By Virtue Fall (The Shakespeare Sisters 4) - Page 99
She cupped his jaw with her hands, pressing her lips to the corner of his mouth. ‘I love the way you’re so good with your hands. Watching you build that tree house was like having my very own lumberjack fantasy.’
He laughed. It felt as though his troubles were dissolving into thin air.
‘And I love the way you see things differently. The way you can take a photograph that nobody else can. You see beauty in everything.’
‘Keep going,’ he whispered.
She smiled at him. ‘And I love the way you want to save me, and yet you know the only way you can do it is by letting me save myself.’ She kissed him again. ‘And I love the way you dance, it’s like having sex fully clothed.’
He felt the hope rushing through him, pulling her tightly against him until their bodies were aligned. Her skin was warm and enticing, firing up every nerve in his body.
‘And I love the way you hold me, as though I’m delicate, and yet when you make love you’re hard and you’re fast and it’s like I’m unbreakable.’
‘I love that, too,’ he said. ‘Very much.’
‘There’s nothing I don’t love about you, Ryan Sutherland. From the way you handle a boat to the way you handle a kid. Everything about you is sexy and strong and so perfect to me. I couldn’t stop loving you if I tried.’
He didn’t need to hear any more. Instead he took her face in his hands, kissing her with a desperate need, until any words she had were dissolved beneath his lips.
She loved him, and that meant everything. All the other shit could be dealt with another day.
Right now, they had things to do.
31
Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall
– Measure for Measure
‘Well that’s it.’ Gloria Erkhart – her lawyer – passed her the papers, a smile splitting her face. ‘They agreed to everything. I have to admit I’m disappointed, I would have liked to hit them for more.’
Juliet glanced at the documents in her hand. Verification of Divorce. Beneath the confirmation that she and Thomas were no longer married, were the terms the judge ordered. ‘This is all I need,’ she told Gloria, her smile just as big. ‘I can’t tell you what a relief it is. Thank you for everything.’
‘We could have gone for alimony, the judge would have agreed to it.’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t want his money. I don’t need it. As long as he looks after Poppy, I can take care of myself.’ She smiled. ‘It was the custody I was worried about, and we nailed it.’ She had seventy per cent, the way she’d wanted, and they’d be sharing Christmas and other holidays. It was fair, but more importantly it was written with Poppy in mind. She’d spend time with both her parents. ‘And I have his agreement to take Poppy to my sister’s wedding. That makes me very happy.’
‘You should look on the second page, too,’ Gloria told her. ‘The judge confirmed your name change. You’re no longer Mrs Marshall.’
She flipped over, reading the declaration on the other side.
Juliet Shakespeare.
It was like seeing an old friend she hadn’t spoken with in years. She blew out a mouthful of air, as the weight lifted off her. ‘Isn’t that pretty?’ she said.
‘A pretty name for a lovely woman.’
She laughed. ‘Do I have to pay you extra for that?’
They’d made it to the courthouse steps. A couple brushed past them, the woman wearing a white dress and a veil. One couple’s beginning to match Juliet’s ending. It seemed fitting.
Somehow the world kept turning.
‘So what else do I need to do? Is there anything else to sign?’ she asked her lawyer. She felt suddenly anxious to cross all the t’s. This divorce was hard fought for, she didn’t want to do anything to sabotage it.
‘There’s nothing else at all for you to do,’ Gloria told her. ‘Apart from to go down those steps and start living your life.’
‘I think I can do that.’ She hugged the papers to her chest as a breeze shot up the steps. She opened her mouth to say more, when she felt a shadow loom over her.
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