The Loyal Groom Read online

  “What about you?” I sit up and push the leggings out of the way.

  “It’s not tit-for-tat, sweetheart. You know eating your pussy is my favorite thing to do.”

  All these years and he can still make me blush. He lets out a deep chuckle as he holds up the leggings, and I allow him to help me put them on. Once I’m decent, he opens the door, and I realize we’re already at the airport. A private plane is just ahead on the tarmac waiting for us. He takes my hand and leads me toward it, and I can’t believe this is our life now.

  “We should purchase our own plane,” Darian suggests like it’s an end table and he can go and pick one up or order it and it will be here tomorrow. I suppose he could, and the thought makes me burst into laughter.

  “Did you think you’d ever say those words?”

  “No.” This time he laughs with me.

  “I don’t think we need our own plane. We don’t really travel much.” I shrug. Darian is too busy for vacations.

  The hand holding mine tightens, and I know my comment was a little catty. He stops walking and turns toward me. He looks at me for a long moment before he leans down and slowly kisses me, not caring who sees. His hand goes to my hair, and he tilts my head back as he deepens it. He doesn't stop until we’re both breathless, and I can feel how much he needs me.

  I really hope there’s a bed on this plane.

  “I’ll do better,” he promises as he leans down and grabs my purse. I hadn't realized I dropped it when he was kissing me.

  I nod because I hope he’s right, and I hope things get better.

  We walk up the stairs of the plane, and Darian takes me to paradise in more ways than one.

  Chapter 12

  Darian

  Two months later…

  It’s late when I get home, and Rosy hasn’t answered my texts. The house is dark, but it’s not unusual for me to get home by the time she’s already in bed. I think about the ways I’m going to wake her up and then all the ways I’m going to make love to her as I open the front door and drop my briefcase.

  Something catches the corner of my eye on the way to the stairs, and I stop when I see a letter on the table nearby. As I walk closer I see my name written in Rosy’s beautiful handwriting, but I’m confused as to why she would leave this here.

  With a shrug, I open it up and scan the single page. My stomach drops, and my blood runs cold as I read it again and again.

  * * *

  Dear Darian,

  I love you, but I can’t do this anymore. I thought our trip to the islands was a turning point for us, but two months later we’re back in the same old routine. I don’t know how to fix this on my own, but I know that I can’t sit in that big empty house waiting for you to come home every night.

  I’m going to stay at Lindsey’s for a few days to clear my head. Please give me the space I need. I’ll come home, I promise. I just need to figure out…I don’t know, everything.

  Rosy

  * * *

  Before I know what’s happening my knees give out, and I fall to the floor. How can this be happening? The weeks since we went away for her birthday all blur together. I’ve had more demands at work, people pulling me in different directions, and no time left over for home.

  How could I have been so stupid? How could I have let the best thing in my life fall to the bottom of the pile? How could I leave her as leftovers? I was so busy trying to build a life, I wasn’t living it. There’s one thing that’s clear to me in this moment, now more than ever before. We don’t do space, and being apart is what got us here in the first place.

  Pushing up off the floor, I rush to the garage and grab the keys to my old truck. I break a few traffic laws on my way across town, but when I pull up to Lindsey’s building, I toss the keys to the doorman, who nods like he was expecting me.

  The elevator to the penthouse is slower than normal, and I wonder if it’s because I’m anxious to get to the top and it’s torturing me. When the doors open to the top floor, I walk out to the small entrance with her front door straight ahead. I look at the keys in my hand and curse myself for not bringing the other set that has a key to her place. So I do what any normal husband would at this moment: I begin to beat on the door with my fists while kicking it in and screaming out my wife’s name like a lunatic.

  “Rosy, you get your ass out here right this second, or so help me god, I’ll tear this building apart!”

  There’s a click at the door, and then it slowly opens to reveal Lindsey standing there with her arms crossed over her chest. “You’re gonna pay for that damage.”

  “I’ll write you a check,” I say, trying to push past her.

  She surprises me by putting an arm against her doorframe and blocking me. “Can I help you?”

  “I want my wife.” My teeth are clenched, and I know I might be on the verge of a breakdown.

  “You should know better than to come to my house demanding anything.” She narrows her eyes at me as she takes a step forward. “I don’t care how big and mad you are, baby brother, you’re not getting past me.”

  “Lindsey, this isn’t your fight.”

  “You’re my fight, she’s my fight, my family will always be my fight.” I see fire flare in her eyes. “I think one of us has lost sight of that lately, and it ain’t me.”

  Some of the anger bubbling up inside me deflates.

  “Do you think any of us would have traded our old lives for this?” She pauses, waiting for me to disagree. “We would have gladly stayed in that gutter if it meant we stayed together.” She pokes me in the chest, and it stings almost as much as her words. “She’s the heart of this family, Darian, and you’ve broken it.”

  “Fuck.” I put my head in my hands as flashes of the past few years come tumbling at me all at once. It’s images of Rosy and how her light has slowly been slipping away from her. I’ve tried to give her everything she ever wanted, and in the process, I took away what she loved most. Me.

  “I think you should go,” Lindsey says softly, and I shake my head.

