Page 79 of Beautifully Shattered
I shake my head. “I mean, you said after all of this was over that I could divorce you, so I kinda figured that option was open for you, too.”
Before I can blink, Ringo lifts me off the porch, and my legs wrap around his waist on instinct, carrying me up the steps.
“You’re stuck with me, Angel. Actually, fuck that. I take back that statement. There’s no fucking way I’m letting you divorce me when this is over.”
Laughter follows us inside as JD and Jols listen to our exchange, but I pay them zero attention, not able to draw my gaze away from the fierce promise blazing in Ringo’s eyes.
“Now that we’ve sorted that out,” he sighs, “please tell me what you’re trying to ask for.”
Drawing in a steadying breath, I steel myself to say the words.
“Would it be alright if I bury Bobbi under the Jacaranda tree on your property? She doesn't have to be next to Hope… I just… well… I just don’t want Bobbi to be alone.”
Ringo’s eyes glaze over, and he clears his throat before answering. “Say no more, Angel. Of course you can.”
I swallow the lump that’s lodged in my throat and lean forward, pressing my forehead to his, just like he loves to do with me.
“I love you,” I whisper, and he hugs me closer.
“I fucking love you, too, Angel.”
He closes the distance then, his lips claiming mine, and I melt against him, soaking in the calm he brings me. The rare sense of peace only he has the power to give.
“Uhhh, question,” JD butts in. “If you two start fucking out here in the living room, because it’s a shared space, we can totally stick around and watch, right?”
The low growl that rumbles up Ringo’s throat is what breaks our kiss, and he shoots a glare in JD’s direction.
“If I start fucking my wifeanywhereand you or other people are in the fucking room, you all need to fuck right off! Got it?!”
“Except for when you’re spying on us fucking, right?” Jols smirks, poking her tongue out as she strolls past into the kitchen.
A giggle slips from me before I can stop it, and even though I immediately feel guilty for it, I try hard to ignore the feeling clawing at me for having the slightest moment of happiness.
Ringo’s frown softens into a grin at the sound, his eyes roaming my face before he heads for the stairs with me in his arms.
“I’m taking my wife to bed.”
“Oh, I see how it is,” JD huffs. “You’ll yell at me but not Jols. I guess we all know who your favourite is.”
As Ringo climbs the stairs, two at a time, I catch the smirk twitching at the corner of his mouth, yet he doesn’t respond to JD.
He knows exactly how to annoy his best mate.
“Of course I’m his favourite,” Jols snickers from over at the fridge as she grabs a bottle of water and cracks it open. “I’m prettier than you.”
All I hear is a startled squeak from Jols as we reach the first landing, cutting off our view of the living area below. Then the sound of feet pounding on the timber floors follows, and their laughter echoes up to us.
“Fucking hell,” Ringo groans. “They’re gonna fuck on the kitchen table. I just know it.”
I smile at that, and once again, guilt sinks in.
That’s how it’s going to be now. Every little glimpse of happiness will be tangled with grief.
This is my life now, I guess.
Upstairs, we shower quickly before slipping into bed, our bodies finding each other like magnets as we curl together.
My mind is like a hamster on a wheel. A never-ending stream of thoughts as I replay everything that happened today in my head.
