Great Exploitations (Crisis in Cali) (9 page)

I finally looked away from the band circling my finger and smiled at him. “That’s because I never have been.”

Henry was lying on his side, staring at me like one admired the sunrise. “I never thought you’d be so happy to become Mrs. Callahan. My mother is a Mrs. Callahan too, you know.”

Not even the mention of Henry’s mom, or the thought of what she’d done to break us apart, could dampen my mood or smile. She’d tried, but she’d failed. “Your mother is one kind of Mrs. Callahan, and I’m another kind. Besides, I’m Mrs.
Henry
Callahan . . .” I bit my lip to keep from smirking. “And there’s only been one before me.”

Rolling his eyes, he pulled me down beside him. My champagne spilled onto the blanket, but I didn’t move to save it.

“There’s been
no
Mrs. Henry Callahan before you.”

I shook my head as he rolled over me, his face hovering above mine. “Just how much did you have to pay her to pretend to be your wife that whole time and keep silent about it?”

He kissed the tip of my nose. “A sum of money so large, it would boggle your mind.” He kissed me again. “And worth every last million.”

I laughed, moving my hands to frame his face. Every time I looked at Henry, I was reminded of our story. Our
love
story. It hadn’t been conventional or traditional or maybe even ideal, but it was ours. Though it had torn us apart, it had also brought us back together. It was ours and ours alone, and for that, I’d forever be grateful.

“So where, Mrs. Callahan, would you like to spend your honeymoon? The South of France? Rio? Cape Town?”

My thumbs skimmed down his cheeks. “I’m spending my honeymoon right now, right here. I’ve seen enough of the world and its people to suffice for five lifetimes. How about we spend our honeymoon here, together?”

“I like the way you think.” Henry’s hand went to the bend of my waist, squeezing it in a way that stopped my breath. “Now, Mrs. Callahan, can we get to the wedding night part of our marriage? It was the main reason I said ‘I do.’”

My eyes closed when his lips moved to the base of my neck. “It was the main reason I said those words as well.” His body slid more over mine, causing a sigh to fall from my lips. “Plus I do happen to be insanely in love with you.”

Henry stopped kissing my neck long enough to smile at me. “You stole the words right from my mouth.”

As Henry made love to me that night, I wondered if that was the end of our beginning or the beginning of our end, but what I realized later, after he’d fallen asleep in my arms, was that it was neither—we were continuous, as infinite as the night sky above us.

Our bodies might not have been, but our love would always be forever.