Second (Betrothed 6)

I felt weak at his touch, felt the sincerity of his voice all the way into my soul. I loved this man, but he was right, it wasn’t in the way that I used to. But I believed we could have that again if these things weren’t getting in the way. Things like fighting… Things like Damien.

It seemed unfair to be so unforgiving when I had been holding another man’s hand just days ago, when the only reason I knew about Liam’s fight was because my old lover told me…who was also my husband’s friend. He wasn’t innocent, but neither was I. “I’m not going anywhere, Liam.”

He angled my head, so our eyes were locked on each other. His expression was the same as it had been on our wedding day—the first time. His gaze was filled with deep love, as if I was the most important thing in the world to him. Sometimes he screwed things up, but his heart was in the right place. I knew he loved me…from the bottom of his heart. “Baby, I love you.” His arms circled my petite body, and he held me close, squeezed me like he never wanted to let go. He lifted me from the floor and held me against him, my feet dangling in the air.

My face moved into his neck, and I closed my eyes. “I love you too.”

I lay beside him in the dark, the light from the bedside clock providing a subtle shine to his face. I was in his t-shirt, which was a million sizes too big. It was more of a blanket, but that’s what made it comfortable.

His arm was hooked around my waist, and he held me close, our heads sharing the same pillow. His pretty eyes were on me, the only soft feature he possessed. His fingers rubbed against the soft skin of my back, caressing me like a giant trying to tenderly caress a rose. We hadn’t said much since I’d forgiven him. When he knew he’d won me over, he took me to bed and apologized in other ways.

“Baby?” His hand moved to my stomach, his fingertips grazing over my skin.

I lifted my gaze to meet his look. “Hmm?”

“How did you know?”

I hadn’t expected this conversation to arise. There had been so much drama that I assumed it would be overlooked. Normally, I would just tell him the truth…but it would destroy Damien and affect his newly restored friendship with Hades. So, I covered his ass. “I changed my mind about watching your fight.” Damien was loyal to me when he called me and told me what was happening. Maybe he’d encouraged Liam in the first place, but he’d clearly had a change of heart. He was loyal to me, so I would be loyal to him.

Liam accepted my explanation as fact. “Sometimes I think about quitting altogether…for you.”

“That would mean a lot to me if you did.” I felt bad asking him to give up his passion, but I didn’t want my husband to be bruised every time he came home, to do all this damage to his body and pay for it later in life.

“It’s all I’ve ever known,” he said quietly. “It’s something I’m proud of. I’ve worked hard to be at the top of my game, but I understand why you want me to stop. I’m committed to it, but I should be committed to you more.” He stared at me for nearly a full minute before he continued. “So, I’ll do it.”

I inhaled a deep breath when I heard his statement. It was what I wanted, and he loved fighting so much that I knew this was hard for him. It was an incredible sacrifice, but he did it for me. “I don’t want you to resent me…”

“I won’t.”

It was too good to be true. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” He answered without hesitation.

“But what will you do?”

He considered the question for a long time. “We could try to have a family again…”

Last time we tried, it ripped us apart. And while I wanted to start a family, it didn’t feel like the right time. Liam and I were still rocky, and bringing a child into this marriage didn’t seem like the smart decision. “I’m not sure if I’m ready right now, but I’ll think about it.”

His eyes showed his disappointment, probably because he knew he was the cause of my hesitation. But he didn’t voice that sadness. Instead, he cupped my cheek and caressed my skin with his thumb. “Whenever you’re ready, I’m ready.”

I’d just parked in the parking lot at the hotel when my phone rang.

It was Damien.

I stared at his name for a while before I finally answered. “Hey…” He probably wanted to know what happened between Liam and me after the blowout last night.