Lover (Betrothed 3)

It only pissed me off more. “Congratulations. You finally did your job.”

24

Sofia

I couldn’t sleep.

Knowing he might die tonight made it impossible for me to relax. He had Damien and Ash along with the rest of his men, but that wasn’t enough for me. Until I knew he was safe and unharmed, I would sit in the dark with my hand on my stomach, waiting to hear news about my husband.

I kept glancing at my phone to make sure it wasn’t on Do Not Disturb.

It was two-thirty in the morning…and still nothing.

I considered calling him, because he’d told me I could. But I didn’t want to bother him when he had more important things to worry about. And if he didn’t answer, that would only stress me out even more.

It was crazy to think that this man had meant nothing to me at one point in time. He was just a good lay, man candy. But now, he was the love of my life, the man I dreamed of when I went to sleep. I couldn’t lose him. I just couldn’t.

Thankfully, my phone started to ring with his name on the screen. I took the call right away and breathed into the phone. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, baby. I’m fine.”

I clutched my chest and breathed harder into the phone. I was so relieved I could barely catch my breath. “Where are you?”

“Just finished cleaning up at the docks. We’ll be home by late morning.”

I still wasn’t sure if I could sleep until he came home. “Okay, are the guys okay?”

“Yeah, Ash and Damien are fine.”

“Good. Tell them I said hi.”

He didn’t respond to that. “I gotta go. I just called because I knew you’d worry.”

I felt like an overprotective mother who couldn’t let her kids grow up, but I didn’t care if I was overdramatic. I wanted my husband to come back in the same condition as when he left. “Thank you. I’ll see you when you get home.”

Before he got off the phone, he had one more thing to say. “I love you.” It was the first time he’d said it to me over the phone, the first time he’d said it to me in the way couples usually did. It was so normal. But it was such a lovely thing to hear, such a comfort since I was home alone.

I loved my husband so much, I could barely take it. I didn’t know how this happened, how I fell so madly in love with a man. I’d been detached my entire life, never clinging to any man I met. But now I was obsessed with my husband. “I love you too…”

He came home just before noon. In the same clothes he’d worn when he left, he looked the same as he stepped inside. There were no new bruises or scars, and no signs of blood or injury. The only difference was he seemed exhausted.

I ran into his arms right away and wrapped my arms around his neck. I was still in his t-shirt because I didn’t get ready for the day. I’d been too stressed to sleep or shower. “I’m so happy you’re home.”

He lifted me from the floor and held me so we were eye level with each other. He hadn’t been able to pick me up in a long time, but now he was strong enough to lift me effortlessly. His large hands gripped my ass as he carried me back to the bed. His lips moved to mine, and he kissed me as he held me in the air. He should be tired and eager for a shower, but he cared more about curing my broken heart. “I told you I would come back.”

“I know. But seeing your face is so much better than hearing your words.”

He studied my gaze for a while, looking into my eyes like he could do it forever. “You didn’t sleep.”

“How could I, when you weren’t next to me?” I’d never committed to a man before, but now I was the clingiest woman the world had ever seen. My priorities had changed, and the most important things to me were this man and the little boy we’d made together. It was crazy how so much could change in the blink of an eye.

His eyes softened slightly, so subtly it was hardly noticeable. My husband was a strong man, the strong and silent type, the kind that thrived in the shadows and winced in the light. That was why I was so attracted to him in the first place. So when I saw him soften for me, have emotion for me, it spoke volumes. His hand moved to my cheek, and he brought our foreheads together. His fingers moved down to my neck, and he lightly pressed into me as he held me. “I’m here now. And soon, this will all be over.”