“What you did was atrocious,” he started out, and I felt the blood drain from my face. Although I already knew it was true and had been expecting such a reaction, actually hearing the damning words come from his mouth felt worse than spending just over a year in prison.
I wanted to scream and ask him why he had kept me around all day just to berate me. Instead, I nodded, accepting his judgment and knowing that I deserved it. I tried to fight back the tears of shame, but it was a losing battle.
He had paused for so long, I began to wonder if that was all he was going to say. Was that the extent of his planned discussion? Did he just want to belittle me and then have me leave his house and life forever?
When he finally spoke again, I was surprised to hear him say, “But I don’t think you are an atrocious person. I assume this was a one-time lapse in judgment?”
The leniency that his question implied was far more than I felt worthy of, but I nodded to acknowledge that I would never do anything like that again.
His head bobbed up and down slowly, in quiet acceptance. After pondering it for a while, he said, “What you did was wrong, but you have been punished for it. If the penal system feels that you have served your time and are worthy of release, I don’t see why I should continue to hold it against you. You’ve paid the price for your part in what happened. I believe it was just a single lapse in your normally sound judgment, and I think you should go back to having a clean slate.”
Even though I had already served the time for my crime, the happiness I felt at hearing Cade say that I was no longer guilty in his eyes surpassed the giddiness I had enjoyed when I walked out the prison’s doors. It was so overwhelming that I almost couldn’t bring myself to believe it.
“I haven’t forgotten what you did, and I probably never will,” he clarified sternly before adding, “but I’m willing to forgive you and give us a try.” Suddenly seeming uncertain, he cleared his throat and hastily added, “That is, if you want to.”
“I do want to,” I replied with watery eyes, not quite able to believe the wonderful turn my life had taken in the past twenty-four hours. I had known my release from prison would be liberating––literally and figuratively––but I never dared to dream that Cade and Cammie might be involved in my life at all, let alone playing a significant role in it.
“You do?” The hope was obvious in his eyes and his tone of voice.
It seemed ludicrous that he would have any doubts about whether or not I wanted to be with him. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. “Absolutely,” I said firmly, grinning at him before leaning over to press my lips to his. It was the first kiss I’d had in over a year. I hoped it was his first since our last one too, but I knew that I didn’t have any right to ask.
“We barely know each other, but I’ve been anxiously waiting for you to return to me for over a year.” His words were perfect, and they made me feel like he could read my thoughts.
I had concerns that we might be looking at our relationship through rose-colored glasses, due to the extraordinary circumstances of our courtship. We really didn’t know each other well at all, but something about him felt so comfortable and right. “It will take some time, but we will get to know each other.” Giving him an ornery grin, I added, “Hopefully, we’ll still like each other once we do.”
Teasing me back, he responded. “I already know that you have great taste in movies and horrible taste in ice cream.”
“Hey!” I playfully smacked at him before turning somewhat serious. “You know, I learned from a classic movie that relationships that start based on intense experiences never work out.”
“Well, it’s a good thing ours has been completely boring and normal then,” he teased me before leaning in for a kiss.
Having his lips on mine completely changed my train of thought. Any worry and doubts were quickly replaced with desire. When he pulled back and said, “It’s been a long time for me, but I want to try to go slow and enjoy your body. I’ll try not to lose control, like I did last time.”
The thrill that shivered through me at his insinuation that he hadn’t been with anyone since me was undeniable. It made me want him even more. “Screw that,” I said playfully. “We’ll go slow next time or the time after that.” I promised before lunging at him.
Cade spent the entire night proving himself to be a thoughtful, giving, and talented lover. Our phenomenal first time together before my incarceration hadn’t merely been a fluke or my lonely imagination blowing it out of proportion. He really was that good.
I didn’t think there could possibly be anything better than having Cade touching me, kissing me, licking me, sucking on me, and inside of me, but waking up in his warm, safe embrace was the best thing ever. If my body didn’t have bothersome physical needs, I would have happily stayed there in his arms forever.
Ignoring my hunger pangs, I stayed perfectly still and listened to Cade’s light snoring. I used to be especially sensitive to annoying sounds, but my stint in prison took care of that. Several of the women in our bunk hall snored loudly. My first few nights on the inside were miserable as I tossed and turned, hid under my pillow, and tried to plug my ears to drown out the grating noise. Eventually, exhaustion had taken over, and I had learned to sleep through it. Now, I wondered if I would be able to sleep in silence.
His breath puffs hitched, and I sensed that he was awake. Opening one eye, he verified that I wasn’t sleeping before mumbling, “You snore.”
I loved the sound of his sleep-hazed voice. He was rumpled and warm and incredibly comfortable to rest on. I did not, however, appreciate his accusation––especially not first thing in the morning. “I do not.” I informed him matter-of-factly before adding, “You sure do, though.”
“Inconceivable,” he used a line from another classic movie.
“Oh, you do.” I assured him. “I’ll be happy to record you next time, if you don’t believe me.”
Turning his head to press a warm, sweet kiss against my temple, he changed his tune. “I hope I didn’t keep you awake.”
“No, it wasn’t too bad,” I assured him. Since he had admitted that he snored, I thought I might as well fess up that I knew about my tendency to do so as well. “Was my snoring super obnoxious?”
“Obnoxious? No, it was actually kind of soothing.” He said kindly. “In fact, I want to make a deal with you.”
“What’s that?” I asked, curious where he was going with this.
“I don’t ever want to sleep another night without you cuddled up close to me while you let those sweet, little snoring puffs of air tickle my ear.” He brushed a stray lock of hair away from my face. The look his puffy, but still gorgeous, blue eyes were giving me nearly made me melt into his soft flannel sheets.
“Those terms sound agreeable,” I said formally, before rolling on top of him to seal our deal with a kiss.