His mouth moved. “Those were the very first paintings I ever bought.”
“Selling those, they were the only thing that made it possible for me to stay in Chicago—” Whatever I was going to say next stopped short when I finally realized why he’d purchased those paintings. “Canaan . . .”
He shrugged, able to hear my unspoken question. “I’d put you through hell, Maggie, and you’d gone in search of a new life. It was my way of helping make that new life you deserved a reality.”
I could have cried, but instead, I smiled. Here I’d been under the belief he’d been doing everything in his power to manipulate me and wield me to his whims, when in fact, he’d done the opposite. He’d set me free. He’d paid the price for it.
“Those paintings weren’t cheap. Where did you come up with that kind of money?”
The cut on his lip started to pull open when he smiled. “I had nothing to spend my money on, and I had a whole hell of a lot of time to fill with work. So I kept my head down and worked.”
“And purchased every piece a starving artist living in an expensive city put out?”
Canaan’s gold eyes met mine. “I became an art investor. By the way, I’ve been told those pieces have more than tripled in value since I acquired them.”
I picked at a few pieces of wild grass, pursing my lips. “Aren’t you just a regular art connoisseur?”
Canaan’s chest moved when he grunted. “Plus, in a weird way, it was my way of surrounding myself with you. Your paintings. Work you’d invested yourself in. In so doing, carving a new life for yourself.” His arm nudged against mine. “Best money I ever spent.”
My head dropped to his shoulder, finding its home. “Thank you.”
His head nodded in acknowledgement against mine. A minute of quiet passed, the first true peace I’d felt at his side since coming back.
“That son of a bitch ex-boyfriend of yours was wrong, you know?”
My brows drew together. “About what?”
“About you not being worth the effort.” His head adjusted so his mouth was outside my ear. “You’re worth every effort. Every last goddamn one.”
I had no idea what a person should or could say in response to that, so I stayed quiet, letting his words settle into the night.
His throat cleared as he held out what he’d been clutching. I recognized the papers immediately.
“I signed them.” His knuckles were white from holding them as tightly as he was. “I’m not holding two days or some ultimatum over your head. I’m setting you free, Maggie Church.”
I took the papers and held them between my hands. He’d filled in all the highlighted, flagged lines. He’d given me exactly what I wanted. He always had. He always would.
Staring at the papers, I realized I’d gotten exactly what I wanted. Precisely what I’d needed.
Curling my fingers around the heavy stack of papers, I finally realized why our story had never ended. Because we weren’t finished—we never would be. There was no ending where Canaan and I were concerned.
‘Til death do us part . . . and beyond.
“Ford,” I said, tearing the pile of papers in half. “It’s Maggie Ford. And I am free.” My head returned to his shoulder as my hand found his. “I’m exactly where I want to be.”
I’d sworn off white dresses six years and one exchanging of vows ago.
So much for that.
Although this white dress was a little different from the one I’d worn that day in the courthouse. The old one wouldn’t have fit me anymore.
“How’s it going there, wife?” Canaan drew back so he could look at me, but he still held me close as we danced on the grassy dance floor known as our backyard.
“Pretty damn fantastic, husband.” My hand slid inside the back of his tux jacket to snap the suspenders he had on beneath.
“Hot?”
My head shook. That was the benefit to having an outside wedding in early spring. Sixties and sunny had been the way of things today.
“Hungry?”
I made a face. “I just scarfed down about five pounds of crab legs. Hungry is not even on my radar for once.”
“Tired?”
“I’m fine,” I said, my eyes lifting. “You really need to stop treating me like I’m some time bomb about to go off.”
Canaan’s eyes dropped to what rested between us. Aka, my stomach. “You are about to go off actually. In twenty-two days if the little man decides to cooperate.”
“Cooperation is definitely not on the horizon because we’re having a little girl and if she’s anything like me, she’s going to make it a priority to keep you on your toes.” I winked at him before pressing a kiss to his mouth.
Whoops and cheers echoed from the tables scattered around the yard, filled with all of Farmington from the looks of it.
“We’ll see,” he said, like he had the inside track on what the baby’s gender was even though we’d both agreed to wait and be surprised.
“Is it okay if the other humans here join the newly wedded couple on the dance floor?” Rachel sashayed up with Brian in tow, who looked all too okay with dancing being off the docket.
“Please,” Canaan and I said at the same time.
“And we’re not newly wedded,” I added.
“Then what was this whole day all about?” Rachel draped her arms around Brian’s neck, giving me a parental look. “A renewing of vows?”
Canaan and I both made a face—we hated that term and we’d heard no end to it lately, after the whole town found out about the ceremony.
