AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“They’ll be disappointed.”
“Who cares? Not me. If you’re unhappy and you don’t want to hang around and celebrate, we leave. Simple.”
Marci bites down on her bottom lip, and I want to punch Billy for making her sad, but it won’t achieve anything except to upsether even more. And that’s exactly why I haven’t done anything yet. Because she doesn’t want me to.
“What do you want to do, Angel?” I ask.
“We can stay for a bit.”
I hold out a hand to her, and she takes it. I sweep her into a hug and press a kiss to her temple because I can’t resist her, and I get the feeling that she needs affection.
“None of that is your fault,” I whisper. “You get that, right?”
“He’s struggling, and it’s because of me.” She hugs me back, tight, burying her face in my shirt. “I don’t want to be weak and cry. I don’t?—”
“You’re not weak,” I say. “And he’s not struggling because of you, Marci. You did your best. You continue to do more than you have to for your grown brother. I know you feel guilty because he didn’t get the childhood you did and that you feel like he’s your responsibility, but by blaming yourself, you’re only hurting yourself more.”
Her shoulders shake, and I stroke her hair, breathing in the scent of her perfume, enjoying the warmth of her pressed against me too much.
Once she’s collected herself, we go downstairs to join the others. The wedding reception is a meal with my family at the dining room table. We celebrate. We sign our marriage license, and we eat a couple of bites of a cake that Ganny prepared for today.
It takes forever.
I want to celebrate, but Marci’s not in the right frame of mind, and I want to get her home, away from Ganny’s house. And that’s exactly what I do. I drive us home in the silence, with her staring out of the window, and bring her inside.
She sits down on the edge of the bed in her wedding dress.
“What can I get you?” I ask. “What do you need me to do?”
Marci shakes her head.
“What can I do to make you happy?”
I’ve never said those words before. There are a lot of things I’ve never said before today.
“Let’s take the photo,” she whispers.
“All right.”
It’s not close to bedtime yet. The sun is setting, and a salty breeze drifts through the open window. I set up the tripod and camera anyway, put on the timer, and then sit down next to her.
“Smile, Angel. You’re my wife.”
She sucks in a breath and the shutter clicks. “Your wife.”
“That’s right,” I say, turning toward her. I take her hand in mine and lift it to my lips. “My wife.”
Marci’s gaze traces my movements, my face, and comes to a rest on my lips.
“Jesse.”
“I love it when you say my name.”
She licks her lips. Her hair rests against the hollow of her throat, and her breasts rise and fall rapidly. Those deep emerald eyes are filled with the promise of more.
“Baby,” she says.
And I’m transported back to the night she came for me, my name on her lips, her fingers in her pussy, and those eyes locked onto me, daring me to break.
