Page 124 of Perfect Assumption

Tears well in my eyes. “Ward, please, let me explain why I…”

“Then, after trusting me with everything, you were confronted by your demons in my home—after I admitted I knew the monsters who hurt you. I promised you safety in my arms, in my home, in my life. I suppose there was a part of me that wasn’t surprised you ran; I was surprised you didn’t blame me. So, I knew I needed to make it safe for you to come back.”

Dawning comprehension strikes hard. “You. You’re the one who found out all the information on—” I still can’t say his name aloud, even though Ward and the world knows whoheis. “—him.”

“You’re goddamn right I did!” I’m taken aback by his vehemence. Ward seethes, squeezing my fingers hard. “Within hours of you leaving, I sicced one of the best investigation firms in the country on his ass. I thought I’d find crooked deals, things like that. What they discovered was abominable. Repulsive.” He swallows hard. “I tried to make it right, and I still didn’t hear from you.”

“I didn’t know. Not until right before you walked in the door.”

“Angel, how is that possible?” His voice is laced with disbelief.

“There’s no internet here. No cable. This is Sula’s parents’ getaway.”

“What about your phone?”

I let go of his hands and reach for my phone. “I turned it off. The first time I turned it back on was this morning. I only just started deleting voicemails from the paps today. I was burying my head in the sand—well, not literally. I was so afraid it was going to be just like every other time, only it would end up with you being gone. I’m so sorry.”

Ward’s lips part, but instead of verifying I’m telling him the truth, he chucks the phone to land safely onto the couch. While he does, I drink him in—the lines on his face, the fatigue under his eyes, the weariness that wasn’t there the last time I saw him. But the sadness is lifting every second we talk. “So, until I walked through that door…”

“I had no idea about what happened. I just finished talking on the phone for the last fifteen minutes with Sula when you came in.” I bite my lip. “What she said is on the news, it’s true?”

He nods. “As for Stephen, he’s rolling on Michael in order to not be charged as an accomplice. He’s trying to get his sentence reduced to the same as the others who took bribes so it appears better for the lawsuits. It won’t work.”

It won’t work.I close my eyes in relief.

“Angie? I want you to know something.” Ward reaches for my hand.

My eyes fly open, and I find he’s braced his elbows on his knees. “What’s that?”

“Even if you never come back, you were worth the fight.” He reaches forward and touches my cheek gently.

The warm saltiness of a tear leaks out. He uses his thumb to wipe it away. I throw myself forward and wrap my arms around his neck, heedless of the damp coat he’s wearing. “You fought for me in a way no one ever has.”

He surges upward, pulling me into his arms. “And I always will. I love you, Angela.”

Humbled, I still in his arms. “Despite my leaving?”

“Maybe because you did,” he muses. “You did the wrong thing, but for all the right reasons.”

Hoping he understands, I start to explain, “I was trying—”

“To protect your family.” At my start, his tired eyes crinkle at the corners. “While it would have been simpler for us to fight with you waiting at home every night, I think you needed this time to heal from that blow and put it where it belongs.”

“It’s in the past. It won’t ever come between us. Not ever again,” I vow.

“It never was to me. Just remember that when things get rough, okay?” Ward tucks a strand of loose hair behind my ear.

And it’s that simple gesture, something he’s done a thousand times, that frees me. I burst into tears even as I press my lips to his. Our kiss removes recriminations and replaces them with yearning. Before long, we’re stretched out on the couch, side by side, as the sun starts to stream in the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“The storm’s over,” I whisper.

He pushes up on one elbow and peers down at me. A tingle flows through me when he says, “No, it’s not. Ours is just beginning. Are you ready for that?”

I slide my hand up and over his chest to tug him down. His dark eyes flare when I whisper against his lips, “It sounds perfect.”

Forty-Seven

Ward – One Year Later