He’d put the biggest term in the final paragraph of our last partnership agreement, so I had chosen to start reading there this time. Before, he’d attempted to leash our emotions and prevent our relationship from going too far. This new one had very different language.
It stated that in the event of marriage, the partnership agreement would continue to apply.
Marriage.
He saw a future for us, the same one I hoped for someday, which neither of us had said out loud. I picked up the contract and began to read from the beginning while Kyle watched and sipped on his drink. I read it twice, set it down, and lifted my gaze to meet his.
“Thoughts?” He asked it casually, but I could tell he was far more interested than he let on.
This new partnership agreement was shorter. It stated in any situations of confusion, or if one partner acted rashly, they were required to take five minutes to organize themselves and then communicate with the other. If this didn’t happen, there would be consequences. Even punishment, if necessary, to negatively reinforce that the behavior didn’t continue. It would be up to their partner to decide what form of punishment, and how much.
So if I lost my head as I seemed to do around him, I’d have to calm down and speak to him like a fucking adult, or . . .? The image of me bent over his lap, his hand preparing to strike my bare ass, sent a shiver of pleasure through me. Only, he wouldn’t give me what I wanted as negative reinforcement, would he? Maybe he’d withhold his kink instead.
“I like this,” I said finally. Who was I kidding? I fucking loved it, but tried to keep my cool. This agreement was a fail-safe. If I lost my damn mind, it at least required him to stick around long enough to punish me. It all but bound us together and forced me to be rational.
“Is it retroactive?” I asked, nervous.
Surprise darted through his eyes, like he hadn’t thought about it. “We’ve both made mistakes. I think we should start fresh.”
“Oh.” A new wave of relief surged in me. “Good.” I stared at the neat type, my gaze tracing the last line and blurring a little with tears I blinked back. Enough crying, even if they were happy tears. My voice was thick with emotion. “Thank you for this.”
I’d never seen him look so surprised. It might have been silly to thank him for drafting a contract, but it meant so much more than the words on the paper. Our first agreement had been about sex, but this one was about love.
His voice was uneven. “I’m sorry it took me so long to present it to you.”
It wasn’t a marriage proposal, but he’d taken a leap and put himself out there with the last line. It made sense why he’d hesitated. “What changed your mind?”
“Changed my mind?”
“I mean, what made you decide to forgive me?”
He smiled like I was talking nonsense. “I love you, Ruby. There’s nothing that’s going to change that.” There was more emotion on his face than ever before. His eyes filled with longing. “It’s always been you.”
My heart threatened to explode and I put a hand over it, shielding him in case it happened.
Kyle wasn’t finished, either. “I wish I could go back in time, kiss you outside your apartment at Randhurst, and get this thing we have right the first time. But as long as you sign my offer, it doesn’t matter. We’re together now.”
It was a miracle I was still functioning. His words had rendered me a useless mess of emotion. I sat perfectly still, worried if I moved in the slightest I’d break down and they’d spill out.
His gaze landed on the contract before me, and concern overtook his expression. Was he worried I hadn’t moved? How I hadn’t signed? “Do you . . . have questions?”
“Just one.” My voice was a ghost. “And it’s important.”
He drew in a preparing breath. “Go for it.”
“Do you,” I said, drawing it out, “have a pen?”
He moved like a flash of lightning, producing one from his interior pocket, and a smile broke so large on my face, my cheeks hurt. I scribbled my name on the signature line, just below where he’d already signed, and stared at it as the ink dried.
Two signatures on one sheet of paper. I’d seen hundreds of contracts during law school and my career, but there’d never been a more beautiful agreement than the one in my hands, and certainly not one that ever made me this happy.
Thank You