God, she’s beautiful. I hate she thinks she’s fat when she’s so fucking perfect.
"Do you know what I see when I look at you?" she asks. "I see a man who made a terrible mistake and then fought like hell to fix it. Who slept in the spare room without complaint. Who cooked my favorite dinner every night even when I couldn't look at him. Who held me while I cried about things I'd never told anyone."
My eyes sting. She’s so honest.
Unlike me. But I’ll never lie to her again.
"That's not easy," Jade continues. "That's the man I married.”
I pull her closer, burying my face in her neck, breathing her scent in. She threads her fingers through my hair, and I feel the tension I've been carrying for months begin to untangle.
I kiss her forehead, her cheeks, then the corner of her mouth.
"Devon." My name on her lips is all I need to hear right now.
Then she's kissing me—really kissing me—and it's like old times. This is Jade choosing me with her whole body. Her fingers curl into my shirt, tugging me closer, and want and desire throb in my soul.
I lift her as I stand; her legs wrapping around my waist, and she laughs against my mouth—a surprised, delighted sound I haven't heard in months.
"Bedroom," she breathes.
I carry her through our house, past the photos on the walls and the calendar with the hearts still visible from our anniversary. Up the stairs where I've climbed alone so many nights.
I set her down at the foot of our bed, and she reaches for the hem of my shirt. Her fingers skim my stomach as she pulls the fabric up, and I shiver. It's been weeks since she touched me like this—like she wants to, not like she's trying to prove a point.
"You're shaking," she murmurs.
"You do that to me."
"Good."
I reach for her shirt—slowly, giving her time to stop me—but she doesn't. She lifts her arms, and I peel the fabric away, revealing skin I've gazed at a thousand times.
She's beautiful. She's always been beautiful.
I trace the curve of her shoulder, the dip of her collarbone, the soft swell of her breasts beneath her bra. Jade's breath catches, and I can’t help but grin. I love the effect I have on her.
“You’re perfect.”
Her eyes well up. "Devon?—"
"I mean it. Every inch. Every curve." I press my lips to her shoulder, her neck, the hollow of her throat. "I spent weeks wondering if I'd ever get to touch you again. Wondering if I'd destroyed the best thing in my life."
"You didn't."
"I almost did."
She cups my face, forcing me to meet her gaze. "Almost doesn't count. We're here. We made it."
Then she's kissing me again, and there's nothing cautious about it. Her hands roam my back, my shoulders, pulling me against her. We tumble onto the bed, our bodies searching for each other like they’ve been apart for far too long.
They have.
Jade's fingers work at my belt while I unclasp her bra, and then we're skin to skin, and she makes a sound that undoes me completely?—
"I love you," I say against her collarbone.
"I love you too." Her back arches as my hands explore her body—the body I'd thought I'd lost forever. "God, I love you too."
