"Of course! Of course. I'd never want to rush the best thing in my life."
"You have been married before," Ellie reminded him, as they separated enough to clasp hands and start for the bedroom. Her hand felt slim, elegant, and cool in his grasp. She held his hand tightly.
"And I'll always be sorry I couldn't be a better husband to her," said Shel gravely. "But there could never be a comparison. I love you," he said simply. "And that makes all the difference."
"Even if I'm not very good?" She glanced at him shyly, her cheeks crimson now.
He stopped for a moment, blinking at her in shock. "There's no one in the world better than you. Even if we could never make love, I'd want to spend every day with you for the rest of my life. You're the most beautiful woman in the world and I love you with my whole heart. So please, don't feel like you have anything to live up to. You're already so much better than I could ever deserve—" He couldn't continue. Tears pricked at his eyes, and he coughed into his fist.
She squeezed the hand she held, a look of compassion replacing her nervous expression. "My dear Shel," she said softly. "That's how I feel about you!" A faint smirk crossed her elegant features, turning her smile up slightly further. "Well, except replace 'woman' with 'man.' Now, why don't you show me how this works?"
And she moved into his arms and kissed him with all the tenderness and passion she possessed.
*
"Shel!" called Ellie from the kitchen. "Breakfast!"
"Coming, dear!" He finished tying his tie, biting his lip as he concentrated on it. Then he paused to study his face in the mirror.
This was his first day back at work since the wedding. Did he look different? Would everyone be able to see how happy he was, how perfectly right his life felt with Ellie beside him every day — and every night? If they did, his coworkers would be extremely jealous. He certainly would've been, in the old days.
They'd decided to stay at Ellie's apartment. It was more comfortable than Shel's. To be honest, he loved it here, with all the homey little touches his wife — his wife! — had already made over the years. The dogs had already broken the furniture in quite suitably, thank you; no need to start out fresh.
Besides, although neither spoke of it, he knew the strain of moving would take a toll on Ellie, and he didn't relish seeing her pushed to the edge of exhaustion any time soon.
As it was, she'd started to cook for him on occasion, instead of letting the maid do so. And they spent every night (and sometimes part of the day) rather energetically engaged. So far her strength was holding out, but he kept an eye on her protectively, not wanting her to push herself too hard.
They'd taken a complete break from work and also from reading any newspapers since the wedding. He found the break was doing him good, and Ellie said it didn't matter what people said about them marrying each other, if they didn't read it.
"No one can force us to read ugly things about ourselves. It says more about them than it does about us!" she'd reminded him.
He'd been unable to help laughing a little at her fierce, earnest expression, and hugged her close and kissed her. "You always do give the perfect advice," he whispered.
"Not always," she'd replied, drawing back, her gaze twinkling at him. "Just in general."
Everything was going beautifully. Even the dogs were behaving better these days. Shel was finding out he was a bit better at dog training than he'd expected to be. Spending more time around the dogs, he'd begun taking them in hand. They were getting too big to be pulling on the leash all the time for Ellie. Now they were actually starting to mind; he'd even taught them to sit.
This morning, they were no doubt sitting in the kitchen, gazing worshipfully at breakfast, hoping for a taste. They'd get it; of course they'd get it. They might be behaving better, but they were still quite spoiled half-grown dogs, all big paws, floppy ears, and happy tails.
As he finished his tie, he glanced at his hair, tilting his head to the side, biting his lip. Was that a gray hair hiding among his curls?
Behind him, Ellie clicked her tongue. "How vain," she said in a teasing voice, just before sliding her arms slid around his waist and hugging him close. He smiled at the warmth of her slim body against his. His beautiful, gentle, trusting, and enjoyably silly wife.
Oh, he hadn't known loving someone held such room for humor! But with their love cemented and secure, there was room for joking, gentle teasing, and even belly laughs together, the way there had never been room for more than polite smiles with Judith.
He didn't want to think of Judith; he wanted to forget those days of feeling half alive and always as though he was doing something wrong and would never find out what. But sometimes, he couldn't help remembering his unhappiness then compared to his happiness now. He might always have some guilt about Judith, but at least those days were behind him now.
"Oh yes, I'm very vain," he said, turning around and returning her embrace properly. They kissed lightly and smiled at each other. Her hands reached up, stroking through his curls, and he held her gently around the waist. "I have the prettiest wife, you know."
She rolled her eyes, smiling. "Oh yes, indeed." She laughed and continued to run her fingers through his curls, looking satisfied and pleased. "I certainly have the prettiest husband." And she kissed him again.
It continually surprised him, but she really did seem to find him attractive. It was an amazing experience for a man who'd always thought he was below average in the looks department.
After a moment, he drew back. "At this rate, I'll never get to work on time," he said rather breathlessly.
"Oh well," said Ellie carelessly, reaching up casually for his tie and tugging it gently to one side, then the other, loosening it. She smiled at him with a teasing gleam and sparkle in her eyes. "You are the boss, after all. What can they say?"
They could say plenty, Shel felt. But just now he didn't care.
He took his wife into his arms.
THE END
More romance by Alice M. Roelke:
Peaches In Winter, published by MuseItUp Publishing
What does author Jake Watterson need with a secretary? Nothing, that's what! Until he meets Betty Ann…
A gentle, sweet romance set in the 1950s. Available from all eBook sellers.
Laurie's Painter
Laurie never meant to fall in love again, certainly not with a humble female painter.
Jenny is too busy helping her brother survive to even contemplate romance. Love isn't for someone like her. Or is it?
A gentle, sweet or traditional historical-themed romance set in the Regency era in England. Available from Amazon.com
Coming Soon:
Watch Over Me, a young adult romantic fantasy novel from MuseItUp Publishing
Ellie's Advice (sweet romance) Page 10