  “Please.” My voice breaks. “Please, I need to see her.”

  “Darian.” Rosy’s voice comes from behind Lindsey, and my heart lurches toward the sound.

  Lindsey closes her eyes for a moment and then opens them before she straightens up. “Fix it,” she says in a low voice. “For all of us, you better fix it.”

  She moves away from the door, and behind her is Rosy with red eyes like she’s been crying. The sight of her tears makes me weak, but I don’t move, afraid if I do she’ll run.

  We’re silent as we stare at one another and then a smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. “I should have known you wouldn’t give me any space.”

  “Never.” I shrug, not at all sorry.

  “Darian, I meant what I said. I do love you—”

  “I love you too,” I cut her off, and she shakes her head.

  “But maybe that’s not enough.” She looks down at the ground and sighs. “I know that what you do is important, but so am I.” When her eyes finally meet mine again, I see the tears.

  “You are the reason I do the work. For us.” I can’t stand the distance between us anymore and take a step closer. “Rosy, you are the reason I wake up every day. Without you, it all means nothing.”

  I shake my head as she begins to talk.

  “Please, let me just say this.” She hesitates and then nods as she presses her lips together. “I thought by giving you your old life of luxury, I was somehow making up for taking you away from it. All the times you told me that you were happy to give it up, I thought about all you had to sacrifice, all we had to sacrifice when we didn’t have two pennies to rub together.” I put my hand on my chest as I feel the hollow ache clench. “Those were our best times, not because of the money, but because we had each other, and I’ve lost sight of that.”

  I take another step closer, and I can almost reach out my arms and touch her.

  “After I read your note, I could only think abou
t one thing, and it was the first time you looked at me. It was the first time in my life that I felt like I could do anything. One look from you and I could take over the world and become the man I was destined to be. You gave me the courage to do that, and then without realizing it I left you behind.” I shake my head and take one small step closer. “I lost sight of my purpose, and that’s always been to love you.”

  “Darian,” she says softly, and this time it’s her turn to step toward me until we’re a breath apart.

  “On the way over here tonight, I relinquished my control of the company. They have everything they need to keep my work going forward, and I named Lindsey as head of operations.”

  “What?” she screeches from the hallway.

  “Oh my god, are you serious?” Rosy’s eyes widen in disbelief.

  “You are my life, not my work. And I’m sorry I needed you to remind me of that.”

  “Um, can we go back to the part where I’m in charge of something I know absolute shit about?” Lindsey says, but I ignore her because Rosy is smiling up at me.

  “Promise me something,” I say as I pull Rosy against me and cup her cheek.

  “Anything.” She reaches up and touches my face like she’s checking to be sure I’m real.

  “Promise me that the next time you want to leave, you’ll tell me first. It will save me a lot of money.” I glance back at the bashed-in door, and I hear Rosy laugh.

  “Deal.”

  With that one word, I look into my wife’s eyes just before I kiss her with all the love I have inside me. Her arms wrap around my neck, and she pulls me in tight as I lift her off the ground. Every part of me is clinging to her, and right now, all I want to do is find a flat surface so we can make love.

  “Take it back to your house. I’ve gotta find a midnight repairman,” Lindsay says, although she doesn’t sound as pissed as she did earlier.

  “I’ll send someone over,” I tell her as I carry Rosy out of her apartment and to the elevator.

  “Yeah, and then send someone who can explain what the hell it is you want me to do for your company.”

  I turn around as I step onto the elevator with Rosy in my arms. “Relax, it’s your company now. Do what you want.”

  With that, the doors close, and Rosy and I laugh before our lips connect once more.

  Chapter 13

  Rosy

  The morning sun tries to sneak in under the heavy curtains, but it’s still dark in our bedroom. I reach out, not finding my husband in bed with me, and for a moment my heart drops. I shake it off because there’s no way he’s not here after last night. Even as I get out of bed and feel all the yummy aches in my muscles, I know that his words were true.

  After I grab my robe, I pull back the drapes, letting the light flood the space. With light landing on every inch of the room, I realize I hate this place. I think I got lost in trying to be the wife I thought my husband wanted and agreeing to that image even at the cost of what I wanted. His dream wasn't only to make it but to fit into a world that shunned him and to prove himself.

  As I walk downstairs I can hear his voice coming from the kitchen. When I walk in, I see he’s got his phone pressed to his ear, and I wait there, drinking him in. It doesn’t take long, and he must have heard me because when he turns around to face me, there’s a smile pulling at his lips.

  “Hold on,” he says into the phone as he comes over and gives me a quick kiss. “The twins have gotten themselves in a tangle.” He smiles against my mouth before he kisses me again.

  I didn’t realize I was tense across my shoulders until they relax. I assumed it was a work call, and I get mad at myself for not trusting him.

  “Why the look?” he asks before he puts the phone back to his ear.

  I glance down, but he doesn't let me get away with it. He lifts my chin to look at him, and I explain. “I thought it was a phone call for work, and I’m upset I didn’t trust you. But that reaction lies with me, and I know in time it will stop.”

  “I love you.”

