Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty-Six

Rafe

Aunt Lori: Are you sure you don’t want me to come over and help Abby take care of you? I have some experience with lads that get hurt.

Me: No, no, I just want to rest. Besides, West and Emmy are coming over later.

Aunt Lori: Okay. But I’ll pop by in the morning. The sheriff and I have a plan.

Me: Um, what?

R: He’s an old friend. And the whole town wants to help you and Abby.

Me (typed but deleted): Oh no. I’m scared now.

Me (actual reply instead): How?

Aunt Lori: I’ll tell you in the morning. But don’t worry, it doesn’t involve torches and pitchforks. They’re not as effective as flamethrowers, anyway.

Me: Um, what?

Aunt Lori: Don’t worry about it. I’ll tell you about it in the morning. Rest, lad. heart emoji

Me (typed but deleted): How the hell am I supposed to do that if I think you’re running around with a flamethrower?

Me (actual reply instead): I will. See you tomorrow.

T wo weeks later, I was determined to get Abby alone so I could tell her how I felt.

Ever since I’d been released from the hospital, people had been coming and going, offering food and help and advice. While it still awed me considering how I’d abandoned Starry Hills for so long—and I was grateful—I wanted time alone with my wife.

Well, when we were both awake and not passed out in bed. Only to sleep, so far. Fingers crossed, the doctor would give me the all clear at my next appointment.

But as much as I wanted to strip Abby and worship every inch of her body, I could feel her slipping behind her inner walls more and more. To the point, I wasn’t sure if she’d even want to stay married to me.

Oh, she’d been nothing but supportive—taking care of me, doing her best to keep most visitors at bay, and thinking of how her interview could help my training facility. But the ease we’d once had, the teasing, the banter, was mostly gone. I wasn’t sure if it was because of guilt, or if it was her way of trying to protect me.

Regardless, I refused to give her up without a fight.

So the day I could finally walk around and not need a nap after five minutes, I waited until my sister left for her latest visit. As soon as the door closed, I said to Abby, “Come with me.”

Her brows came together. “Did you do too much? Do you need to use me as a crutch to get to bed?”

I tugged her to me and wrapped my arms around her. “No, I just need you. I need this.”

The last time I’d tried to hold her, she’d come up with an excuse and rushed off. This time, however, I was stronger, and I held her a little tighter. “Abby, please don’t run away again.”

She lifted her head. “What are you talking about?”

I risked moving a hand to cup her cheek. “Please, love. Just talk to me. You’ve been here, but not really. If that makes sense?”

As she bit her bottom lip, she looked off to the side. “I hate how you’re getting dragged into all my crap.”

I gently moved her head until she met my gaze again. “You have a plan. Plus, the town has our back, and I wouldn’t want to cross your friends, let alone your aunt.”

“Still, this is all my mess. No one else should have to clean it up.”

My heart raced as I knew I had to be honest with her, or she might slip away from me forever. “It’s our mess, Abby. You’re my wife.”

“But—”

“No. Don’t use the excuse that it’s fake. Maybe it started that way.” I took a deep breath and blurted, “But it’s real to me. Or, at least I want it to be. I love you, Abigail Wolfe. And quite simply, I miss you.”

Her lips parted as she searched my gaze. “What are you talking about?”

“Which part? The loving you or missing you?”

“The loving part. How…what…I don’t understand.”

As I rubbed my thumb over her cheek, I replied, “You’re easy to love, Abby. You’re kind and funny, yet still strong and determined. Not to mention beautiful and sexy. You also don’t put up with my grumpy asshole self and call me out when I need it.” Leaning down, I laid my forehead against hers. “I love you, Abby. I want you to stay my wife. If that means wooing you and marrying you again for real, I’ll do it. Just tell me I have a chance.”

Her voice was so quiet that I almost couldn’t hear it. “I’m nothing but trouble, Rafe. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to stop my ex.”

After taking her face in my hands, I said, “We’ll work on it together. No matter how long it takes, we’ll get the bastard. If it means using every penny I have, I will. I won’t rest until he pays and you’re free. Of him, your past, of everything.” I stroked her cheeks and leaned a little closer. “I love you. The rest doesn’t matter.”

A tear rolled down her cheek, and I wiped it away. Before I could say something else, she replied, “Oh, Rafe!” She hugged me close and her muffled voice continued, “I love you too, but I’m afraid of what that means for you.” She lifted her head. “You already almost died because of me. It might happen again, especially if we stay married and I can’t stop my ex.”

“No, I’m not about to die now that I’ve found you. You’re the future I didn’t know I needed, Abby. You’re my reason for getting up every day.”

“Rafe,” she murmured before she kissed me.

I took my time sampling her lips, her mouth, and caressing her tongue with mine. I eventually stopped and asked, “Is that a yes to being my wife, then?”

She ran a hand down my chest and back up again, until she could caress my jaw. I leaned into the touch as she said, “Yes. And I don’t need to get married again. When this is all over, I just want a party with our friends and family, like we talked about before.”

I made a face. “You still want a disco ball and a 1970s-era dance floor? With bell-bottoms and roller skates?”

She laughed, the sound warming my heart. She shook her head. “No. I just suggested that to see how far I could push you. The fact you said yes still baffles me.”

I lightly slapped her ass. “I was still trying to get into your pants at that point. I probably would’ve agreed to anything.”

“Hmm. If I’d known that, maybe I would’ve suggested a fairytale party, with costumes. Or maybe a giant paintball competition, with some cheating to beat my brothers.”

Caressing her cheek, I said, “Anything you want, Abigail. All I need is you and your love.”

She leaned against me and hooked her arms around my neck. “I love you. And I’d really like to show you how much, but the doctor still hasn’t cleared you.”

I kissed the side of her neck. “Maybe if I just lay there, we could try. I wouldn’t usually make you do all the work, but I did get hit by a car recently.”

“An excuse you won’t be able to use after five years.”

I raised an eyebrow and met her gaze again. “Five years?”

“We should have a rule that if it’s been more than five years, we can’t use the incident against each other.”

I ran my thumb across her bottom lip. “While I’m not using it against you—I don’t blame you for it—I like how you’re thinking of our future in years.”

She caressed my jaw. “You stole my heart a long time ago, Rafael Mendoza. It just took me a long time to realize that it would always be you.”

With a growl, I took her lips again. Maybe later I would regret all the years we’d had apart. Or how I’d avoided Starry Hills and Abby for so long. But right here, right now, I just wanted to kiss my wife.

My wife.

Now and forever.