Page 181 of From Best Friend to Bride
I met his gaze. “Do we need those papers anymore?”
He raised his hands to cup my face and dropped a kiss to my forehead. “Not in a million years, my pretty wife. I’m not letting you go.”
I extracted myself from his arms, grabbed both sets of papers from the desk, and marched them over to the fireplace. I tossed them in the hearth and snatched the matches from the unit next to the fire, then lit three and tossed them onto the papers, one by one.
The papers caught quickly, and I stared into the flames as they licked at the dry paper until every last inch of it was consumed and all that remained of ending this marriage was a pile of hot ashes.
I put the matches back and turned to look at Fred. He dragged his gaze from the fireplace up to meet mine, and I held his look for a moment.
“Well, I suppose that’s that,” he said.
“Now, you can’t divorce me. You’re stuck with me forever.”
His lips pulled up into a smile that lit up his eyes. “I can’t think of anything worse.”
I skipped over to him and jumped. He grabbed me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, locking my ankles at his butt. He gazed up at me as I looked down, and for a moment, I lost track of time as his eyes warmed with love.
“You’re mine,” I whispered.
“I’m yours.” He tilted his lips up to meet mine. “Always. I’ll always be yours.”
I kissed him back fervently. My fingers tangled in his messy hair, and he held me tightly, as if he were afraid that I’d slide right down his body.
And I poured everything I could into this kiss. Every little inch of love I felt for him, all the facets of my possessiveness, every single thing that made up my intense storm of emotions for him.
I wanted him to feel it. To know it. To believe it.
That he was mine, and I was his, and we would forever be each other’s.
“Fred, are you in—oh, goodness!”
We both turned our faces at the sound of Aunt Vi’s voice. She stood in the doorway, one hand on the doorknob with the other pressing against her mouth, her eyes wide and sparkling.
“Mother,” Fred said dryly, making no move to let me go. “What have I told you about knocking before you come into my office?”
“Knocking. Yes, yes.” She took a step back with a nervous giggle. “I should… I should really do that.”
I nodded.
“Vi, dear? Is he in there?” Granny asked. “The cow needs her father.”
I pressed my lips together and averted my gaze when Fred turned to stare at me.
“I’ll see to Spice,” Aunt Vi said, quickly turning and blocking the door. “They’re, um, busy.”
Granny leant onto her tiptoes and looked over Aunt Vi’s head.
“Morning, Granny.” I offered her a little wave from behind Fred’s head as she took in the scene before her.
She looked us up and down, then pushed past Aunt Vi and peered around the room.
“What are you doing?” Fred asked, finally letting my put my feet on the ground.
“Making sure there aren’t any hidden cameras,” Granny said, lifting the lid of a candle and peering inside. “You know, like those practical joke shows.”
Fred and I shared a look.
“Why would there be hidden cameras in my office?” Fred asked with a frown.
