“What?” I laughed nervously. “What do you mean?”
“Undone.” He stared straight ahead. “When a person reaches the end of their rope only to find out they’re only half way through their journey but lack the nutrition and energy to get there. You’ve stripped me of all my defenses, I’m like a camel without water—”
“Do camels need that much water to—”
“The point—” Wes chuckled, glancing in my direction. “—is I have nothing left. All I want is you. My entire focus is on you. My soul desires yours, my heart beats with yours, my life won’t continue in the direction its supposed to—without your hand to lead the way. So as much as I want to sit here and stare at you like a complete lunatic who’s lost his mind…” He sighed and pulled out of the parking lot. “I have a surprise for you. Alone. Away from watchful eyes. Alone. God, Kiersten, you have no idea how much I want to get you alone.”
Wes pulled back onto the freeway and then took the next exit. He didn’t look at me, just kept talking. “I need you alone so I can spend every second, every minute, every damn hour, worshipping your body.” He took the second downtown exit towards Pikes Place. “I could spend years just staring at your hair, let alone your eyes, your lips, you drive me to distraction. Like I said you undo me, I don’t feel complete when I look at you but like a total mess of emotions, like I have no control over anything except for the fact that I know with a fierce determination that you were made for me and I was made for you.” He stopped the car at the first stop light then drove down the hill and parked in a random spot in front of the Sound. He turned the car off, unbuckled his seatbelt and turned towards me. “I can’t explain. I wish I could. I wish there were words I could use, really big words, pretty words, words that would make you swoon and cry all at once. But all I have is this…” He sighed, tears welling in his eyes. “I am yours. And you are mine.”
My eyes blurred as Wes gripped my left hand in his and pressed an open-mouthed kiss to my palm.
The thing about Wes? It was impossible to respond to most of the things that came out of that guy’s mouth. It would be like blowing out a candle. His words seeped into my soul and stayed there.
He stayed there.
I closed my eyes, gripping his hand in mine.
I was his.
He was mine.
Squeezing his hand, I opened my eyes and let out a little breath. Together, we’d stormed the gates of hell, and returned unscathed. Whatever life had for us, whether it be illness or any other giant—we’d go into battle together. Because he wasn’t just my husband, but my friend, my partner, my lover.
My everything.
“We’re here.” Wes unlocked the doors.
I looked around. “Downtown? Are we staying in a hotel down here?” That would be really fun. I mean, I kind of expected Wes to do something different. Not that staying at a hotel downtown wasn’t cool, but he did just marry me in the same room he almost died in so, yeah…may
be a bit of a let down.
“Just wait.” Wes winked. “Oh, and this is for you.”
He handed me a black scarf.
“Er, you shouldn’t have?” I took it from his hands and dangled it between us.
Chuckling, he swiped it from my hands and quickly tied it around my head. “Can you see me?”
“You have a serious issue with blindfolding people,” I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.
He laughed and then tugged the blindfold tighter.
“Are you waving in front of me right now?” I asked.
“You tell me,” he whispered.
“Yes?”
“Lucky guess.” He laughed. “Now sit still while I grab our bags and attempt to walk you across the busy street without getting hit by a car.” The car door slammed and when mine opened seconds later, the smell of rain tickled my nose. “Pretty sure my six-year-old self would give me a high five if he could see me now,” Wes boasted.
“Because you were able to blindfold your wife and park within the lines?”
“Hilarious.” Wes pulled me to my feet. “And no, because I get to play real-life Frogger with my wife!”
I sighed, shoulders slumping. “Let me guess, I’m the damn frog.”
“High five.”