Chapter Forty-Five
Not long after our talk on the verandah, we left. I was emotionally exhausted from the day. We decided to see Suzette and Henry another day.
The ride home was quiet. I grabbed Garrick’s hand and squeezed it to let him know I would be okay. I simply needed some time to process my thoughts.
Being together would be enough, but we still had to decide what we would do when I was cleared for sex.
Joe walked us to the door. “I’ll be across the hall if you need anything. Good night.”
“Night, Joe.”
We walked into the apartment, and I watched the twinkling of the Christmas lights as I took off my shoes. “Knoah, I’ve made a decision I want to discuss with you. Make sure you’re okay with it.”
From the way he asked in a solemn tone, I knew this would be deep. I wanted to be close to him. “Can we lie down together? I need to feel connected to you. I know we can’t have sex yet.”
He took my hand and led me back to the bedroom. In silence, we stripped down to our underwear. I crawled into bed and lay against Garrick’s chest. More realizations came. “You know, this week I forgot I wasn’t alone. I know we talked at the pond today, but I went back to the same state of mind I had after I lost Dylan and the baby. I won’t ever forget I have you.” I shifted into Garrick, letting his warmth anchor me. “What did you want to talk about?”
“This loss is still raw to both of us.” In so many ways, it was and would be for a long time. “I think you’re still putting a lot of pressure on yourself to decide about a baby when we’re cleared for sex again.”
“I am. I feel like I should have an idea of what I want.”
I moved further into Garrick’s embrace as he pulled me to him. “I decided I’m going to have condoms with me at all times. If you ever get ready to go without protection, all you have to do is say the word. I don’t want you stressing about birth control. I won’t ever ask if you’re ready for children. There won’t be expectations.”
This felt selfish and unfair. “Garrick, you have a voice in this, too.”
“And I’m using it to protect and cherish you. I love you, Knoah.”
“Love you, too.”
And having the stress removed helped more than I ever imagined.
~ ~ ~
I stretched and found Garrick’s side of the bed empty. In his place was a white rose and a note. I thought about the times when he reminded me what the white rose represented to him, and warmth spread through my chest. We would survive this storm.
To my beautiful wife,
You will forever be my untouched and flawless perfection.
Yours eternally,
Garrick
Chewing on my lip, I welcomed the butterflies dancing in my stomach. My mind and body felt more normal with each passing moment. I would survive anything that came my way.
The door opened and Garrick poked his head in. “You’re awake. I have breakfast.”
Grinning, I sat up, pulling the black sheets under my arms. “Thank you for the note. You know, you made the white rose my favorite flower.” I sniffed its sweet scent. Garrick disappeared for a moment and came back in with a tray. “What have you been up to this morning?”
Garrick beamed. “I made you breakfast. Coffee and cinnamon rolls. Well, I had Mom make her cinnamon rolls and bring them over. But I did make the coffee. Oh, and hot chocolate. I have some of that, too.”
Cinnamon rolls. They were the comfort food Mom had made for me. Evelyn had made me hot chocolate. He never forgot a single detail. “They’re not your mom’s, but my mom makes a pretty good batch, I thought might suffice.”
They smelled heavenly. “This is amazing. I’m starving.”
Throughout the last week, I hadn’t eaten much. But my appetite had fully returned. I took a bite of the roll and practically wept. “This is so good. I hope there’s more.”
“When I called Mom last night and asked her, I think she made enough to feed the entire city of Orlando.”
I missed Garrick’s family. “Is she still here?”
“No, she wanted to give us some time. If you’re up to it, she invited us over for lunch.”
“I’d like that a lot.”
Garrick sent a text and got a response back in seconds. “Noon. And it’ll just be us.”
Good. I loved Garrick’s family, but they were a bit overwhelming at times. The children knew I’d been pregnant and I wasn’t quite ready to face the questions. I needed a few more days until our Christmas get-together.
“Have you gotten any updates on Sawyer’s family?”
“No. Christopher approached me two days ago about buying the company. Wanted to know if the offer still stood.”
I was thankful that Christopher and Tonya hadn’t been behind my kidnapping or involved with Navarro’s plan in any way. “What are you going to do?”
“Adjust my offer accordingly and see if he accepts. Do you have any thoughts on it?”
“No. Just treat them like you would any other business. I don’t want anything coming back on you.”
“It won’t. Someone else has made an offer. I would imagine it’ll be better than mine, which is fine. I think that’ll make it easier for Sawyer if he sells to someone else.” I kissed his cheek as Garrick took a bite of my cinnamon roll. “Those are good.”
I took another bite and thought about the Allaway clan. “Do you think the Monroes will truly stay away from the money?”
“Yes, I do. They came to the decision, but I also explained they would be forever out of our lives if they changed their minds. I will not put you at risk. I hope that was okay, but I wanted our position to be made perfectly clear.” Garrick’s brows creased with worry.
I touched his cheek. “Don’t worry. You made the right decision. Thank you.” We lapsed into a comfortable silence. Now I was free, truly free. “Will security disappear? Can I go out in public again?”
“Because of the connection to the Monroes and who I am, we’ll always have security. But I think this will help keep it to a minimum. I want to give you as close to a normal life as possible.”
To be able to go out and have a life again sounded amazing. “Is it really that simple?”
“Yes, it is. It’s over, Knoah. Truly over.”
One of the last weights lifted from me. I put down my coffee and scrambled into Garrick’s arms. For the first time, I believed I might truly be free of this nightmare. “You’ve been my knight in shining armor since the day I had a flat tire, spilled coffee on my dress, and broke my hair dryer. Do you remember that?”
“I remember every moment with you. Do you still have that green dress?”
“Yes.”
“Wear it tonight. I’m going to take my wife to the restaurant where she first stole my heart.”
It felt like a lifetime since Garrick and I had dined on the balcony and listened to the waves crash against the shore.
I kissed Garrick hard. Without hesitation, he responded, and things heated up quickly. He pushed me down on the bed. I needed him. Wanted him. My core throbbed to have him inside me. I wrapped my legs around him and felt his dick press against me.
In the next second, he wrenched his mouth from mine, his breathing harsh. “We can’t. Not until the doctor clears you.”
Blowing out a breath, I groaned. “This is going to be the longest wait.”
“But it’ll be worth it in the end. Patience, Knoah.”
I playfully hit him on the chest, and laughter filled the room. “You’re one to talk.”