Page 53 of Be My Reason

What?I think I must look at him like he is crazy. Did he forget about that little thing called a wife that he used to have?

“I know, I know.I was married.” He reads my mind then hesitates. “God, Brooklyn, the last thing I want to talk about right now is my ex-wife.”

“It’s okay,” I assure him. “But how. . . ?”

“She uh. . . she wouldn’t let me go without one.” He seems embarrassed to tell me this. “She was on the pill, too. She said she didn’t want to ruin her body with a pregnancy.”

I think about what a selfish person she must have been.I wonder how he ended up with her in the first place. But I think basking in the afterglow of our incredible love-making is not the time to ask. That is a conversation for another day.

The last thing I remember before I fall asleep is Nate rubbing little circles on my naked hip as I tuck myself between his neck and his strong arm to find a comfortable place to nuzzle.

Chapter Twenty

I stir awake, moonlight streaming through the open blinds of my window. I turn to find Nate’s eyes heavy upon me. He brings a hand up to push the hair away from my eyes. “Are you still with me, Brooklyn?” he asks.

My mind flashes through what happened yesterday. I could have easily walked away. I was so incredibly naïve to think that I had any control over my feelings.I’m not sure I will ever fully understand the pull Nate has over me. He could have given up on me. Both of us have been through so much to get to this moment. Am I with him? Yes. Of course I’m going to say yes.

I put my hand on his chest and smile over at him. “Yes.”

He lets out the breath he was holding. “Then let’s go over those ground rules again.”

I giggle.Then he proceeds to rock my world, once again, with two earth-shattering orgasms.

Afterwards, when I’m still breathingheavily, my head on his chest, he surprises me. “I didn’t want to leave you back then,” he reveals.

I raise my head off his chestto look at him. “Tell me.”

“I had no idea.We—my dad and my sister and me—we had no idea that her spa was a front for . . . ,” he hesitates and then winces when he says, “for a sex shop.” He closes his eyes and his head falls back against the pillow. “That night, when I got home from dropping you off, the police were already at my house arresting her. We didn’t get all the details until the next morning. My dad went berserk. He called a moving company and paid them double to come that same day and move us out of our house. He said we had to leave Savannah, that we would be the laughing stock of the city.”

He plays with a lock of my hair as he goes on. “When I told him I had to see you first, he said nobody would want to associate with me—not even a girl who likes me. That my mother was a cheap whore and people would treat us like lepers. I wish now that we had phones that could text back then. I mean, I didn’t even have a cell phone, but if I did and I could have texted you and found out that you didn’t hate me . . .” he trails off.

“But I didn’t have the courage to show up orto even call you. I was sure you wanted nothing to do with me just like my dad said.” He pulls me tight against him. “I was seventeen and I was a stupid kid. God, Brooklyn, you’ll never know how sorry I am for that.”

I tear up and I kiss him.I kiss him with gentle, long strokes of my tongue so that he knows I forgive him. “It’s okay,” I whisper in his ear. “Thank you for telling me.”

“I’ll never forgive myself for that.That night with you, it was the best night of my life, until last night,” he says sweetly into my hair.

Surely it wasn’t better than his wedding night.

He pulls me close and locks eyes with me. “Thebestnight, Brooklyn.”

Okay then.My goddess within gives me a high five.

~~ ~

Five o’clock comes all too soon this morning.I kiss Nate on the cheek, careful not to wake him, quickly shower and then head downstairs. Derek is already there, taking out the fresh pastries for the morning. He studies me for a minute when I walk through the door.

“Didn’t get much sleep, huh?”He draws his brows together, assessing me.

“Do I look that bad?”

“Honey, you look positively glowing . . . and thoroughly bedded,” he adds.

“Derek!” I can feel heat creeping up my face.

“So I take it the crisis has passed and you’ve let that hunk of a man in your bed?”

Iignore him and head out front to start the coffee.

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