“Vary?” He calls a little surprised, and a little relieved as he shuts the door and tosses his keys on the counter. She’s wearing a white gown reaching a little below her thigh, displaying her toned long legs and it takes all Keenan’s might to not get distracted by them so he asks, “What are you doing here?”

She gets up from the bed and walks toward him, “Trying to make amends.”

Keenan looks puzzled. He does not interrupt her, he just listens.

She pauses halfway towards him, “I shouldn’t have run away the way I did that night and I have blamed you for so long I forgot I also played a part in it.... the greatest part.”

Keenan shakes his head. If there’s anything he has learnt in the past three months, is that passing blame helps no one. “Vary, that is not true. We both played an equal part in everything that happened.” He says as he walks toward her.

She wanted him to hear her out, and she shakes her head at his words and bites her lips. “It is.” She insists, not willing to avoid the truth any longer, “Mycole told me something else at our engagement party, but I never told you. He said; your worse fear will be revealed.”

A tear slips down her face and she wipes it off. She couldn’t get emotional. She needed to tell him the truth. “I knew what—who that was, but I refused to let you in. And I thought my past was mine alone to face. I thought the only way to be safe was to not bring it up for any reason. I thought it was my past, and it stayed there and bringing it up won’t be burying it as I wanted.”

She whimpered and her heart clenched at the many months of pain that came with her decision. Not only did they lose months, but they also lost their son.

“He also said; ‘You will be shattered and let down, don’t cast him completely out in your pain and grief, there are his pain and grief as well. Learn to trust him and together you will win, but alone you will both fall’.”

“You could have told me.” Keenan tells her, taking a bold step toward her, “no matter how difficult or horrible it was, we could have shared the pain. I could have been there for you.”

“I should have told you, but I didn’t want you worrying yourself and, like I said before, I thought I could handle it on my own. I was wrong.” She sobs and Keenan reaches for her and quickly pulls her to himself, wrapping his arms around her, never wanting to let go.

She pulls away and sits down on the bed, “And in the past months I’ve been making the same mistake, thinking being apart was what I needed and the only way I could heal, and it took me three months and an ass-kicking advice from Bethany to know just how wrong I was.”

Keenan’s brows furrow at the name of her sister rolling off his wife’s mouth. “Bethany came to you?”

Vary nods and smiles before brushing her hand over her still wet face. “She helped me realise the error of my ways and the mistake I was making. She told me we were both suffering, and I was wrong to think I was the only one going through the pain. Also, she told me you’ve been in torture and blaming yourself for the past three months for everything that has happened to us. She told me you were barely hanging on to the hope of my return and it was getting thinner by the passing day.”

She takes Keenan’s hand and makes him sit on the bed beside her. “I’m sorry.”

He doesn’t see any reason she should be sorry when she’s already back with him, answering the prayers he’d been praying for in the last month. “You don’t have to -“

She places a silencing finger on his lips, “I do, and I am sorry for pushing you away Keenan and if it’s not too late, I would want to start over.” She tells him, looking hopeful and expedient.

“It’s never too late, Vary,” Keenan says, smiling and the feeling of genuine happiness showing on his face for the first time in months.

She bites her lips as she dips her hand into her pocket and brings out Keenan’s debit card, “I’m still surprised you didn’t think of blocking it.” She blurts out with a surprised voice as she stares at him.

He shrugs casually, taking her hand into his. “What’s mine is yours.”

Vary gets up and moves to the desk across the room and drops the card before turning back to look at Keenan.

Keenan notices that she’s thinner than she used to be. She looks worn and tired and he knows that just like he’d been suffering; she was too. Yet she still looks as beautiful as she could ever be, her hair packed into a near bun, bringing out her full face and Keenan wants to cradle her closer and make up for the times they’ve lost, but he keeps himself in control. He doesn’t want to push her into something she might not want. He’s waited three months and a few more minutes isn’t too long.

She is silent even as she stares at him for what feels like an eternity and, as her eyes briefly close, she licks her lips and breathes in.

“I missed you.” She reveals and rubs her forehead as embarrassment sets in, “I know going away was my choice, but I missed you and there was not a day that I didn’t think of you; what you were doing, eating, how you were feeling. There were days I wanted to hold your hands and lay in your arms and fall asleep with you holding me.” She presses her lips together. “When you found me three months ago, I wanted so badly to come home with you.”

Keenan gets up from the bed and walks over to her. “Then why didn’t you?” He asks quietly. He didn’t want to leave either, but he was afraid Vary may not want him around.

She doesn’t hesitate before responding to his question. “I was hurt, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could heal alone. I was wrong ‘cause I can’t.”

“The past three months have been hell for me too Vary,” Keenan confesses, staring into her brown eyes, feeling at peace in them, “I thought you were done healing and already moving on and for weeks I’d just hope I was wrong. The nights were cold, lonely and unbearable and the days were just a shadow of themselves. There were times I wanted to just come to the motel and bring you home with me and show you just how much we both were hurting and needed healing. There were days I wanted you to realise just how much we both needed each other.”

“Why didn’t you come for me?” She asks in a shallow voice.

