Page 65 of Daring Destiny
I close my eyes for a moment, letting myself melt into my love for him. Healwaysmakes me feel special. Tonight is a reminder. No matter how complicated things get, we’re still us. “Well, you succeeded. I love it. I love you. Thank you.”
“Good.” He leans across the table to give me a sweet, lingering kiss. “I don’t ever want you to feel like I’m keeping things from you. I want to be better at sharing things, even if they’re hard to talk about.”
“How were you as a little kid?” I take a bite of the to-die-for duck.
He laughs. “I’d get entirely lost in things. My family used to call it my ‘rabbit hole,’ because once I got working on something—Legos, sandcastles, I had a thing with matchbox cars for a while—I’d be lost for hours. Threw fits if I was dragged away to do stupid things like take a bath or eat dinner.”
“So funny, I was the opposite. Always so eager to please. I’d do what anyone asked so they’d like me.” I tilt my head, fascinated by how we’re so different but so perfect for each other.
“I wish I knew little Astrid…” He takes a sip of wine. “I know your relationship with your family is tough. Mine wasn’t always as good as it is now. My da, in particular, would get frustrated with me in ways he never did with my brothers. Ma had so many little boys running around I’m not sure how she kept things together. My brothers always accepted me and included me, but they all had their own interests. When my da had his accident, we were in crisis mode and getting lost in coding helped me cope.”
“I love hearing about all of this.” I hold up my wine to clink glasses with him. “You’re safe with me. Cheers to us.”
He touches his glass to mine. “Yeah, cheers. Do you understand now why I set those calendar reminders to call you? Not because I don’t think about you, it’s because when I’m in that headspace, I might forget to reach out even if I don’t mean to.”
“I get it now.” I feel a pang in my chest, remembering how hurt I felt. Now, hearing it like this, I realize it was never about me not being important enough. “Thank you for explaining it because I didn’t fully understand before. What’s done is done. We’re moving onward and upward.”
He looks relieved. “Thanks for saying that. I’ve never told anyone outside my family about this stuff. If we’re going to have a future, I want you to know me. All of me. Now you do.”
We finish our meal and I clear the plates, setting them by the sink. Brennan pours us another glass of wine and we sit on the couch overlooking the lake. I nestle into the crook of his arm, feeling a surge of affection.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about your family,” he breaks the comfortable silence. “I know I was pushy after brunch and I’m sorry. I have to be honest, I still think there might be something to find out to help you understand why things are so tough.”
I’m about to brush it off, but he’s been so honest about his past and he’s looking at me so intently, I can’t. “I don’t know. I don’t see what we’d find.”
“Maybe nothing,” he agrees, “but maybe it would help you understand why things are the way they are. Maybe it would give you some peace, like I’ve found.”
I look down and swirl the wine in my glass. “No. Not now. I don’t want to dig things up. It’ll make it worse.”
“Okay. I get it.” He kisses my temple. “I’ll try not to push. Whatever you decide, I’ll support you. I’m here, okay? No matter what.”
My heart is full of warmth. I’m glad he made the effort to surprise me tonight. “Thank you. I appreciate you.”
We relax and unwind for a long while, wrapped together watching the reflection of the moon ripple on the water outside the window. It feels good finding our way through the messiness of life together. I have a partner.
“Come here,” he whispers. “I want you. I’d like to focus on orgasms this entire weekend. Any objections?”
I close my eyes as his hands roam my body. Let myself get lost in his touch. “None.”
twenty-six
Brennan
The Next Morning
God,she’sincredible.
Astrid has no idea I’m watching her.
In the year we’ve been seeing each other, other than heating up leftovers, I’ve never actually seen her cook. So, when I woke up this morning, I didn’t expect to find her dancing to a Taylor Swift song wearing my oversized T-shirt and pulling out bacon from the oven.
“I’ve never seen anything so sexy in all my life.” I make my presence known as I pad down the stairs.
She turns and smiles as at me in a way that makes my heart stand still. “That’s disappointing, considering the sexiest thingI’veever seen is you eating me out for an hour straight.”
“To be fair.” I laugh as I saunter over to her and kiss her forehead. “I meantyougenerally, not the cooking part. Do I have time for a quick shower?”
“Sure.” Astrid kisses my cheek and makes a point of leaning over to retrieve a pan from the cupboard.