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Closing my eyes, I’d released a breath. “I’m sorry. I should’ve—”
“You had an emergency,” he said again. “It’s your job. I understand.”
“I know, but with everything we’ve been talking about in therapy…”
“That’s why I called the front desk before I panicked.” He’d paused. “And I… might’ve taken a Xanax too.”
“Oh. Okay. I’m glad I didn’t freak you out too much. And yeah, the surgery went fine. He’ll be sore for a while, but I think he’ll be okay.”
“Nice work, doc.”
“Thanks, baby.”
So between both of us going to therapy, his therapist treating his anxiety, and the two of us going to couples counseling, we were in a good place. On pretty solid ground. We still argued and squabbled from time to time, but it was just normal couple shit. Especially since I’d moved back in three months ago. Some things just came with the territory of being in a relationship and living together. Every time we sniped over trash or the dishes, I caught myself feeling a sense of calm I’d never known before. Or, well, that I’d never understood before.
This isn’t a rut. This is contentment.
Cheating on Owen had ultimately been both the biggest mistake I’d ever made, and the catalyst for us getting our relationship to a better place than it had been before. That last part didn’t justify it by any means—it was just a silver lining that made it a little easier to make peace with my past fuckup.
The shower turned off, and a few minutes later, Owen emerged wearing gray sweats and nothing else.
“Oh, come on.” I lounged back on the couch and raked my eyes up and down his body. “That’s not fair on a night when we’ve already agreed to stuff our faces.”
He smirked. “Why’s that?”
“You know exactly why. Get over here.”
He chuckled and joined me on the couch, straddling me as he leaned in for a kiss. After a moment, though, he drew back and wouldn’t look me in the eye.
Alarm shot through me, but I didn’t let it show.
“Hey.” I caressed his cheek. “What’s up?”
“I, um…” He gnawed his lip.
“Talk to me,” I said. “What’s on your mind?”
He swallowed. Then his gaze locked with mine. “Tonight, I… It wasn’t just…” Again, he avoided my eyes.
Before I could prod him further, he got up, and he went around behind the couch to where he’d left his jacket draped over a barstool. He fished around in one of his pockets, then returned to the couch, but I couldn’t see what was in his hand.
“I had plans for tonight. But… your stitches…”
I glanced down at my hand, then back at him. “What about it?” I wanted make a crack about us going bowling or something to lighten the moment, but I held my tongue.
“Just… having your left hand wrapped up kind of complicated things when I wanted to give you this.”
And then he held up a gold band.
My breath stopped in my throat. I stared at the ring. Then at him. Finally, I croaked, “Are you… Really?”
“Yes,” he whispered, taking my right hand in his. “To tell you the truth, I was thinking about this when everything went to hell. I just wasn’t sure, you know?” A sweet, shy smile came to life. “But now we’re in an even better place than we were back then, and I don’t have any doubt left.”
“Even after…” Fuck, I couldn’t speak.
“Yeah. I trusted you back then, but I trust you even more now. And I loved you back then, but…” He squeezed my hand. “I love you so much more now.”
Holy shit. I… had no words. And no air to say them with anyway.
