Page 28 of Dallas
I arrive back at the estate on autopilot, not remembering much of the drive. I wave at the night guard, drive to the back of the mansion, park in the huge garage, and then drag myself into the dark, quiet house. It’s been quieter since Claire realized she was pregnant. They still fuck every day, but not deep into the night. She’s too tired.
As I quietly climb the stairs, I chuckle at myself. Just eight days ago, I was making fun of my cousins. Now I’m as whipped as they are and desperate to drag Arianna to the justice of the peace.
She’s mine. The sooner she accepts that, the happier I’ll be.
After a shower—where I palm the wall and let myself reach my pleasure—I climb into bed and stare at the ceiling. It’s been three years since I’ve slept with a woman. I’ve occasionally scratched my itch and had meaningless sex, but no one has been in my bed or even my home.
My relationship with Arianna is eye-opening. I’ve never experienced anything this intense. It makes my previous marriage seem ridiculous and hasty. Even though I knew Beth for two years before we got married, I realize now it was a terrible mistake. I didn’t love her. I thought I did, but now that I have such a deep attachment to Arianna, I know my previous relationship was nothing. That’s probably why it failed so miserably and ended with my wife bitter and angry and dragging me to court to take my money.
I swore I would never let a woman get that close to me again. I was wrong. I just needed to meet the right woman.
Hell, even my feelings about procreating have taken a one-hundred-eighty-degree change. I never wanted kids with Beth. I never even considered it. In our second year of marriage, she brought it up once, but I shot it down.
It took only a few days with Arianna to know I desperately want to impregnate her and watch her grow round with my child. Several of them. It’s not that I want to tie her to me so irrevocably that she can’t leave. It’s that I want to share something so special with her that neither of us would ever contemplate breaking apart.
I’m in love with her. She’s my life.
I flop around, unable to get comfortable. My bed seems empty, lonely.
Suddenly, my phone rings on my nightstand and I bolt upright, snatching it before it has the chance to ring a second time. I don’t even look at the number. I know it’s my girl.
“Arianna?”
“Dallas, something’s happened to the pipes. I need help.”
There’s an urgency in her voice that has me leaping out of bed and grabbing my jeans before she finishes her sentence. I nestle the phone between my cheek and shoulder as I grab my shoes. “What’s happening, baby?”
“Water. Everywhere. It’s dripping from the ceiling all over the place. I heard a strange noise, and then it sounded like a fire hydrant came on above my head. I don’t know how to stop it.” She’s shouting now. “So much water. The books…”
“I’m on my way, baby. Do you know where the shutoff valve is?” I run down the stairs, pulling a shirt over my head at the same time. I’m out the back door and in my car within seconds.
“No idea. I don’t even know where or what to look for,” she cries in frustration. “Dallas, the books…”
“Baby, I’m already in my car. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Ten minutes means breaking the law and driving way too fucking fast, but I don’t like the panic in my girl’s voice. Even though it’s just water, she’s in a frenzy, and I hate that.
I’m certain there’s a shutoff valve outside, but I wouldn’t want her going out there to look for it in the middle of the night. It wouldn’t be safe.
I try to keep her calm, but she’s mumbling the entire drive about the books. She’s near tears by the time I pull into the lot behind the library. “I’m here, baby. I’m going to find the shutoff valve outside. You can come down and unlock the door for me.”
I rush around the outside of the building, getting lucky that my instinct to go to the left was correct. I quickly locate the main water source and turn it off. When I’m certain it’s fully closed, I jog to the back door, where I find a frantic Arianna wringing her hands together. Tears are running down her face.
I pull her into my arms as I back her into the stairwell. “It’s okay, baby. I’ve turned it off.”
She hiccups and shakes her head. “The books…”
My girl is certainly passionate about the library. I may not know why she came to this town or what she’s hiding from, but I do know that she’s serious about her job and loves books. That part is very real.
I reach behind her and unlock the door leading to the back of the library. After I open it, I flip on the main lights on the panel I’ve seen Arianna use. The entire interior illuminates.
I glance around as Arianna turns in my arms. “I don’t see any water leaking into the library yet, baby. Let’s go upstairs so I can assess the damage. You said it was coming in from the ceiling above your bed?”
She nods, still sobbing. “Yes.”
My heart hurts for her. I may not feel the same passion as she does about books, but I do feel empathy for my girl. I don’t like to see her hurting for any reason. If the library is this important to her, I will take this seriously and respect her feelings.
By the time we get to the top of the steps, she’s calmed down to a sniffling level. I keep her hand in mine as I tip my head back to look at the ceiling throughout her place. Sure enough, water is leaking into her bedroom through the ceiling.
“Stay here, baby.” I release her and leave her standing in the middle of the room so I can look for attic access.
