Page 25 of Heartbeat
“I just wanted to do something special for my magnificent husband.” Raven batted her lashes at me, and I knew she was definitely buttering me up for something.
“Uh-huh.” I kissed her lips softly before sitting down and picking up a sandwich. I bit into it and moaned at the burst of flavors that danced on my tongue.
“You like?” Raven raised her brows up and down with a smirk.
“I love.” I looked her dead in the eyes to see if she caught my meaning. Her eyes widened, but she turned away quickly, clearing her throat. I shook my head. Over the last couple of months, my stubborn wife and I have been playing this cat and mouse game.
Once I decided she was mine forever, it was easy for me to fall in love with her. She’s everything I never knew I needed. She was the perfect yin to my yang, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to live this life without her, even after such a short amount of time.
Sometimes you just knew. Raven, on the other hand, was fighting her growing feelings for me. Every time we would get close and start bonding, I could feel her pulling back and trying to place walls around her heart.
The funny thing was, no matter how many walls she tried to build, it didn’t matter. I not only owned her heart, but her heartbeat. I was hers, and not that she would admit it, she was mine.
“Did you make these?” I asked taking another bite of the delicious sandwich and finally breaking my stare.
“Yes.” Raven cleared her throat once more as she grabbed a sandwich for herself. She sat down across from me with a heavy sigh and I frowned.
“Tell me what’s going on, Princess?” I questioned coming around my desk to stand in front of her. Raven leaned back in her chair and looked up at me with big puppy dog gray eyes.
“My parents have beckoned us to dinner this weekend. We normally have a family brunch on Sundays but I’ve been skipping them since we’ve been married,” Raven responded with a crinkle between her perfectly shaped brows.
“So, I’m guessing your grace period is over,” I stated. Out of all of the things we talked about, Raven spoke very little about her family. The times she did say anything, there was this look of utter disappointment that covered her face before she would completely shut down.
I didn’t push her on it because she was clearly uncomfortable, but I never wanted to see her unhappy, and if her family did anything to jeopardize her happiness, I would put an end to that shit.
“Yeah, no more hiding out,” Raven sighed, “We have to be at the Anchor at 7:30.”
I whistled, “The Anchor is a fancy place.”
“Nothing but the best for the Bishops,” Raven responded with exasperation.
I pulled her to her feet and kissed her breathless, “You’re a Nash now, Princess. And don’t you fucking forget it.”
* * *
We pulled up to the Anchor restaurant at 7:15. Raven had fidgeted and bit her lip the entire ride over. Our penthouse apartment wasn’t far, but it was still a fifteen-minute drive. Raven had insisted we take a driver instead of me just driving my car, but when she looked on the brink of tears, I relented.
It’s funny how a few months of getting to know one another changed my entire opinion of her. Before, I viewed her teary-eyed expression and her willingness to compromise as a weakness, but Raven was anything but weak.
Raven wore her heart on her sleeve, and even though she pretended she was tough, her heart broke easily. She took how people treated her to heart. She blamed herself for things that couldn’t possibly be her fault, and she put everyone else before herself, including me.
So when she got teary-eyed because she wanted me to ride instead of drive, I did it. She was my wife, and I would not be responsible for making her cry. Even if I had no idea why a simple car ride would bring her to tears.
I placed my hand over hers to keep her from trembling. Raven stopped her leg from jumping, but she kept popping her neck by moving it from side to side. She looked like a boxer about to jump in the ring in a prizefight.
“Princess, what the fuck?” I finally asked. Nobody should be this damned worried about eating dinner with their family.
“Don’t cuss at me, Lennox.” Raven glared, still bouncing her knee. I don’t know why she insisted that I was cussing at her when I used the word fuck when we weren’t having sex. It was part of my natural vocabulary, except when I was working. I had an impeccable bedside manner. My brothers called it a split personality, but I say fuck my brothers.
“Ihatethese family get-togethers.” Raven shakes her head, not looking at me, “I’m the black sheep of the family, and my father treats me like shit. I mean, what you saw at Ainslee’s wedding was tame.”
I glowered at the thought.What the fuck did Raven mean, tame?I didn’t like the idea of anyone mistreating Raven. She had too big of a heart for anyone to stomp on it, and I would be damned if I let anyone, let alone her father, hurt her.
“Princess, like I said before, you’re a Nash now. I don’t give two fucks about your father. If he says some foul shit, then I will let him know. I will never let anyone disrespect you!” I said fiercely. I meant that shit with all of my heart.
“You can’t do that, Lennox. He is still the primary stakeholder in the hospital. He could make your life a living hell, or worse ruin your career.” Raven shook her head once more, “I won’t let you fall on the sword for me. My father is vindictive, but I can handle him.”
“If you can handle him, why have you had a mini-breakdown for half the day?” I quirked a brow at her. Raven glanced at me sheepishly then turned away. She knew what I said was right. Raven may have thought she could handle her father, but if he fucked with her, she would see how to really deal with a bully.