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“I said I needed to talk to you first,” she evaded.
“Your mom asked for a certain date already, didn’t she?”
“This weekend,” she admitted, “and I know you don’t want to, but it would be easier to get it over with, and they could see how good we are together.”
“Tell them we can’t make it this weekend, and then you set a time in a few weeks that works for
you. I’ll make sure whatever date you pick works for me.”
She mulled that over before nodding. “Just, please, don’t say anything if they get on me during
the lunch.”
“Zinnie, I won’t promise to keep my mouth shut. Don’t ask that of me.”
“If I can change the date of the lunch, you can promise me that, Dash. It’ll be enough that you’re
there with me…and if things get too awful, you can fake a call from the hospital and take me away with you.”
“Deal,” I said reluctantly.
I made use of that fake hospital call after only twenty–five minutes into the lunch when it was
either leave or lose my fucking mind. It was only Zinnie’s pleading eyes that kept me from standing up and calling them out.
I couldn’t deny Zinnie anything, and then giving into her eyes became a habit.
That was when I’d first started failing Zinnie. And then, with a few unthinking, disgusting words, I’d finished the process of tearing that assurance away from her.
Now I needed to give her back that assurance without using words. Simply repeating how sorry I was wouldn’t fix this. Being in her face wouldn’t fix this. Telling her I was changing wouldn’t fix
this.
“I won’t bother you with more words, Zinnie.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I want to help you start building your happiness here, Zin. The house for you and Melitta is a start. I’ll help you out with My Little, I’ll see her every day, but I won’t live with you so
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you can have space. So you have time to think about what makes you happy. When I go back to work, I’ll help in the evenings and on the weekends.”
And maybe I can show you all the things I made you doubt with my carelessness.
“I don’t even know what my happiness will look like, Dash. All I know is what it won’t look like
and who it won’t include.”
I was hoping she meant her mother, father and sister, but no way was I asking if I was included in
that group. Not yet anyway.
“I was thinking you could stay at the cottage for a couple of weeks, until you feel like furniture shopping since this place isn’t furnished,” I suggested.
“I want to move in sooner so I’m not taking up the seclusion cottage,” she said, shooting down my idea. “I could get one of those gel–memory foam mattresses shipped here, and you can go home and bring the furniture I bought for the nursery. I’ll order everything else I need online.”
“All right. Before everything starts arriving, I’ll clean the house top to bottom for you over the
next day or so.”
“Thank you,” she said as her phone buzzed.
Thinking it was Aggie, she pulled it out of her pocket quickly.
“It’s your mom,” she said, frowning because my mom didn’t call her. “She’s called me a couple of times since last night.”
“That’s because I’m not answering,” I told her. “She’s probably frustrated but she knows she’s not supposed to call you. Just block her and I’ll deal with her later.”
“She’s not supposed to call me?”
“No,” I said shortly. “I told my parents they were never to call you, and they were always to go through me.”
“Well, this is the first time since we’ve been married that she’s called me.”
“She shouldn’t be calling now. She’s probably trying to find out if Melitta’s been born.”
“You didn’t tell your parents I had the baby?”
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“No. I don’t share much information. Our mothers talk, so that’s how my mother finds out most things going on in our lives.”
“Since when?”
“Since about ten minutes after our rehearsal dinner ended.”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.