Page 100 of The One I Need
“But I volunteered.”
“You did. But not for everything. And, the fact that I gave you no background before we went was shitty of me. I should have never let you go into that weekend blind. I was scared, plain and simple. And because of that you had to deal with things you weren’t prepared for.”
“Now knowing what you went through, I get why.”
“That’s still no excuse for throwing you into the wolves like I did. You came to Smallwood with me to help me through the funeral. In that time, you helped me deal with my heartless mother, told off my narcissistic ex, dealt with my whirlwind of emotions, and, last but of course not least, took in stride the bomb I dropped about not wanting to get divorced. So yes, I apologize. Because I know how I’m feeling, and if you feel half as off-kilter as I do, then an apology is definitely deserved.”
“Thank you,” I say. “I appreciate that. But you know I would have done it all over again if I needed to, right?”
She nods as she comes closer to me, taking my other hand in hers. “I do. That’s one of the reasons I love you.”
I think I’m dead.
Yup. Dead. Deceased. Rest in peace to me.
“Oliver? Did I break you again?”
I nod, still not having blinked or said a word. Did she say she loved me? First? She said she loved me first? I heard that, right? Was I hearing things? I mean, I always knew if we’d ever get to this point, she’d have to say it first. I knew that a long time ago. Because if I said it when I was ready, I would have surely scared her away. I never thought this day would happen.
But it did. I think. I’m pretty sure.
“Shit. I don’t know if I have any batteries to reboot you,” Izzy says, repositioning herself so she’s now sitting on my lap. “Oliver?”
“Yeah?”
“I told you I loved you.”
“I didn’t imagine it?”
She smiles at me. “You didn’t.”
I move forward and kiss her. I kiss the hell out of her. I kiss the hell out of my wife, who loves me. Who I love more than anyone or anything I’ve ever loved in my life.
I dip her so low off the couch I’m afraid we might fall. But who cares? If we fall, we’re going to do it together. Just as it should be.
I bring her back up, placing my hands around her face. “I love you. I love you so fucking much.”
Izzy smiles again before coming back in for another kiss. She wraps her arms around my neck and lets her hands get lost in my hair. She gently scratches my head as our kiss deepens. I’m a sucker for head scratches. If she keeps this up, we’re not going to make it to a bedroom.
She starts circling her hips on me, and as much as it kills me, I stop her and pull away.
“Wow,” Izzy says, slightly confused. “Honeymoon phase over already?”
I shake my head with a smile. “No. Believe me, it’s not. Because you’re going to do that headscratch thing later. And often. Which is going to make me a sex-crazed man. However, before we go any further, I feel like we need to figure things out before we just fall into a routine and have never really talked over how this is going to work.”
“Ugh,” Izzy says, falling off my lap onto her couch. “Why do you have to be practical?”
“Because normally it’s you, and since this is apparently the version of Izzy where she got her groove back, I’m going to take the reins for this one. Plus, I am the relationship guy. This part I’ve got locked down.”
“Good call,” she says. “Okay, responsible Izzy hat back on.”
I laugh as she pretends to put on a cap. “So…we kind of did this backward.”
“Yes and no,” Izzy says. “You at least took me on a date.”
“True,” I say. “And we slept together.”
“See? We’re not completely fucked up. We just have to figure out how to be married.”
