Page 93 of Trust Me With Forever

“Still, this is all my mess. No one else should have to clean it up.”

My heart raced as I knew I had to be honest with her, or she might slip away from me forever. “It’s our mess, Abby. You’re my wife.”

“But—”

“No. Don’t use the excuse that it’s fake. Maybe it started that way.” I took a deep breath and blurted, “But it’s real to me. Or, at least I want it to be. I love you, Abigail Wolfe. And quite simply, I miss you.”

Her lips parted as she searched my gaze. “What are you talking about?”

“Which part? The loving you or missing you?”

“The loving part. How…what…I don’t understand.”

As I rubbed my thumb over her cheek, I replied, “You’re easy to love, Abby. You’re kind and funny, yet still strong and determined. Not to mention beautiful and sexy. You also don’tput up with my grumpy asshole self and call me out when I need it.” Leaning down, I laid my forehead against hers. “I love you, Abby. I want you to stay my wife. If that means wooing you and marrying you again for real, I’ll do it. Just tell me I have a chance.”

Her voice was so quiet that I almost couldn’t hear it. “I’m nothing but trouble, Rafe. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to stop my ex.”

After taking her face in my hands, I said, “We’ll work on it together. No matter how long it takes, we’ll get the bastard. If it means using every penny I have, I will. I won’t rest until he pays and you’re free. Of him, your past, of everything.” I stroked her cheeks and leaned a little closer. “I love you. The rest doesn’t matter.”

A tear rolled down her cheek, and I wiped it away. Before I could say something else, she replied, “Oh, Rafe!” She hugged me close and her muffled voice continued, “I love you too, but I’m afraid of what that means for you.” She lifted her head. “You already almost died because of me. It might happen again, especially if we stay married and I can’t stop my ex.”

“No, I’m not about to die now that I’ve found you. You’re the future I didn’t know I needed, Abby. You’re my reason for getting up every day.”

“Rafe,” she murmured before she kissed me.

I took my time sampling her lips, her mouth, and caressing her tongue with mine. I eventually stopped and asked, “Is that a yes to being my wife, then?”

She ran a hand down my chest and back up again, until she could caress my jaw. I leaned into the touch as she said, “Yes. And I don’t need to get married again. When this is all over, I just want a party with our friends and family, like we talked about before.”

I made a face. “You still want a disco ball and a 1970s-era dance floor? With bell-bottoms and roller skates?”

She laughed, the sound warming my heart. She shook her head. “No. I just suggested that to see how far I could push you. The fact you said yes still baffles me.”

I lightly slapped her ass. “I was still trying to get into your pants at that point. I probably would’ve agreed to anything.”

“Hmm. If I’d known that, maybe I would’ve suggested a fairytale party, with costumes. Or maybe a giant paintball competition, with some cheating to beat my brothers.”

Caressing her cheek, I said, “Anything you want, Abigail. All I need is you and your love.”

She leaned against me and hooked her arms around my neck. “I love you. And I’d really like to show you how much, but the doctor still hasn’t cleared you.”

I kissed the side of her neck. “Maybe if I just lay there, we could try. I wouldn’t usually make you do all the work, but I did get hit by a car recently.”

“An excuse you won’t be able to use after five years.”

I raised an eyebrow and met her gaze again. “Five years?”

“We should have a rule that if it’s been more than five years, we can’t use the incident against each other.”

I ran my thumb across her bottom lip. “While I’m not using it against you—I don’t blame you for it—I like how you’re thinking of our future in years.”

She caressed my jaw. “You stole my heart a long time ago, Rafael Mendoza. It just took me a long time to realize that it would always be you.”

With a growl, I took her lips again. Maybe later I would regret all the years we’d had apart. Or how I’d avoided Starry Hills and Abby for so long. But right here, right now, I just wanted to kiss my wife.

My wife.

Now and forever.

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