His Paradise Wife (11 page)

“
Then enlighten
me.”

“
Okay. I dated
maybe...um...twelve women. And before you ask, no, I did not sleep
with all of them, and it was over the span of a few years. I was
going through a stage in my life where I felt lonely and miserable
all the time and I tried to fill that void with women. Then I
realized what I was doing and how reckless I’d become so I changed
that behavior...haven’t been with a woman in three
years.”

“
Three years. That’s a long
time for a man.”

“
And two years is a long
time for a woman.”

“
No it’s not. Women can hold
out longer. We’re looking for true love and romance.”

“
As am I. Hopefully now that
we’re married, I’ve finally found what I’ve been desiring for the
last three years.”

“
I’m curious about
something,” Emily said. “Exactly why did you go through all of this
just to end up with me?”

“
You don’t listen much, do
you?” he asked with a smirk on his face.

“
I do listen.”

“
No, because if you were,
you would already know the answer because I told you
why.”

“
Well, tell me
again.”

“
Because I want you, and
before you think too much into this, me wanting you has nothing to
do with sex. With that being said, I would like very much to make
love to my wife, but since that’s not something you want, I’ll try
to be on my best behavior.” A sly smile came to his lips. He knew
he could seduce her at any time and any place, but what he wanted
even more than that was for her to want him equally.

“
There’s something I’ve been
meaning to ask you,” she said.

“
Shoot.”

“
What did you do with all
those necklaces you bought from my boutique?”

He laughed. “I donated them to a women’s
shelter.”

“
And I thought you were
giving them to your niece...”

“
Yeah, I don’t have a
niece...I sort of made that part up just to have an excuse to be in
your company.”

Emily blushed. “I figured as much.”

“
Did you?”

She nodded. “Yep. That’s sweet of you,
though...to donate those necklaces.”

“
Wow. My first compliment
from Emily...hope it won’t be my last.”

She held his gaze, then looked away. There
was something about the heat in his eyes that made her insides
weak. Maybe she had missed being with a man moreso than she
thought...more than she would admit to. Dante was oozing sex appeal
out of his pores. He was extremely good-looking and could
definitely get any woman he desired.

“
Let’s take a walk,” he
suggested.

“
Okay.”

They strolled along the beach at night.
There were a lot of people out, no doubt enjoying the night in such
a beautiful place.

“
So where is your family?”
Dante asked, walking side-by-side with her watching the light
breeze blow her hair away from her ear.

“
My parents live in
Jacksonville, Florida.”

“
Retired?”

“
Yes. They retired there. My
mother was a school teacher and my father worked for the postal
service.”

“
I noticed, when we were
messaging each other, you didn’t mention them much.”

“
That’s because I don’t talk
to them as much as I used to.”

“
Why not?”

“
Um...” Emily sighed. “It’s
just that every single time I call them, they ask me how I’m coping
and if I need to see a therapist.”

Dante nodded. He could understand why they
would ask the question, especially after the loss she had
experienced.

Emily interrupted his thoughts and said,
“After getting that out of the way, then comes the dialogue about
when I’m going to get married again and have some babies.”

“
Wow.”

“
Exactly. Now you see why I
don’t talk to them a lot.”

“
Well, to be honest, my
parents were the same way when Anita died. They were always on my
back about remarrying. My mother used to tell me that I needed
someone to cook for me...told me I was getting skinny and needed
some meat on my bones.”

Emily smiled and looked him up and down
inconspicuously. He wasn’t skinny in her book. Skinny men were just
that – straight up and down flimsy with no muscle definition. Dante
was more of the athletic type and everywhere her eyes roamed on his
body, she could see muscle definition from the firm ropes in his
calves to his neck, forearms and biceps.

“
The real reason she wanted
me to marry was because, since I’m the oldest, she said my brothers
looked up to me and they would do what I did.”

“
You believe
that?”

“
To a certain degree, but my
brothers are their own men, and being such, they make their own
decisions.”

Emily nodded in agreement.

“
Anyway, back to my
parents...my father died three years after Anita and a year after
he died, my mother passed away.”

“
Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry to
hear that. I know it must’ve been rough on you and your
brothers.”

“
It was, but we got through.
Now the reason I told you that is to tell you this...enjoy your
parents while you have them, sweetie, because they will not be
around forever.”

“
You’re right. I need to
call them soon.”

Dante stopped walking and turned to face
Emily, just staring down at her face. At her lips. “You want to sit
for a while.”

“
Sure.”

Emily sat down with her legs folded in
Indian-style, facing the ocean.

Dante sat down in front of her, blocking her
view of the water.

Emily didn’t mind it. She’d much rather look
at him than trying to strain her eyes to see the ocean at
nighttime. Just the tranquil sound of the wrestling water was
enough for now.

Dante stared at her for a moment, catching
her gaze a few times before she would quickly look away. The woman
he’d fallen in love with online was here and he planned on taking
advantage of the time he had to get to know her one-on-one like
this, as he had online.

“
You’re shy,” he
said.

“
Is that a question or a
statement?” she asked, all smiles.

“
It’s an
observation.”

“
How do you
figure?”

“
Well, for one thing, you
can’t hold eye contact for longer than a few seconds.”

“
I can, just not with
you.”

“
Oh, really?” he asked,
smiling, then seductively biting his bottom lip. “Why’s
that?”

She shrugged, not wanting to give him an
explanation. How do you tell a man that he’s so fine, he blew your
mind in every way possible...so freakin’ good-looking that you had
to look away to catch her breath?

“
Come on. See, that’s what
I’m talking about. You give me a timid shrug and that’s all I
get?”