“I had to believe we were both fighting for this. I wanted you to want this too. And I wanted coming back to be your choice, and I was afraid I was going to be rejected. I can take anything, just not your rejection.”

She cups his face and makes him look into her eyes and his hand goes up to hold hers on his face. “I would never reject you, Keenan. I love you.”

He received assurance of her staying with him in the last ten minutes, but hearing her reassure him of her love, he couldn’t be more satisfied. “I love you too, Vary, always and forever.”

Keenan pulls her to himself and claims her lips in his, savouring her, dominating her and consuming her all at once and with their heart beating as one, they begin their journey of always and forever together.

Keenan has her gown off within seconds, leaving her in just her bra and panties. Vary’s hands fumble with Keenan’s belt as she tosses his T-shirt aside, and she hisses when she can’t unfasten it and Keenan pulls away and chuckles as he breaks the kiss.

“Someone is a little impatient.” He teases, grinning down at her widely.

Vary rolls her eyes, “I’m sex-starved, so forgive me if patience isn’t one of my strongest points now. How can you be so calm?”

Keenan raises a brow at her, “Do I feel calm?” He demands, pressing himself against her leg and letting her feel him, hard, pulsing and hot through the clothing. She gasps and swallows quickly and he smirks darkly, “but I will not rush because I have you now, and three months is nothing compared to having you.”

They kiss again and they made history with the rest of their clothing. Keenan wants nothing but to be patient with Vary. He let her be in charge as he rolls under and pulls Vary on top of himself.

“What are you doing?” Vary asks, her voice overthrown with surprise and weariness.

He smiles widely. “What does it look like? I’m putting you in charge. Make love to me.”

A deep frown displays itself on her face as she looks down at him. “You can’t do that?” She groans in frustration, clearly wanting anything but what he is doing now.

Keenan cocks his brow at her, “Why not?”

Isn’t the reason obvious? She’s turned on and hot for him and all she wants now is to be dominated and overpowered and now “You are my husband and you should be in charge.”

He gasps in disbelief. “Who said that and where did you hear that from?”

She groans loudly in objection to the game he is playing, “Keenan, I need you, plea—”

He kisses the protesting plea back into her mouth and his hands come up to squeeze her breasts. She bites her lip and arches her back to him and his hand goes down her waist. “I need you too and you are killing me with the wait.” He presses his hard, hot and naked erection against her back, trying to emphasise his point.

She jolts and sweat runs down her face and she licks her lips gingerly before stuttering nervously, “I d-don’t know what t-to do.”

“I’ll guide you.” He says, lifting her so he can fit himself at her entrance and slowly he moves her waist up and down his length.

She draws a hard breath as she adjusts to his form and soon her nervousness vanishes and the pleasure and thrill of being on top takes over as she moves on him, her hands explore his chest and his hands roam all over her body.

As they reach the point of ecstasy, Keenan pulls her to himself as she crumbles and loses her strength on top of him.

“That was amazing, Vary.” Keenan wipes the sweat off her forehead and places a quick kiss on it.

Vary shivers, but she smiles again, “Thank you and the next round is yours.”

He nods in agreement, feeling like she deserves to bottom after blowing his mind like she just did. “Sure.”

“For months I wonder if you would ever hold me like this again.” She speaks up, causing Keenan’s eyes to settle her.

“I’ll be holding you like this forever.” He vows and the rest of the night they dedicate to each other, loving, cherishing each other.

A week later,

Vary suggests that they pay a visit to their son’s graveyard and although Keenan had paid his last respect a week before, he agrees to follow Vary and together they pay a visit to Daniel’s grave.

Keenan had asked for the gravestone to be made on the site where Daniels was buried last week when he came by and he did it because he wanted to keep Daniel’s memory and he also did it for Vary in case she wanted to pay her final respect to him.

Having been here before, he leads his wife to their son’s graveyard and when they get there; he tells her he would give her time to be alone with him.

Vary spends half an hour with Daniel, offloading everything she never got to say to him, including asking for his forgiveness for everything she did to cost him his life and as she finishes, she feels herself become much lighter and freer.

“I never got to hold him,” she says, coming over to hug Keenan and she clings to Keenan's shirt while he rubs her back in reassurance.

“I’m sorry,” Keenan says and Vary shakes her head.

“It’s not your fault.” She tells him, “In the future if we ever have a boy, I’d like to call him Andrew.”

He leans in and kisses my forehead. “Sure.” He replies in agreement.

“If it’s a boy, I want him to have your eyes,” she adds as they approach the car.

“I’ll want her to have your eyes if we have a girl.” He points out to her.

Vary brow lifts, as his suggestion takes her by surprise, “Why my eyes?”

“Because they are beautiful and true. And I want her to have your heart too because it was the only thing that got you into my chaotic life in the first place and with your determination, you brought me to my surrender.” He explains further to her.

“I never thought there would be anything that would bring the surrender of the Italian devil.” Vary blurts out, happy that he is finally accepting this.

He shrugs, “Well you did, you brought my surrender the day you stormed into my life and I fell for you and I know I’ll love you for the rest of my life.”

“I’ll love you too, Keenan, forever.” She murmurs and she leans up and kisses.

The End