Page 124 of Nothing Without You
Christian gave me a look that forced me to squish my legs together.
“Why do you think, baby?”
I swallowed hard. “You’re sticking with that nickname?”
“I’m sticking with whatever fits you. Sunshine, baby, love, mine, all of the cheesy nicknames in the world.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re my wife.”
“In name only,” I sighed. “Try your best to remember that.”
Christian stopped the car.
In the middle of a busy road.
“Christian,” I gritted out when a bunch of horns started honking at us.
He turned in his seat. “Let’s get one thing straight, Adelaide.”
With his forefinger and thumb, he turned my chin to face him. “You are my wife, and I am doing all of this to show you I love you. You don’t believe me, and I can see it on your face, but if you dig yourself into my heart right now, you’d feel how each rounded corner echoes your name. I’m tired of pretending this is nothing between us. Friends, not friends, whatever the fuck this is, it isn’t fake, and it isn’t generic. You are mywife,and I amyourhusband. I’ve been a dick and it’s taken me a long fucking time to realize it, but I want to love you, Adelaide. I want to love each overthinking thought you have and make it my own.”
I was going to erupt into a thousand different molten liquids and blind him, because his words were tantalising and hot.
For a year.
The voice interrupted through his confession. I could survive a year with his love, right?
His eyes searched my face. “Nod if you understand.”
I nodded.
“Good,” he turned back and started driving again.
From the side mirror, I noticed a huge line behind us, but he didn’t care.
He drove and drove like he didn’t stop New York traffic to stop my heart with the three most important words in the world.
Instead of focusing on the uncontrollable thump, Istarted checking out his car. Opening the dashboard, finding nothing but papers. Then I turned to the inner console.
Dumbstruck. Absolutely shocked.
He had pads.
A variety of them.
Maxi pads.
Winged pads.
Non-winged pads.
Small pads.
Diaper pads.
Holy crap. He got me diaper pads.
