Cole clears his throat. “This is going tosound conceited, but I’ve been told in the past that I’m a arrogant bastard,and I’m never one to disagree with the consensus.” I smile up at him. “There’smy girl’s smile. I knew it was in there somewhere.” He traces the pad of histhumb over my lips. “I think your family is jealous of me. Or more accurately,you marrying me.”
I scrunch my forehead, considering this.“Because you’re so deliciously handsome and sexy.” I hook my leg over his andsit up, straddling him. “And,” I pause. “You’re unbelievably wealthy.”
“Yes,” Cole admits, looking chagrined.
“But, I didn’t marry you for your money.I mean yes, you’re beautiful and a sex god, but those are only a fraction ofthe reasons I love you. And really, I didn’t know about the sex god part untilafter we were married.”
“Kate.” Cole sits up, wrapping an armaround me and stilling me with a finger.
“I'm rambling.”
“Yes, baby, but I like your rambling. Iknow all these things, but your mom, sister, aunt, grandma, and good grief,that cousin of yours doesn’t know that. They’re looking at us from the outside.Maybe to your mom, all she sees is the wealthy, handsome, sexy bastard thattook her sweet, precious girl away from her. To everyone else, they wish theywere half as lucky as you.”
I sigh, leaning into Cole, resting myhead in the crook of his neck. “You have a point. But they’re so blatant aboutit in front of you. Like they’re trying to show you all the bad things aboutme.”
“Kate, all it shows me is that they’rejealous. Look at me. I love you and that will not change because you’re thirtydays late on your house payment. Or even make me think less of you.”
I cringe. “My house payment. What am Igoing to do? I only have eleven hundred dollars in my savings, and I wantedhalf of that to go to a new car. Now my credit score’s going to go down.”
“Are we really going to have thisargument again?”
“What argument?”
“The one about how my money is yourmoney.”
He’s right. I don’t want to have thisargument because there’s this petty matter of my pride, but I put that to resta while ago. Cole isn’t giving me money because he has to. He’s sharing hismoney with me, his wife. There’s a difference.
Cole’s lips skim up and down my neck,eliciting a shiver. “Cookie,” he rumbles. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I’m thinking…”you’re right, but I’mnot going to inflate your already large ego by telling you that.“Will youhelp me make my house payment?”
Cole gives me a mischievous half smile.“No.”
I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion. “Thenwhy—”
“I paid it off.”
I stare open-mouthed at him. He runs afinger up my neck and under my chin, closing it. “You paid off the house,” Isay in a hushed tone.
“Technically, I’m in the process. When Ileft the dining room to find you, I made a call to the accountant and told himto take care of it.”
“You paid off the house.” I whisperagain, still in awe.
“I need to apologize.”
“For paying off the house?”
“No. For not going over your financeswith you. I told you we would, but I put it on the back burner and then, witheverything that happened over the weekend, I forgot about it. For that, I amsorry.”
“It’s okay. I don’t really think mycredit score will take that big of a hit.”
“Cookie.” Cole snakes his hands up mysides, tickling me. “There’s that sense of humor I love.”
“Cole,” I squeal.
“Tell me how much you love me,” helaughs, continuing to tickle me.
“Okay, okay.”
