Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 119548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
“Just for tonight,” she murmured. “Too tired to be the big spoon.”
I laughed quietly. “Hey, if you wake up and I’m gone, I’m just in my office, all right?”
“Do you have something to do?”
“Yeah, I should have done it earlier, but you were more important.” I kissed the top of her head.
“You can go now if you need to,” she said, snuggling in closer and looping her leg over mine.
“Oh, very convincing, wife.”
She let out a little giggle then sighed, and her body fully relaxed into both me and the mattress. Her head was tucked under mine, and as I turned towards her, she pushed her face into me a little more.
God.
If I didn’t have to go to my office to destroy those stupid divorce papers before she asked for them, there was nothing short of an earthquake that could get me out of this bed.
Deli’s breathing evened out after a few minutes, and I smiled as I tenderly ran my fingers through her hair. She was a heavy sleeper, but I didn’t want to leave until I was absolutely sure she wouldn’t wake up.
I didn’t want to leave at all, but that was beside the point.
I stared into the darkness, savouring the sensation of her soft, clean skin beneath my fingertips. I could scarcely believe this had happened. I also knew one thing—I would have to make sure to grab her before she disappeared in the morning, because she would disappear.
Delilah always disappeared when she was embarrassed or didn’t want to talk about something.
But this?
We were going to talk about it.
And we were going to be honest.
And I was going to tell her that I was so in love with her that I couldn’t think straight. That the mere thought of her leaving made me feel so sick that I could barely breathe.
That I truly, honestly could not live without her.
It was something that had always been the case. The few times in our lives that we’d been separated had always made me feel like I was missing a leg, and I didn’t want to imagine how painful that would be now.
More to the point, I couldn’t imagine it.
Life without Delilah wouldn’t be worth living.
I kissed her shoulder gently, then sighed and whispered, “I love you, Delilah.”
35
* * *
FRED
Ipushed open my office door and flicked on the light, then headed right for the cabinet in the corner that held the papers that were my worst nightmare.
They were filed away at the very back, and I pulled out the envelopes that held them. The annulment papers were completely useless now—if Deli still wanted to end this marriage, divorce was the only option.
But she couldn’t.
I wouldn’t let her.
I sank into my chair at my desk and slid the annulment papers out of the envelope. I tore them right into two, then ripped them again, and shoved them back in the stupid brown envelope.
Then, I got right back up and threw them in the stone cold fireplace.
It would have been far more fulfilling if the fire was burning, but nobody in their right mind would light a fire in July.
Then again, perhaps I could light it and claim momentary insanity.
The thought of Delilah not being my wife anymore was certainly enough to drive me to it.
I sat back down and stared at the envelope holding the divorce papers. I couldn’t even remember what was in them. I had no idea what she’d eventually agreed to accept as a settlement—all I could remember was her adamant refusal to take anything at all.
I hadn’t allowed it, of course. Not only would it ultimately become public, but I wanted to at least make sure she was taken care of on the chance it ended badly between us.
After all, Granny had warned us.
A part of me wished we’d listened to her.
The rest of me was glad we hadn’t, because I would never know what it was like to love someone so wholly if I hadn’t fallen in love with my best friend.
I pushed the papers to the side and started my laptop. The moment it booted, I opened my online banking and sent two payments.
One to Max for five hundred pounds.
One to Will for five hundred pounds.
The reference? ‘You win.’
Despite the clock reading midnight, my phone buzzed instantly.
MAX: Are you serious????
ME: Deadly.
Will’s text came next.
WILL: I KNEW IT.
ME: You win.
The next thing I knew, a new chat popped up with them both in it, and I groaned.
I really should have waited until morning.
MAX: What happened?? Are you not divorcing?????
WILL: You actually fell in love??????
Of all people, I thought these two would have been the least shocked. After all, Will had fallen in love with his girlfriend while faking it—that was exactly why they’d started betting on our relationship in the first place.
ME: Yeah.
ME: I don’t know how she feels, but I’m not divorcing her.