Read Online Seducing Her Beast by Sam Crescent - Free Book Online Page B

tarts when she heard a curse come from the
dining room table. Wiping her hands on the towel she moved into the dining
room.
    He glanced up when she chuckled.
Wayne
glared at her. He
had cello tape wrapped around his whole hand. The doll he’d been trying to wrap
looked nothing like a doll.
    “You could help me,” he said.
    “I will. I’ll get you a cup of tea.” She left
him fighting with a toy to go and get the beverages. When the kettle finished
boiling she poured them both a cup of tea. She glanced down at her finger and
felt the loss of his rings. Lily wondered when he’d find the time to give them
to her.
    Their problems seemed so petty now. She would
do anything to get the rings back on her finger. Over the last few days she’d
hinted as much.
    Shrugging her shoulders, she pulled out the
tray of mince pies to let them sit on a cooling rack.
    Lily took two then walked back into the dining
room. When she’d put the cups and plate down, she helped
Wayne
with the toy. He really didn’t have a
knack for wrapping.
    “You used to do this?” he asked.
    She nodded, smiling.
    “I thought you got it gift wrapped.” He mumbled
something else, which she didn’t quite catch.
    “I may have come from money, but as you know my
dad lost it. Spending money on gift-wrapping was a waste of time. I was told to
make it look like it had been gift-wrapped.” She took the present from him, and
in a few quick movements she wrapped the doll. Lily wrote on a label then added
it to the other Santa bags she’d made over the years.
    He grumbled some more. She tested the heat of
the mince pie then pressed it to his mouth.
    “Eat and stop moaning. At least you have me to
wrap for you.” She moved all the paper and presents out of the way.
    “How can I help? I thought wrapping presents
would be easier. I can’t bake, and I certainly can’t wrap. What the hell do I
have to offer?” he asked.
    Lily chuckled. “Stop moaning. You’ve never
spent Christmas by actually doing anything,” she said. “It’s not about all
this. You care, and I know that. This will come in time.”
    “You’re only being nice to me,” he said.
    “No, I’m not.
Wayne
, I love you. You went to work, and I
did all the homely stuff. I love doing this, and to be honest it makes me happy
knowing you can’t do it.”
    “Why?”
    “Because it means I’m good at something.” She
admitted the hard truth. No matter how long she’d been away from her sister and
stepmother, the damage they caused still made her feel worthless at times.
    He reached out to cup her cheek. “You’re good
at everything you do, baby. Don’t let them keep hurting you.” He stroked her
cheek making her smile. Her eyes watered at his sweet words.
    “Thank you.”
    “I mean it. I never knew how much went into
this stuff. It makes me proud to know you handled this all by yourself.” Lily
felt the blush rising up in her cheeks. “Anyway, there is something I wanted us
to do.” He leaned down and pulled something off the chair.
    She saw the book of memories she’d been storing
away over their twelve years of marriage.
    “You want to talk about my scrapbook?” she
asked.
    “Not exactly. I want to
talk about us. This is our time to put it all on the table and for us to
discuss our lives and our marriage.”
    Lily took a sip of her tea thinking about what
he was asking.
    “You want us to sit and talk about certain
memories of the past?” Lily asked.
    “Yes, I think it will be good for us to get it
all out in the open.”
    She took another sip of her tea wondering where
to start. Over the years there had been many instances where she’d wanted to
say something to him but kept it all inside.
Wayne
could be very closed off when he wanted to be.
    “Okay, you look worried. Let’s just talk and
see where it goes. Our wedding day, what did you think?” he asked.
    “It was so long ago,
Wayne
. These memories seem pointless now. We
both know we didn’t have the most