Chapter 3. The Proposal

Xavier lay in bed, and a long yawn left his mouth. He placed his hand to his mouth, and he muffled the sound of the moan. He didn’t want to wake Mia, who lay beside him, sleeping soundly. She looked like she needed the sleep, perhaps even more than he did.

He plumped himself onto his elbow to have a look at her, at his wife and the owner of his heart.

She loved him.

It felt surreal and every day he had to remind himself that she had loved him for five summers, but it was true, and he felt like the luckiest person alive. He moved the few strands of hair on her face away. He stared at her in pure adoration while she slept soundly, her breath light and her heartbeat steady.

He couldn’t help admiring her. Her beauty increased with every passing day. He didn’t think he would survive three months without her, and he didn’t want to do it again. That’s what he told her while they made love earlier, that he would take her along next time. Perhaps she thought he was jo