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She was still looking at him, and he could tell she was feeling the same way he was. He wanted to reassure her somehow. “Me neither, it’s been years.”
She scowled and rolled off him, getting up and disappearing into the bathroom before he had a chance to say anything else. Damn!
When she came out, she smiled, but he could tell the closeness he’d hoped they’d share after their lovemaking wasn’t going to be possible. He smiled back and went into the bathroom himself. He wasn’t sure if it was to give her a few moments, or him.
When he came back out, she wasn’t in the bedroom. He pulled on his boxers and went out to the great room. She wasn’t there either, but he could see her sitting out on the deck, wrapped in a blanket. He went to the fridge and was pleased to see a fresh bottle of prosecco sitting there. He took it and two glasses out to the deck and smiled at her. “Mind if I join you?”
She shook her head but didn’t speak.
He poured two glasses and handed one to her.
She took it and took a sip and then looked up at him. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have reacted like that, but Marcos, please don’t lie to me.”
He sat back as if she’d slapped him. “Lie? I would never lie to you.”
She blew out an angry sigh. “I’m not stupid. You’ve only been divorced for six months, and you just said you hadn’t had sex for years. I don’t like thinking about you with your wife, but don’t insult me by lying.”
He pursed his lips and waited a moment. He supposed it was a fair assumption. He guessed it was normal to assume that married people had sex with their spouse. “I can see why you’d think it, but I didn’t lie to you. Yes, up until six months ago, I was still married. But I hadn’t had a marriage for at least two years before that. I didn’t have sex with Caterina in that time because she was too busy having sex with my former friend, Lorenzo.” It didn’t feel good to admit that. It made him feel like less of a man. But that wasn’t the important issue here. What was important was that he should be totally transparent with Molly.
She was transparent with him. She looked so sad. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
He smiled. “How could you? It’s not something I talked about to anyone. Caterina isn’t something I feel we want to talk about too much, but if you have any questions, go ahead and ask them. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
She shook her head. “I really don’t want to know. Its none of my business.”
“That’s how I thought you felt, but do me a favor? If there’s anything you want to know or anything you assume about her and me, just ask. There’s nothing to hide and nothing that would make you feel bad to know.”
She nodded and stared out at the lake for a few moments before taking a sip of her prosecco. “Were you unhappy?”
He nodded. “Miserable. It was a mistake, and we both knew it from very early on. But she married me for the same reasons I married her—we were a good match in terms of social standing. We were suitable.” He shook his head. “But she wasn’t you.”
“What changed your mind about building the family legacy and all that?”
“I realized just how empty it was—it is. None of that means anything. What’s important is being with the person you love and making each other happy. When you die, all the other stuff means nothing. This life isn’t about building an empire or amassing a fortune or continuing a family name. It’s about living well, being happy and making the people you care about happy. Caterina and I were well suited in everything that doesn’t matter—and not suited at all for anything that does.”
Chapter Seven
Molly opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. It wasn’t her ceiling. It was tongue and groove, knotty pine. She frowned and closed her eyes again. She figured out where she was when she felt warm breath on the back of her neck and an arm around her waist.
“Good morning.”
She smiled and let the warm feeling wash over her. Marcos was here. It wasn’t a dream. She was at Summer Lake—and so was he, right here in bed with her. She turned over and landed a kiss on his lips. He rewarded her with a surprised, happy smile.
“It is a good morning,” she said. “A very good morning. In fact, it’s the best morning I’ve had in twelve years.”
He brushed her hair away from her face. “It is for me, too. I’ve hardly slept.”
“Oh, no! Why? I don’t snore, do I?”
He laughed. “No, you don’t. You do make these cute little noises when you turn over, but you don’t snore.”
“That’s a relief, but why—”
He landed a kiss on her lips. “I couldn’t sleep because I’m so damned happy. I couldn’t believe you were lying right here next to me. I didn’t want to miss a minute of it.”
“You’re too sweet.”
“I’m not sweet. It’s true. I didn’t want to close my eyes. I wanted to make up for all the nights I didn’t get to spend with you.”