  God, he really is perfect. I hope I wasn't too hard on him by leaving, but the thing is, it’s not just us anymore. He gives my ass a squeeze and then a quick smack.

  “Grab the door. Security said Lindsey is on her way in.”

  I make it to the front door at the same time as Lindsey and she comes straight in, already halfway through a sentence.

  “I can’t do this. That Mary is a nightmare.”

  I snort because I’ve never seen her panicked before. “I like Mary.” I defend the older woman that runs Darian’s office. She can be a shark and stole more of my husband's time than I liked, but she’s good at her job. I respected her for at least making an effort to use his time wisely and keep the place running as efficiently as possible.

  “She woke me up at four a.m. with questions. Questions that don’t even make sense.”

  “Come to the kitchen.” I grab her arm and pull her along with me.

  * * *

  “He’s going to kick me out. He said no more work.”

  I laugh, knowing what that meant, but this is different. “If this is something you really want to do then he is going to help you. Both of us will.” She engulfs me in a giant hug, and I sigh, feeling happy.

  Lindsey’s been there for all of us over the years. There’s no way we’re going to leave her hanging.

  We enter the kitchen as Darian puts his phone on the kitchen counter. “What did they do?” Lindsey asks, knowing the look on his face.

  “Made a couple of princes fall in love with them. They are demanding their hands in marriage.”

  I snort a laugh, but no one joins me. “Oh.” I put my hand over my mouth to try and hide it.

  “Of course they did.” Lindsey rolls her eyes.

  I watch as Darian makes me a cup of coffee the way I like it. I take it from him and pretend to take a sip. Luckily, Lindsey’s mind is wrapped up in a million other things, and she doesn’t notice I’m skipping the caffeine.

  I’ve got a little secret that I’m waiting for the perfect time to reveal, but I’m not sure when that perfect time will be.

  “Seriously?” I ask, wanting more of this story. Darian shakes his head.

  “Men fall right on their faces for those two,” Lindsey scoffs while motioning that she doesn't have a coffee herself. “They wanted some excitement, and they're about to get it.”

  “What I was thinking…” Darian agrees. “Besides. I have plans to take my wife on a honeymoon today.”

  Butterflies explode inside of me at the possibility. “Really? Today? Just like that?” Hope bubbles up in my heart.

  “Just like that.”

  I run around the kitchen island and jump into his arms. This was the kind of thing I dreamed about when he made it big. That the money he would make would give us freedom, not chain him to a desk. I know that even in this moment he wouldn’t take the credit for his success. He always says without us girls he never could have done it.

  “I’d love nothing more.” I kiss him quickly as he squeezes me close.

  We should really do our traveling sooner rather than later with my little secret hanging between us.

  “Bacon and bagels?” he asks, knowing it’s my favorite.

  “Yes, please, and juice too.”

  Lindsey gives me the side eyes as she glances at my abandoned coffee. Darian makes me a fresh glass of orange juice and hands her a mug.

  “Eggs for you?” he asks Lindsey.

  “I’m not hungry,” she says dryly, reminding me why she’s here in the first place.

  “She needs to eat, so yes, eggs,” I tell Darian, and he nods and starts to make breakfast. “You also need to help your sister before she gives herself an ulcer.”

  “Mary didn't call you?” He pulls the eggs out of the refrigerator.

  “She did, but she was asking me five million things I didn't understand.”

  “I doubt that,” I huff and shake my head. “You’re one of the smartest and most capab
le people I know. If someone breaks something down for you I know you’ll understand it. Just slow down and take a breath.” She actually sits down in one of the high-top chairs and does as I suggest. “My grandpa always told me that you don’t have to be the smartest person in the room, even if you’re in charge. You just have to be capable enough to know who is the smartest. Then you hire them.”

  “She’s right. You’re not there to make new technology, you're there to run the place. You’re essentially management, and if anyone can do that, it’s you.”

  “Yep,” I say in agreement.

  “And I’ll be there to help. I’m only a call away,” he reassures her.

  After that, Lindsey begins to relax, and we spend the morning talking and eating breakfast together. It’s nice that we’re all together again and there’s no rush. It’s almost like old times only we’re in a kitchen I don’t think any of us dreamed of.

  “Not to put more on anyone’s plate, but I found this.” I click on the property I’ve been eyeing since it came on the market. Our real estate agent Jenna sent it to me knowing it was exactly what I’ve had in mind for a long time.

  “What is this?” Lindsey asks.

  “I can handle it all,” I rush to say, knowing she has enough to do at the moment.

  “We can handle it,” Darian corrects as he pulls the laptop in front of him and me onto his lap. I turn my head and give him a kiss, and Lindsey clears her throat before it can get out of hand.

  “It’s a piece of land outside the city. I know this might sound crazy, but I thought we could all build here. You can even build a giant fence to go around the whole thing so it could be our own subdivision.”

  “You hated designing this place,” Lindsey reminds me.

  “You did?” Darian’s hold on me tightens.

  “I made this place how I thought it was supposed to be done and to live up to this life. I mean, I want to keep it for when we’re in the city, but this place…” I click on the picture of the land. “It would be for all of us.”