Page 128 of Precious Hazard

“I’m going to have to call you back.” I cut the line.

As I take the stairs two at a time, the soles of my shoes splash through the running water that quickly soaks through tomy feet. Ridiculous squishing sounds beset me as I head down the hallway in search of the source of the leak.

“Tara!” I barge into our bedroom. “Baby, what’s going on here?”

“Oh, hey, darling.” My wife sticks her face through the doorway, grinning sheepishly. “You’re home early. How about you go back to the office and try again in an hour? Or maybe three. Tomorrow would be better.”

Her wet hair is gathered at the top of her head, several strands plastered to her rosy cheeks and forehead. The gray T-shirt she’s wearing is soaked through, clinging to her breasts and stomach. No bra today. Lucky me.

“I think I’ll stay.”

“Absolutely not!” She slips out of the bathroom through the narrowest gap, shutting the door in her wake, then leans on it as if she’s Cerberus guarding the gate. “The plumber is already on his way, and everything will be fixed in no time. I’ll text you as soon as it’s all done.”

A smile threatens to break across my face, but I keep it in, biting the inside of my lip. Throwing my jacket on the back of the recliner that’s started to absorb water at its base, I cross the flooded floor and lean down to kiss my wife.

“What did you do, Tara darling?” I whisper while nibbling her lower lip. “Leave the tub to fill up, but forgot about it?”

“Uh-uh. The pipe under the sink was dripping,” she explains while she climbs up my body to wrap her legs around my waist. “I knew your day was full of meetings and things, and that you’d be dog-tired when you got home. So I tried to fix itmyself because I didn’t want you to have to deal with the issue. Um… It didn’t go as planned, though.”

“Can I have a look?”

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she buries her face in the crook of my neck. “Please, don’t. It’s a disaster.”

“I’m sure it’s not that bad.” I adjust my hold, shifting Tara so I can support her ass with one hand while I reach for the bathroom doorknob with the other.

And open the portal to utter chaos.

Several jets are projecting from the cracked pipe under the sink like geysers, gushing in almost every direction. The largest is blasting the opposite wall, resulting in secondary sprays as the stream ricochets and drenches everything in sight, including my toolbox, which is half-submerged right next to the open vanity.

“I… I tried turning off the under-the-sink valve, but I must have done something, and the handle kinda broke off,” she continues in a small voice, with her face still pressed into the hollow between my neck and shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I promise I’ll fix this mess.”

I kiss her forehead, then take her chin between my fingers and tilt her head so our gazes connect. “It’s okay.”

“It’s notokay, Arturo. What about the new flooring? It’s hardwood. And the entire house was just redone. What about the furniture? And…”

She continues spitting out concern after concern at a rapid pace as I wade across the water-sodden floor, carrying her to the towel cabinet while trying my best to avoid the worst of the spray. It appears like the safest spot, so I set my wife on the counter.

“…if it can even be fixed, that is. Shit. What if we need to replace all the pipes in the house?”

Water splashes my back as I reach into my pocket and pull out a small velvet box. I’ve been carrying it around since we returned from Rome, waiting for the perfect time.

Perfect. The only perfect thing in my life is my wife. With her, everything else becomes perfect.

“And what if insurance won’t cover it? And— Arturo? What the fuck? Get off your knee. You’re getting completely wet!”

I smirk and lift the ring up to her. “Will you marry me, Tara darling?”

She gapes at me. “Really, Arturo? You’re asking me now?”

“Really. The timing doesn’t get more perfect than this.” I shrug.

“We’re in the middle of a major plumbing disaster, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“I did. So? Will you be my wife, my precious little hazard?”

Her lips press into a flat line as she stares at me for a long moment before a beaming smile breaks across her stunned face. Those beautiful green eyes of hers fill with tears as she starts nodding.

“Yeah,” she sniffs, then lifts her hand. “I’ll marry you.”