Love Uncovered (Forbidden Fruit) by Evelyn Adams Read Free Book Online Page A

reached back to catch his hand. “I love you and the kids. You are the most important things in the world to me. But I’ve gotten so used to waiting on all of you.” She hurried on before he could interrupt. “You didn’t expect me to, I know. But I did. It’s what I knew. It’s what my mom did – still does. I got so caught up in trying to figure out what all of you wanted, somewhere along the way I forgot what I wanted.”
    “Would you rather be who you were before?”
    “Would you?” she challenged.
    He thought for a moment , struggling to keep from getting angry and defensive. “No, I’m smarter than I used to be and kinder. You and the kids made me deeper, and less selfish. My life is richer, if not my bank account. I wouldn’t change that.”
    “Me, either.” She squeezed his hand. “But I miss parts of myself. I think you and the kids do, too. Nobody can be happy with me snapping all the time.”
    “It’s not my favorite thing,” he said, leaning forward to kiss the top of her head and take some of the sting out of his words.
    “Told you.” She reached for the bag of marshmallows and stuck one on the skewer. She held it over the coals forming in the bottom of the chiminea, turning it as it browned. “Get the crackers ready.”
    He held a graham cracker out for her perfectly toasted marshmallow and plunked an enormous chunk of chocolate on top. He sandwiched the gooey, sticky mess between another cracker and held it out to her.
    “ No, you eat that one. I’ll toast another one for myself.” Max arched an eyebrow at her and she laughed. “I’m not being a martyr. I want mine a little darker, but not as dark as the first one.”
    She started on her marshmallow and he took a bite of the s’more, holding his hand out to keep from dropping crumbs all over both of them.
    “Good grief, that’s sweet.”
    She wrinkled her nose and held her toasted marshmallow out for a graham cracker. “I know. I got the milk chocolate for the kids. I’m bringing the really dark stuff for us next time.” He put a slab of chocolate and a cracker on hers and watched as she took a bite.
    “Ugh, it is sweet. It always seems like such a good idea, but I think I like the toasting better than the eating.” She took another bite and then held the half eaten s’more out to him. “Do you want the rest?”
    “If I have to.” She laughed as he took the treat from her.  When he finished licking his fingers, they sat back to watch the fire, Julie nestled between his legs. He stroked the soft skin of her neck and played with the tendrils of her hair.
    She sighed, letting her head fall back. “This is so nice. I’ve missed this so much. Time together just you and me.”
    “Me, too.”
    “I don’t want to go back to being angry all the time. How do we stop it?”
    He stroked while he thought, his fingertips soothing and at the same time promising pleasure and heat. “We take time for each other like we do for the kids and everything else. We’re more important than the other stuff that eats our time. We take time even if it’s just a couple of minutes to share a beer. And if we forget, we’ll remind each other. Max held out his hand, pinky extended, and she hooked her little finger with his.
    “We remind each other.”
    It started to drizzle but neither of them jumped to get up. Max felt the back of his hands and arms grow damp and watched the drops hit the red clay, evaporating on contact. “We better go in. The fire should be okay.”
    Julie started to stand, but b efore she could turn to the door, he caught her and pulled her in for a kiss. He fit his mouth to hers, tasting the sweetness of the s’more and his wife.  “I love you, Jules. More than anything.” She wrapped herself around him and he kissed her, sheltering her in his arms as the drizzle turned to rain.

It was still raining when she woke the next morning. Julie lay snuggled in Max’s arms and listened to the tapping of the rain on the