AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Thrilled by his words, Grace wanted to lean across the table, run her fingers through her husband’s curly auburn hair and kiss his lips. Yet she knew only too well how easily succumbing to his charm would distract her, make her forget her very real concerns. He was right when he said they weren’t connected in the same way anymore. If she were to be totally honest about it, she’d gotten comfortable with her crafts and her craft group. She had gotten her life into a quiet routine broken only by her efforts to have a child, a dream she still clung to, despite the disappointing results. Perhaps she had taken him for granted, too.
She’d let him come here because she believed the only way forward was to insist on marriage counseling. She needed help to find it in her heart to forgive him for the way he’d behaved all those years ago.
Yet his words of explanation touched her deeply. That he’d shared his feelings over the fertility testing, his shame over what he’d done, made it possible for her to see his actions and choices a little differently.
Maybe there was a new way to approach this. It might not be a perfect way to resolve their issues, but if they went back to where they had started—their attraction to each other, their caring—they might have a chance to rebuild the trust between them. “I accept your invitation to dinner, but I’ll drive.”
His wide smile filled her heart with desire. There had never been a time in their marriage when she didn’t want him to make love to her, making what he’d done even more painful. But she would work on moving ahead, starting over.
“Why do you want to drive?”
If she drove, she could control what happened after the dinner. As much as she cared about him, the date could not be about making love. She was well aware what would happen if she allowed it. He’d kiss her, hold her and the rest would be inevitable.
She was not going to let that happen because she needed to believe he was truly changing and not just doing this to get her to agree to whatever he wanted to do about Emma.
She needed to be convinced that he was genuinely interested in her as a woman, a partner. Her confidence had taken a beating after the revelation of his affair and Emma’s existence. Grace needed to be assured that he respected her as well as loved her. Nothing less would do.
“Aidan, if we’re going to do this, it has to be on my terms. We’re in this mess because of your behavior.” She clasped her hands in her lap to keep from reaching for him.
The anticipation of starting fresh, of getting to know each other all over again thrilled her. “We’ve lived for all these years thinking we knew each other. Maybe we don’t. It’s time we found out,” she said.
“I’m all for that. What time are you picking me up?” he asked, a smile spreading across his handsome face.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
GRACE APPLIED LIPSTICK, her hand shaking so much she was afraid of smudging it. She’d spent the entire day getting ready for their date, including buying a new dress in shades of green and gold with a wide skirt and a narrow waist. She’d never owned a dress like this one, and she loved the way it swayed around her legs as she walked.
She could still feel Aidan’s eyes on her as she’d made the peanut butter sandwiches with Emma, the rush of exhilaration when he’d walked her to the door.
After applying a bit of blush to her pale cheeks and putting gloss on over her lipstick before checking her face one more time in the mirror, she put her makeup away. Turning around in a circle in front of the full-length mirror, she smiled at her reflection. She felt so good, pleasure bubbled through her. She hadn’t been this excited in years. This was like a whole new beginning.
“Maria and I are here waiting in the living room to see you off on your date,” Lucas said, coming down the hall toward the bathroom. “Ready or not, we want to see how you look.”
