Page 11 of Everything We Give

That wall’s been there since James showed up last June.

I want to bulldoze it down.

I need to know what bombshell the guy smuggled into California.

If the death grip on the purse Aimee holds in her lap tells me anything, she’s still processing. Thinking about this afternoon.

Thinking about him.

I force out a harsh breath and promise myself I won’t push. She started opening up at Nadia’s. She’ll talk in due time.

Hopefully sooner rather than later. With the deadlineNational Geographicgave me, I leave for Spain soon. And I’m leaving knowing James is in town.

Swearing under my breath, I rake my hair and shift in the seat, angling my torso so that I’m somewhat facing Aimee. The temptation to hold her hand has me fisting my own. I bite my tongue so I don’t blurt out my news to lighten the mood. To say anything that would get her to look at me as though I’m the most important person in her life. I want to be that man for her.

An idea coalesces. I want her to come to Spain with me, and not just because of James. She’ll love the wild horses. We could use the time away to get ourselves in sync again. No thanks to James, our marital rhythm has been out of tune since I returned from the Rapa.

Aimee clutches her hands. I give in and cross the barrier. Threading my fingers in hers, I bring our joined hands to my lips. I kiss her wrist. I love the feel of her skin. Soft and luxurious, like the lotion-bottle label says. Aimee worships the lotion bottle in our bathroom and I’m the lucky bastard who gets to feel her velvety skin glide against mine.

I rub my cheek against her hand and when she doesn’t pull away, a fraction of the tension tightening my shoulder blades diminishes. She’s looking at me. I can feel the weight of her gaze and my body tingles with anticipation. My pulse accelerates. I’m going to take her straight to our bedroom when we get home. This gorgeous woman is mine and I want my hands all over her. I want to feel close to her, seek out that connection that seems to be missing lately. And damn it, I want to make sure she’s mine.

I take my eyes off the freeway and look at her. “I love you.”

She blinks. The whites of her eyes glow from the headlamps of oncoming cars. Her mouth—those delectable lips I have an overwhelming urge to kiss, and would kiss were I not driving—part to speak.

My breath catches. I know that look. This is it. She’s ready to talk. My heart races like a sprinter coming around the last corner before the finish. Maybe we’ll work through her reaction after meeting with James before we get home. I hate that she’s hating herself. Maybe going out to dinner will make her feel better, get her mind off him. Perhaps La Fondue is still an option. It’s only seven-fifty. We have forty minutes until our reservation.

“Do you think we married too soon?”

Boom!The bombshell detonates.

My foot spasms on the accelerator, causing the car to lurch.

That’s not what I expected her to say.

Hell no!I waited thirteen months to tell her I loved her.

OK, yeah, so what if the thought of losing her to James when I accompanied her to Mexico to find him was the proverbial kick in the ass I needed to tell her how I feel. I could also care less that I proposed only three months after we returned. We loved each other. We wanted to spend our lives together.

There’s only one person who could get her asking such a question five years into our marriage. A question that comes way beyond left field. More like Hawaii.

“What did James say to you?”

“This has nothing to do with James.” Aimee slips her hand from mine. I feel the emptiness immediately, a punch to my gut.

“Doesn’t it, though?” I squeeze the steering wheel. “The guy shows up. You go see him. You ignore my calls and texts. I can’t reach you for hours—”

“It wasn’t hours.”

“—only to find you at Nadia’s bawling. Then you tell me to go home. What am I supposed to think?”

“When you put it that way—”

“What other way is there?” I snap.

Aimee tenses. She stares at me, her eyes big and round, waiting.

For what? I’m clueless. I stare back.

---