Empire of Desire(Empire #1)(107)

He grabs my hand that’s on his cheek and strokes his thumb on the back of it, eliciting tiny shudders from me. “Why?”

“Because we’re a team, Nate. Just you and I.”

“You’re a fucking gem, did you know that?”

“No, so you’ll have to tell me that every day.”

“I fucking will. Remember when you were trying to find me a hobby?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t have to look anymore. I already found it.”

“Really? What is it? Oh, is it board games?”

“No.”

“Then what is it?”

“You.”

“M-me?”

“Why do you think I kept agreeing to do all of the things you planned?”

“I thought you were only placating me.”

“I’m not that unselfish. I did it to spend more time with you, and the longer I did, the deeper you drew me into you.”

“I’m glad I was persistent.”

“I’m glad, too.” He brings my hand to his mouth and kisses the palm so delicately, I melt. “I know we agreed to divorce when you’re twenty-one, but I can’t bear the thought of being away from you. The last couple of weeks have been enough torture for a lifetime.”

“I can’t stay away from you either, even if Dad is against it.”

“So you’ll stay my wife?”

I bite my lower lip. “People will talk.”

“Fuck them.”

“Does that mean I get to call you my husband in public?”

“Always.” He breathes heavily, the shirt of his suit stretching with the depth of his inhales and exhales. “I love you, baby girl. I’m in love with your colorfulness as much as your emptiness.”

“I love you, too, Nate. I think I’ve been in love with you for years.”

“I think I’ve loved you ever since you kissed me, and I’ll show you how much I love you for the rest of our lives.”

“Oh, Nate.” I get on my tiptoes and just like that day two years ago when he fell in love with me, my lips find his.





Epilogue 1 - Nathaniel





Three years later





Something’s wrong.

I can tell because Gwyneth has been avoiding me.

She never avoids me.

Not even when she says I’m being a jerk and drive her mad sometimes. Instead of turning her back to me or sulking, she jumps onto my lap and makes me teach her how to behave.

But now, she’s been avoiding me.

For two days.

She’s also been staring at her negative words list before bed, which she rarely does. These past three years, she’s been working more on herself and has a better grasp on her emotions. She even has a positive words list that makes her smile and laugh and puts her in a bright mood.

However, the list she’s been looking at is the negative one. And she’s done it two nights in a row.

“My angel finally realized that being with you is a mistake,” King said when I asked him if she’d told him anything. “Now, she can divorce you and come back to me.”

“Fuck you, King.”

“Hey, is that any way to speak to your father-in-law, motherfucker?”

Needless to say, he’s of no help. Even though he’s not as opposing to our relationship as when we first got together, he has this way of getting on my fucking nerves, which, of course, I pay him back for in full.

So I asked Aspen if Gwyneth had mentioned anything, but she wasn’t of much help either.

I’m even contemplating calling Sebastian, but fuck that little rascal, all he does is tease me whenever he gets the chance.

My nephew and I are mostly out of my parents’ influence now, no matter how much they try to lure us back into the Weaver clan.

When news of my marriage to Gwyneth first broke out, the media was all over it, but King, Aspen, and I had a plan. The moment King announced that he was all for it, the story became boring and they moved on to the next hot thing.

I’m glad Gwyneth wasn’t brought into the middle of it, because my fucking crazy wife would’ve stood there and told them, “Yeah, I love him. Why the fuck is that any of your business?”

She told me so herself around that time. That she’ll give the middle finger to anyone who judges us.

We still get looks sometimes, but it doesn’t really matter to us since we’ve always lived in a world that’s secluded from the rest.

We spend weekends hiking or pissing King off. We rarely work together, because she’s focusing on family law, but we talk cases all the time. She’s passionate, my Gwyneth, and I could spend the rest of my life listening to her talk about the subjects that interest her, which are usually law, me, and fucking.

She never gets enough and my dick loves her for it. I’ve never been so sexually compatible with anyone as I am with my beautiful wife. It’s not even about the act itself, it’s about the feelings that come with it. It’s about the fucking belonging that I’m a lucky bastard to have found.

Every day, I try to make her feel that. I try to prove in action instead of words how much her presence means to me.

And since we’re each other’s world, it fucks me up all day when she avoids me.