Page 74 of Ripped Lace (Ripped Bratva)

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Baby steps, I tell myself.Be patient.

But now that the high of desire has been sated, the worry and panic start to creep back in again.

We may be married. But that’s nothing more than a paper shield. One that can be cast aside the moment that I make a misstep.

Or, even worse… the moment I finally recall the missteps of my past.

“You’re thinking again,” he points out, forcing me back into the moment. “How about we go for a walk on the beach?”

I smile. “Really?”

“Yes,” he says, swinging his legs out of the bed. “We can take Theo with us.”

My face brightens instantly. “We can?”

He chuckles. “Yes. Why don’t you go shower and I’ll send Leona a text?”

I practically vault out of bed and into the bathroom. Closing the door behind me, I crank the shower to its hottest setting and brush my teeth while steam rises to the ceiling. When I get in, I sigh deeply as the hot water hits my sore skin, ironing out my muscles like a massage.

Be careful.

I still instantly. The buoyancy I’d been riding only seconds ago withers on the vine.

“I am being careful.”

You’re starting to imagine a future with him already.

“No, c’mon, that’s not true.”

You realize you’re lying to yourself right now, right?

I take a deep breath. “Things are changing between us. He believes me.”

And what happens when you get your memory back? You know it’s coming. Slowly, but it’s coming. You can’t hide from it forever.

“Stop,” I whisper, making the water even hotter.

Pain ripples across my body. I welcome it.

Lys, you—

“Stop!”

I’ll worry about all of that later.

For now, I’ll think about Phoenix. I’ll think about Theo. I’ll think about this ivory slice of Pacific beach, where the palm fronds blow in the ocean breeze and everything is right and good and perfect.

17

Phoenix

The Next Day

He’s a big kid. A happy one, too.

Or maybe that’s just because he’s cocooned in his mother’s arms at the moment.

Can’t really blame the tyke. His mother’s arms are fucking addictive. I’ve fucked her at least four times in the last twenty-four hours and I’m still hungry for her.

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