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I nod, steeling myself for whatever is coming next. "Okay. What is it?"
He takes a deep breath. "I know you were just joking before, but your comment about taking me for everything in a divorce...it really hurt. It made me feel like you only see me as a bank account."
My heart sinks. I never meant to make him feel that way.
"Dare, I'm so sorry," I say earnestly. "I was trying to be funny but clearly missed the mark. I don't care about your money or your family's prestige. None of that matters to me."
He starts to say something in reply, but I hold up a finger.
"One second."
I go into the cabin and return with a blank piece of paper. "We’re going to write a postnuptial agreement stating that I forfeit any claim to your assets or inheritance. You and I can sign it right now. I can get it notarized as soon as we get off this ship."
Dare examines the paper, surprise registering on his face. He seems to come to a conclusion after a moment and he sets it aside.
"Keep it," he says. "I don't need it. You've already proven your sincerity a hundred times over. I think I just needed to be reassured and reminded that we're in this together, for better or for worse."
“Are you sure? You’re about to become a dad. You’re going to be sleep deprived and stressed out. I’m going to be a hormonal zombie who is recovering from pushing a whole baby out of her body. I just… I don’t mean to be petty, but I can’t have you throwing this argument in my face again and again. I need it to be settled between us. I need harmony. I need you to be my rock, not shifting sand beneath my feet.”
He frowns and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear.
“I’m sorry that I let my insecurities get the best of me. I just… I think you’re fucking magical, darling girl. And sometimes I start to look at you and how great you are. And then I look at myself, and how fucked up I am… I guess it’s just hard to believe that you would want to be with me for any reason other than my money.”
“Look at me.” I grab his hand and kiss his knuckles, staring into his eyes. “I love you, Dare Morgan. You’re smart, cunning, strong, wise… and you fuck like a starving man falling on a piece of bread. You make me feel desired.” I rub my belly. “Even now, which is a miracle.”
Dare sinks his hand into my hair, leaning me back and kissing me like I don’t think I have ever been kissed before. His lips are savage, his kiss primal. By the time he breaks away, we are both panting. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. I want to bury myself in you and be lost forever. I want to spend every fucking hour naked. I want to keep getting you pregnant over and over again because I love the feel of this.”
He presses his hard stomach against mine, catching my hand in his and twining our fingers together. He pulls me close again. "All I need is you, Talia. Just you."
I gaze into Dare's eyes, still clinging to him. "We could walk away from all of this, you know. The money, the family business, the social obligations. We could leave it all behind. We could start fresh in a small town somewhere, get regular jobs, and live a simple life. As long as we're together, I know we'd be happy."
Dare looks thoughtful as he considers this. "You would really be willing to do that? Leave everything behind for a modest life with me?"
I nod, running my fingers through his hair. "In a heartbeat. My happiness comes from you, not your bank account."
A smile tugs at Dare's lips. He takes my hands in his and kisses them tenderly. "You never cease to surprise me, Talia. Just when I think I have you figured out, you show me another side that's even more remarkable."
He pulls me in for a lingering kiss. When we finally come up for air, our faces are flushed.
"Wherever our journey leads, I want to walk that path with you," Dare says earnestly. "But maybe we don't have to choose extremes. Maybe there's a balance we can strike between simplicity and security."
I nod and take a deep breath, knowing it's my turn to be vulnerable.
"Dare, while we're getting all our issues out on the table..."
He takes my hand and kisses my knuckles. "Mhm."
I try to smile at him, but inside I feel uncertain. "I still have this nagging fear that I'll never measure up as your wife or the mother of your child. I'm terrified our baby will know right away that I'm an imposter, just pretending to fit into your world."
My voice cracks a little as I admit my deepest insecurity. Dare squeezes my hands reassuringly.
"Oh, darling girl. I know I once had misgivings about you blending into my family's elite social circles. But I was so wrong. You bring so much heart and vibrancy to everything you touch. My world was dull and monochrome before you burst into it in a blaze of brilliant technicolor."
I blink back tears at his poetic words.
"I was only living half a life before I met you, Talia. You make me feel fully alive for the first time. I want you to know that our child will feel nothing but love and belonging. How could she not, with you as their mother?"
I don't know how to answer that, so I duck my head, my cheeks flushing. "I don't know..." I say honestly.