“
I’m just not used to being
open and conversational with anyone besides Melvin. It’s like, I
knew him. I knew what he liked, what he didn’t like. I was
extremely comfortable with him, and I knew that he had my back no
matter what. That if it came down to my life or his, he’d die for
me in a heartbeat.”

So would
I
. It was on the tip of his tongue and on
his mind, but Dante held in his thoughts so she could continue
confiding in him. Melvin meant a lot to her. He could understand
that better than anyone, having dealt with the loss of his
wife.

Emily raked her hands in the sand, gathering
some of it together rubbing it in her hands and brushing it
off.

“
I think that, if you share
your story in group therapy, it will help you
tremendously.”

Emily shook her head. “I can’t.”

“
Why not?”

“
Because when I talk about
Melvin too much I cry and I can’t stop crying.”

“
This will help you with
that. You may not think so initially, but after you’ve shared your
story, you’ll see what I mean.”

Emily batted her eyes to fight tears
away.

“
Look at me, Emily,” he
requested in a soft, concerned voice, taking her hands into
his.

When she did, a lone tear rolled from her
eye and down her face. “I’m going to go,” she said. Removing her
hands from his grasp, she stood up.

“
Emily.”

“
I’m sorry, Dante. I’m just
going to take a shower and go to bed,” she said and rushed
off.

Dante blew an agitated breath. He hated to
have upset her when he only wanted her to talk about her feelings.
She needed to let Melvin go so she could make room in her heart for
him.

Chapter 19

Emily took a quick five-minute shower then
moisturized her body in a raspberry lotion before sliding into a
silk, white gown. She stepped out of the bathroom and slid under
the covers into bed, lying there, thinking about Melvin. She hadn’t
accepted the fact that Melvin was gone and wasn’t coming back.
That’s why she couldn’t stand up in group and tell her story. She
was still pretending it hadn’t happened, still grieving. Then she
thought about what grief was – keen mental suffering or distress
over a loss. Were there rules about how long a person was supposed
to grieve? How long was too long? Could grief over the death of a
love one ever be conquered? If so, was this grief retreat really
the way to do it?”

She inhaled a much needed breath as tears
ran down her face, towards her ears before wetting her pillow.

The knock at the door jolted her, but she
hadn’t responded to see what Dante wanted.

“
Emily, are you sleeping?”
Dante waited a moment for an answer, but when he hadn’t heard
anything, he turned the knob, walked in and saw her lying on the
bed – a white sheet covering her body. He walked closer to the bed.
Her eyes were opened. He stooped down and said, “I didn’t mean to
upset you, Emily.”

Emily saw a blurred version of him through
her tears. “Everything you said about me is right,” she told him.
“I haven’t accepted the fact that Melvin is gone. I don’t know
how...how do I move on without him?” she cried.

The sound of her whimpering and the way
sadness distorted her voice touched him deeply. It hurt him...felt
like a knife was being driven through his heart. All he wanted was
to make everything right for her but he couldn’t do that when most
of her problem was an internal one – not one that money could fix.
“Sweetheart, that’s why we’re here, and if you trust me, I’ll help
you. I give you my word, Emily.” He reached for her hand. “Will you
trust me?”

She sniffled and wiped her eyes. “Yes,” she
responded, accepting his hand.

Dante scooped her up into his arms. He used
his index finger to trace and wipe away the tears that fell from
her eyes. “Please stop crying.”

“
I will eventually, when I
fall asleep,” she said sadly. “Will you lie here with me for a
while?”

“
Of course,
dear.”

And he did. After wishing her a good night,
he watched her close her eyes. She was a broken soul and he’d
planned on fixing her again.

When he knew she was sleeping, he left a
kiss on her temple, tucked her carefully into bed and, like a
gentleman, he headed for the couch where he fell asleep, thinking
about her.

Chapter 20

Over breakfast, Dante mentioned to Emily
that he was going to share his story today at group therapy. He
hadn’t planned on it, but in order to motivate her to talk openly
about Melvin’s death, he wanted her to see him do the same about
Anita.

During therapy, he’d stood up and boldly
told his story about how Anita had battled cancer for two years
until her body couldn’t take anymore. Until she was too tired, too
drained, too sick to fight any longer. After he was done, he sat
down, leaned over in her ear and whispered, “Go ahead. I’m here for
you, sweetie.”

Again, Emily told him she wasn’t ready, but
if she wasn’t ready now, especially after hearing him tell his
story, when would she ever be ready?

Dante tried to talk her into it again, but
she adamantly refused. His patience was wearing thin. He tried to
suppress his anger by taking a deep breath but he was unsuccessful.
Anyone looking at him could see he was upset. But still, he sucked
it all in and told himself that he’d coach her through this, but
before he could give her further encouragement, she stood up and
walked away.

She was giving up, quitting, and he hated
that. He wasn’t a quitter and he certainly didn’t want one for a
spouse. But molding her into the woman he wanted her to be was
proving to be more than he bargained for. He rubbed his hands over
his eyes and stood up, on a hunt to find her and fast before he
lost the nerve to do what he was about to do. It was a new day and
she was wasting it.

Not anymore.

When he stepped in the suite, he walked to
the bedroom where he knew she would be, and there she was, sitting
there brooding on the edge of the bed with her arms crossed
underneath her breasts.

He stood in the doorway, leaned up against
the frame with his arms crossed, watching her for a few moments as
he juggled all kind of thoughts twirling around in his head. He
didn’t want to be too firm for her, but he had to do something
drastic so she knew he meant business.