Rising (Anderson Special Ops #2) - Melody Anne Page 0,36
needing to be that man for his family. He couldn’t release the iron control he’d been using to keep calm.
“It’s okay, Joseph. It’s okay to be angry. It’s okay to be frustrated. And it’s also okay to let it all go. You can be mad at me, at this man, at the world. And once you allow yourself to be angry, you can set those emotions free. Let it go, Joseph. Trust me to do what’s best for me. Also trust me to be strong for you once in a while. Trust us to make it through all of this together.
And that was it. The dam broke — and it broke as if a nuclear explosion had detonated right in the middle of it. His eyes filled and spilled over on the top of Katherine’s head. He loved her even more as she cradled him tight, not lifting her head to see the tears he was trying to hide, giving him this moment of grief and anger as she held him.
He shook with anguish as she whispered her love for him, lifting her hand to rub his cheek while her head remained cradled against his heart. He wasn’t sure if minutes passed or hours, but they didn’t speak while he held his wife and released the emotions that had been brewing for too long.
Finally, when he had a voice again, when the tears were dry, he cupped her cheek and turned her head so he could look into her loving eyes. “I don’t know how you touch me the way you do, my beautiful wife, but you make me a new man each day. You make me want to be better. You make me want to be the man you see. Talking about our last day together breaks my heart. I want an eternity with you at my side. I can’t live without you. I can’t promise my reaction to the man who hurt you will be for mercy, but I will promise to honor your wishes just as I did the day I was lucky enough to marry you.”
She was the one crying now as she gazed into Joseph’s eyes. He’d thought he’d known what love was before this moment, but he’d been wrong. His heart had grown in the last day even more with his wife. His love grew stronger whenever they were together. Her love would conquer any hate inside of him.
“Thank you,” Katherine said. She leaned forward and gently kissed him before she settled back down and rested her ear against his heart again. Now that she was at peace, she fell asleep in less than a minute. Joseph’s large hand rubbed gently along her back as he listened to the sweet murmurs she made as she dreamed what he hoped was beautiful, peaceful moments in some of their favorite places.
The last of his anger evaporated as he held his wife. He and Katherine had a beautiful love story, and she was completely right: they needed to continue their story with love and laughter, not pain and anger. After several minutes, Joseph lay back, pulling Katherine even more tightly into his arms — and then he promptly fell asleep.
Joseph woke before Katherine, his body aching from the uncomfortable position. Very carefully, he sat up, keeping her head cradled in his lap, and they remained that way for nearly an hour before her eyes fluttered, then opened, a smile instantly appearing on her naturally pink lips.
“You look very beautiful this morning, my love,” Joseph whispered, running his fingers through her white hair. “Even more beautiful than the day I met you.” It was true. Each new line, each hair that had turned silver, and each mark that showed their years had only made her that much more beautiful in his eyes.
“You’ve always been such a charmer, Joseph,” Katherine said with a girlish giggle he hadn’t known he’d missed until hearing it again.
“I only speak the truth,” he told her. He moved his hand from her neck and over her collarbone, his fingers trailing over the top of her chest. Just as he was about to move a little lower, they heard footsteps in the hallway.
Katherine’s eyes widened in horror as she swatted his hand away and quickly scrambled up, scooting away from him, straightening her rumpled clothing, and trying to tame her hair. He was greatly disappointed and vowing to kick every single person out of his house right then and there. The person walked on by