SEVER Jane, Melissa (management books to read .TXT) 📖

walking up the sand to join me, looking ridiculously hot in her tiny bikini. “Wanna do some salsa tonight? They’ve got a beach party on at the next resort. We can have dinner and head out.”

I smile at her, seeing the forgiving person she is. When I proposed we escape New York and repair some wounds, Samantha surprised me by being all for it. She saw how much I was suffering and I could see how troubled she was, so together we made the perfect get-away.

“Actually…” she says, her whole demeanor changing, “I think I might just stay in and order room service.”

“Are you crazy? You totally sold me on the idea of going salsa dancing and now you’re—”

“I know, it’s just that…” she glances over my shoulder quickly, her behavior suddenly off, “I think you might be a little busy.”

“Doing what?”

“I thought I might find you here.” His voice is like a knife to my heart and I freeze, terrified to turn around and terrified if I don’t. I look to Samantha. She smiles and reassures me by squeezing my hand before winking and walking away.

For a moment longer, I remain frozen to the spot.

My husband takes the bar stool in front of me and with a finger under my chin, he gently tilts my face to meet his. “Hello, Blythe,” he says warmly.

“How’d you find me?” It’s all I can manage, and I know I sound like a bitch, however unintentional.

After everything that happened, I couldn’t face Shawn, for many reasons. I was wracked with my own guilt over having been with Kane, even though I’d called an end to the marriage. Because those decisions were made based on false information. The other reason was that I simply wasn’t ready to forget all that had happened.

All the lies that were told.

The images that played over in my head, associating Shawn with those girls.

A year of hurt.

It was going to take some rebuilding. And now, as my husband sits in front of me, I couldn’t be more terrified of him.

“When you suddenly disappeared, and weren’t answering my calls, I asked myself… where does my wife love traveling to the most? And the answer’s easy. Cabo.”

Maybe I didn’t want to escape him altogether? Before I realized what I’d done, I was printing off my tickets to Cabo—our honeymoon destination—and then booked the same suite we’d stayed in for our first night of marriage.

“You always had me figured out.”

He looks solemnly at me and takes my hand in his. “Until I lost sight of things.”

“We’re both guilty of that. We’ve both done things to hurt each other, intentional or not. I just… I just don’t know—”

“Blythe, you only did what you did because I pushed you there. I don’t hold you accountable for anything, not even with Kane.”

“But you should.”

“But I don’t. That man had you as his target the whole time. And when I pushed you away, I practically shoved you into his arms. So, no, I don’t blame you and I never will. The question is, can you ever forgive me?”

“Of course. I just needed time to digest, you know? That’s why I left town.”

There’s a moment of silence where we hold each other’s gaze, wondering if we can, somehow, salvage what’s been lost and start again.

“I want us to start over,” Shawn says, a gleam in his beautiful blue eyes. “You’re my world, Blythe, and I’ll do anything to be able to prove that.”

“I just want you to be the Shawn I used to know.”

“I can do that. So, what do you think? Can I take you out on a date tonight? I hear there’s salsa dancing over at the next resort.”

I snort a laugh at his eavesdropping. “I would love to go on a date with you.”

He smiles and it warms my heart. It’s been so long since I’ve seen it. “Great. I’m going to my room to freshen up after my trip, but I’ll pick you up at eight?”

I smile like a giddy teenager. “Eight is great.”

Shawn leans in and kisses my cheek, lingering a few moments while we drink each other in. It feels so good to have him close again. So normal now all the pretense has gone.

“I’ve missed you, wife,” he says, lips grazing my ear.

“And I you, husband.”

~

The knock sounds at 7:59 p.m. and I reach for my clutch and make my way to open the door.

Shawn’s eyes widen in appreciation when he sees me. “Fuck, Blythe. You’re more beautiful every time I see you.” I knew he’d appreciate this dress. It’s my Dirty Dancing dress, the one Baby wears in the closing scene when she and Johnny reunite. It shows a lot of bust, and a loose skirt—which has always been Shawn’s thing. He loves to bury himself under there while pleasuring me.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” And goddammit, the man is fine! His shirt is rolled to his elbows, displaying his sexy, corded arms, and it’s unbuttoned enough to tease me with his muscled, tanned chest.

He holds out his arm which I accept, closing the door behind me before we make steps toward our future. If someone told me a few months ago we’d be doing this, I’d have laughed at them. But now it feels real and so right.

Shawn takes me to a candlelit dinner by the beach. And while some things are still raw, we talk and laugh like two people in love, swapping stories about how we spent our honeymoon and what we should recreate. I’d left New York thinking our relationship, or what’s left of it, would be a work in progress, but as I sit across from him tonight, I realize I ran because I feared what I hoped for—to have my husband back.

The salsa