“Maggie always wanted the real deal wedding. That’s why we’re doing it.” Canaan grinned at me, and I kept my mouth shut. He’d wanted the “real deal” wedding as much as I had.
“Ah, that might be the most sweet and chaste thing I’ve ever heard”—Rachel leaned in, patting my stomach—“if your bride wasn’t eight and a half months pregnant. Kind of put the cart before the horse, you two.”
“For the hundredth time, we’ve been married for six years. Not six hours.”
She made a face like she was merely placating me by not arguing back. “Made any long-term living arrangements yet?”
Canaan shared a sigh with me. We’d been hearing the same questions from her and everyone else ever since we made the announcement that we were back together. Officially. Not just legally. Or whatever.
Life was confusing, I’d accepted. It was okay to not be okay all the time. And it was acceptable to make up the answers as you went sometimes.
“Okay, I’m definitely not giving you that answer for the thousandth time,” I said.
“Going between Chicago and Farmington isn’t a long-term living situation. It’s more a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants barely-plan.”
Brian pointed across the lawn. “We’re just going to dance over there for a while. Harass some other happy couple.”
Canaan high-fived Brian before he steered his wife toward where Riley and Kendra had pulled their dates onto the grass.
“How is getting to go back and forth between this place and Chicago not every person’s dream?” I said, getting back to dancing with my husband.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s anyone else’s dream. I’m only concerned with yours.” His fingers curled into my back, guiding me closer.
“I’m living them,” I said, smiling. “You?”
His forehead dropped to mine. “I’m with you. That’s better than any damn dream.”
The baby chose that moment to jab her little knee or elbow into my belly button.
“This kid’s going to be a little fighter just like her dad, I’m telling you,” I said, placing Canaan’s hand on the spot as she kept moving. I still wasn’t used to seeing those wild eyes of his soften or the smile of pure contentment that followed.
His hand turned over, knuckles skimming the planet that was my stomach. “I’ll teach him how to fight. You teach him what to fight for.”
My hand draped over his. “We’ll teach her tha
t together.”
Canaan chuckled, dancing with me, one hand on my back, one on my stomach. The whole world was watching, yet we were the only two people in the world.
“So you don’t think this was Grandma’s plan all along, do you? The reason she split up the house between us? So we’d be forced to have to face each other sometime?” My eyes lifted to the big white farmhouse beside us before drifting to the apartment above the garage.
Canaan had moved out of there months ago. We used it now for storage or when a friend of Canaan’s came into town to take care of things at the shop while we were in Chicago.
“Your grandma knew what I always did.” Canaan’s eyes didn’t leave me. I wasn’t sure they had all day. “We’re perfect for each other, but we needed to find the perfect time to make it work.”
“And we finally did.”
Canaan grinned. “It’s a good thing, since we’re kind of bringing a kid into the world any day now.”
Like the baby heard, another solid jab moved my stomach.
“There are a lot of people who say we’re idiots for thinking we could get right a second time what we got wrong the first time.”
Canaan made a face. “A lot of people are idiots.” He took my left hand, where both an old and new wedding band circled my finger. “Second chances are what keep the planet in orbit.”
“Preach.” I laughed as he kissed each of my knuckles before pulling me back to him. The stomach was still in our way though, as I guessed a baby, which would grow into a child, would always kind of be from here on out.
Canaan leaned in to kiss me, lingering and sweet.
“We are wrong for each other in all the right ways, Canaan Ford,” I whispered against his lips.
His arms wound behind me before he gently dipped me low. His gold eyes shone above me, telling our entire story with one look. “Lucky us.”
Thank you for reading EXES WITH BENEFITS
by NEW YORK TIMES and USATODAY
bestselling author, Nicole Williams.
Nicole loves to hear from her readers. You can connect with her on
Facebook: Nicole Williams (Official Author Page)
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Blog: nicoleawilliams.blogspot.com
Other Works by Nicole:
MISTER WRONG
HATE STORY
TORTURED
CRASH, CLASH, and CRUSH (HarperCollins)
UP IN FLAMES (Simon & Schuster UK)
ROOMMATES WITH BENEFITS
LOST & FOUND, NEAR & FAR, HEART & SOUL
FINDERS KEEPERS, LOSERS WEEPERS
STEALING HOME, TOUCHING DOWN
COLLARED
THE FABLE OF US
THREE BROTHERS
HARD KNOX, DAMAGED GOODS
CROSSING STARS
GREAT EXPLOITATIONS SAGA
THE EDEN TRILOGY
THE PATRICK CHRONICLES
Exes With Benefits Page 23