Page 74 of Love Me

“Hannah and I have been keeping a secret, and we don’t want to hide it anymore.”

I lift up our hands, turning Hannah’s to show off the thin, ornate, gold wedding band that adorns her left-hand ring finger.

“We got married!”

“Holy shit!”

“What the fuck?”

“What?”

“Oh my god!”

“Wait, are you serious?”

Everyone has something to say, and I watch as Hannah’s eyes get big. I move my hand around her little waist, pulling her flush against me. My thumb rubs aimlessly over the bare skin there and I don’t miss the way goosebumps scatter across her body or the way she shivers in my arms. I lean in to whisper in her ear.

“Smile, wife. We need to sell it, remember?”

She looks up at me, her eyes wide as she searches my face for something. God, I hope things have changed for her and she isn’t faking it anymore. Lord knows I haven’t been. I lean down, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead. Fuck if I don’t want to kiss those lips again, spend all night worshiping her like I did last night. When she looks back at the room filled with my family, my mom is already in our space and pulling Hannah from my arms to wrap her in a hug, and a feeling of rightness flows through me. Hannah was always supposed to be my wife, I’ve never felt so sure about anything before.

My eyes connect with Dallas, who’s looking at me, shaking his head. I toss my head to the side, signaling for him to meet me in the other room. I turn my focus back on Hannah as she smiles and talks with my family, who she has known her entire life. She wore her violet hair in a complicated side braid that hangs slightly off of her shoulder, a pair of jeans, and a cream sweater that ties up the back with thick ribbon. She could wear PJs every day and would still be the sexiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, but she’s exceptionally beautiful today being reintroduced as my wife.

Knowing she’s in good hands, I head to go deal with my brother. Turning the corner into the kitchen, a hard slap connects with the back of my head. I rub the spot with my hand, wincing.

“What the fuck did you do?” Dallas’ voice pierces through the throbbing in my skull.

“What’s it look like, dumbass? I took care of it.”

“Bymarryingher? Did you think about how confusing this will be for Charlotte? How crushed Mom is going to be when this falls apart?” Dallas pauses his rant to laugh, his head thrown back like a dickface. “Wow. You one-upped me for sure, idiot. Now look who’s the dumbass. Hold on, let me text the group. You need a new nickname.”

Dallas pulls his phone from his pocket, and I slap it out of his hand. He slowly turns his head like a deranged sociopath, watching it scatter across the hardwood floor with a thud.

“If that’s broken, I’m gonna rip off your arms and beat you with them.”

“No one can know, you dumb fucker. You can’t tell anyone, or I’ll kick your ass.”

“Look, I know I’ve had a lot going on with Blaire, but you could have come to me. You didn’t have to do it this way. It’s going to go up in flames.”

“Dal, I’ve got it under control. I’m more worried about people finding out how it all started. Hannah and Charlie have always been mine. Now it’s official.”

“Charlie isn?—”

Dallas doesn’t register my movements as I quickly get into my brother’s space, shoving my forearm into his throat and forcing him to fall back on the wall behind him.

“Finish that fucking sentence, dickhead, and I’ll crush your fucking windpipe. You’ll spend the rest of your life with Blaire feeding you through a goddamn tube.” I press my arm a little harder into his throat. “Try me, I dare you,” I fume.

He puts his hand up defensively and I ease off of him, taking a large step back. I rip off my hat and run my handsthrough my hair in an attempt to calm myself down before speaking.

“Those girls are mine,” I seethe, pointing to the living room. “Hannah has always been mine.”

“How long?”

“Ha. Long time. I planned to tell her I was in love with her the day she told me she was pregnant with Charlie. I’ve always loved her. Just didn’t realize that’s what it was until she left me at college and there was space between us. I fucking hate being away from her. The sun doesn’t rise if I don’t see her every day. She and Charlie are everything to me. I’m so in love with that girl I don’t?—”

“Liam?”

My body freezes. The sweet, feminine voice that I would recognize anywhere cut off the rest of my words, suspending the room in silence. The air leaves my lungs in a whoosh, my heart clenching painfully, my eyelashes closing involuntarily.

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