward him.

"Just because I came inside you does not entitle you to know everything about me."

I stop so suddenly, I stumble, then manage to right myself. "That’s not fair," I whisper.

"I’m sorry," he says without turning around to face me. "I didn’t mean it that way."

"But you don’t think of me as your wife in the real sense, either."

"I already told you, you’re the only woman for me."

"But you won’t tell me about the incident?"

"I—" His shoulders rise and fall. " I can’t. I don’t talk to anyone about it."

"Maybe you should. Maybe you need to see a therapist about it and?—"

"No. Absolutely not." His spine goes ramrod straight.

"It’s not a sign of weakness to speak to a therapist."

He doesn’t answer.

"Edward, I don’t know what happened to you, but you’re not over it. You’re still dealing with the fallout of it. It’s colored your life so far. It’s what caused you to lose…her."

Not that I’m complaining, but I’m not going to mention that.

He turns his head so I can see him in profile. "You’re psychoanalyzing me?"

"Only because you don’t want to go to a professional. When she married your best friend, you swore off women. You didn’t sleep with anyone for two years. You were, technically, celibate. That’s… unusual."

"That didn’t stop me from watching others masturbate," he says in a harsh tone.

I flinch.

"That didn’t stop me from touching other women and making them come, either."

"You’re saying all this to hurt me. And I know you’re doing it because you’re hurting inside."

He turns to face me, and his features are, once more, schooled into that mask I’ve named his 'Priest face.' Not that I knew him when he was a priest, but I imagine that’s how he came across to his congregation. All stern and upright and erect a-n-d…

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