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He engulfed me, his body so much bigger and harder. I felt safe in his embrace, cherished and protected. Nothing could touch or hurt me when he was holding me. I wanted him to feel that same sense of security with me. I needed him to know he could drop his guard, take a breath, and I could protect us both.
When I married your daughter, I accepted full responsibility for both her and her happiness. If there are consequences to be faced, I have no problem facing them.”
Would the day ever come when I would see her and not feel the earth shift beneath my feet?
That was why we were going to get past this and every other hurdle we faced: We would always meet each other halfway.
“Is this what you want?” I asked her quietly, searching her face for the answer. “You’re what I want. The rest is just logistics.”
“Baby…” She laughed softly. “You’re pouting. It’s so adorable.”
I could tell her anything and she would believe me. Such a simple gift, but so rare and precious. Only my silence could push her away, never the truth.
He looked at Gideon. “Can’t help you, I’m afraid. Wait ’til you see her in that blue La Perla bikini I’m packing. You’ll have the balls to match.” “I’m going to punch you, too,” Gideon drawled. “You’ll have bruises to match.”
“Who do you think monsters marry, you stupid bitch?” I walked back to her. “Pretty little breakable girls? Or other monsters?” I pushed up into her face. “You got the fairy tale right. But Gideon’s the beauty. I’m the beast.”
“You’re The One. The only one for me.”
ALWAYS MINE. FOREVER YOURS. —GIDEON
“You have performance problems, Cross?” “You have your eye on unemployment, Madani?” I took the other chair. “She’d already played hide-the-salami with Gideon once,” Eva went on. “And she really liked the salami. Can’t blame her there, either. I told you what a great lay he is.”
“Think of how much more trouble you would’ve gotten into if you’d stayed single any longer.” “You’re trouble enough for a lifetime.”
“For Christ’s sake, I don’t get upset!”
“Of course not. You like bad-tempered better? Sullen? Moody? Are those more masculine for you, ace?”
Marriage suddenly didn’t seem like enough to safeguard what she meant to me. Why wasn’t there something more binding than a mere piece of paper that gave me the right to call her my wife? Vows were a promise, but what I needed was a guarantee that every day of my life would have her in it. I wanted my heart to beat in rhythm with hers and stop when hers did. Inextricably entwined, so I would never live even a moment without her.
And I let go of my grief in the shelter of his arms, knowing that whether in joy or pain, Gideon was one with me.
