Page 48 of The Swap

One year later

It had been a full year since that terrible night when I thought I’d lost him. The physical wounds had healed rather quickly for Oliver, but the emotional scars left behind required a lot more work. He began seeing a therapist who was helping him work through his feelings of betrayal by both Ben and Korey along with the guilt he felt over Ben’s victims. It had taken a long time, but he had slowly begun to accept that he was not responsible for their deaths.

Trust had become a very difficult thing for Oliver. Not only did he have trouble trusting others, but he also struggled with trusting his own instincts after being proven so very wrong about both men. Even though he swore that he trusted me implicitly, his therapist had urged us to attend couples counseling to deal with any trust issues that may arise as well as the trauma we’d been through the night Oliver was taken.

Looking at him now, it was amazing to think that he was the same man who had been so broken and torn when he’d left the hospital a year ago. After months of depression and nightmares, Oliver had slowly begun to come back to me. I cried the first time I saw him smile again and we’d wept together as we made love. There were still bad days, for both of us, but for the most part, he was back to being the fun-loving, sassy man I’d fallen in love with. He was back to beingmy Oliver.

As with any major change or event in a person’s life, we each had taken inventory of our lives, deciding what was most important to us as individuals and as a couple. Oliver continued to model for the time being but decided to pursue his love of fashion and had enrolled in design school. Refusing to let me pay off the debt Korey had created, he still worked a few runway shows and was using that money to pay off the credit cards. I’d cut back on my time at work, handing more of the reins over to Paul so I could spend more time with Oliver, particularly when he traveled for shows.

He’d found it difficult to stay at his apartment alone after Ben had broken in and I needed to feel him near, to be able to reach out and touch him throughout the night and remind myself that he was safe. We quickly agreed to let our individual leases go and bought a house together. It was cozy and peaceful and sat along a private stretch of beach. It was perfect for the two of us, allowing us to shut out the rest of the world and simply focus on each other and it had gone a long way in helping with the healing process.

Brooklyn was in her sophomore year at college but came home as often as she could to see us. She and Oliver had become extremely close after his attack and they continue to talk on the phone almost every day. Gayle was just as close to him and was currently teaching Oliver to cook. Andrew and I enjoyed the fruits of their labor, but preferred to hang out in the living room, watching basketball together instead.

Oliver and I were happier than we’d ever been and that’s why we’d chosen this day, exactly one year after his attack, to get married. We’d been through hell and back over the last year, but we’d triumphed through it all and come out even stronger as a couple. It was important to both of us that we wipe away the last of the evil that Ben had left behind and start the next year full of love and hope and promises to each other.

We had a private ceremony right on the beach with just our closest friends and family. I could hear Brooklyn and Gayle sniffling as I’d recited my vows and Oliver’s eyes had sparkled in the sunlight as he gazed up at me. There was so much love in those eyes, more than I ever thought I’d have in my life and I knew what it truly meant to be rich.

“We need to get going soon or we’ll miss our flight,” I whispered several hours later as I held him close. Our guests had all left and we were enjoying a few quiet moments out on the back deck before we had to leave for our honeymoon.

Oliver burrowed his face in my neck as we swayed to the music and I shivered when I felt his lips press against my skin. “Just one more song,” he said dreamily.

I smiled and pulled him closer, breathing in his sweet scent as we danced in the moonlight with the sound of waves crashing nearby. I’d never known a more perfect moment and it was all because of the man in my arms, my husband. After another song had come and gone, I used a finger to lift his chin and kissed him softly.

“We really do need to go,” I reminded him.

“Fine,” he said with a long, playful sigh. I smacked him on the ass and he let out a small yelp.

“Easy with the goods there, sir,” he joked, rubbing a hand over the abused area.

I bent down and spoke into his ear. “If you don’t go inside and get your bags, then I’ll really have to put you over my knee.”

Oliver’s eyes grew darker and he let out that little whimper I loved so much. “And what if that’s what I want you to do?” he breathed.

A low growl tore from my chest and Oliver tossed a wink at me before sauntering off to gather his things, his hips swaying sexily from side to side. My smile grew until I felt sure it would split my face wide open. I headed into the house after him and raced up the steps to make sure he’d remembered to pack my favorite high heels of his. There was no doubt in my mind that life with Oliver was going to be one adventure after another, and I couldn’t wait for it to begin.

The End