He laughed, and finally, finally, the tension seeped from his shoulders.
“You messed this up.” I reached to his tie, rearranging it. “Here, let me fix it for you. Better?”
“Yes. This was a pleasant surprise. I’m happy about it. I don’t know why I’m so worked up. I’m an idiot.”
“No, you’re not. Everyone has their own way of dealing with things. You internalize them.”
“That’s just a more polite way of saying I’m an idiot.”
“Not at all. You’re broody. I happen to find it sexy.”
He gave me a wide, beautiful smile. I breathed out in relief. It was the first heartfelt smile since the speech.
“You do?”
“Yes.”
“What else do you find sexy about me?”
I attempted to take my hands away from his tie, but he clasped my wrists, keeping them in place. I splayed my fingers on the sides of his neck instead.
“Your flirty side, your swoon-worthy side. Although that one is just irresistible.”
“And yet, you’ve been resisting me just fine.”
His tone was playful, but his gaze was determined. He placed his palms over the backs of my hands, pressing them against his neck, stepping forward until we were but an inch apart.
“Thank you for being at my side tonight, Josie. I needed you. How did you know?”
I always wanted to be at his side. I wanted to be there for him no matter what he needed. Not as his best friend, but as his wife.
“Because I love you. And I’ve been afraid, and silly. I’ve been a lawyer for so long and have always wanted to be one, so it felt as if some part of me was just ripped away. I got lost in my head, and then when I realized how unhappy you were, it just... made me doubt that I could be more than your best friend, that I could make you happy as your wife.”
I’d realized that he was trying to fix things for me because it was in his nature to make those he cared about happy.
“Don’t be afraid, okay? I love taking care of you, making you happy. I admit, I don’t always know how to go about it, but I’m learning. I’ll be a happy man to keep learning all my life. I love you, Josie. I always will. Don’t doubt that. We’re both stubborn and passionate about what we believe in. We’re bound to clash. But that doesn’t mean we don’t belong together, or that we can’t be happy together. That’s what makes us work. We challenge, push each other. I can’t promise you that we won’t clash, but I do promise you that I will love you for the rest of our lives, Josie.”
“I love you, husband.”
He kissed me, hard and unapologetically. I went on my toes, deepening the kiss. I’d never need anything more than this. How did I think we didn’t belong together? I’d been a fool.
He moved his hands down to my waist, and then to my ass, pressing me against him. He wanted me, and I was too caught up in his charm to resist him.
Except... we were in public.
“Someone can walk in on us. Or, you know... see us through that window.”
“I can’t stop kissing you.”
“Then you better take me home and have your wicked way with me.”
He looked me straight in the eyes, touching my face, resting his thumb on my jaw.
“Our home?” he asked.
“Yes. Let’s go home.”
“Whatever you want. I aim to make my wife happy.” His smile gave way to a grin.