if he should be impressed at the thorough way they’d investigated him or offended that they’d felt the need to do so.
Max shrugged. “You weren’t meant to. Anyway, Harriett couldn’t find any reason for you to be kept away from Rose, except for a gut feeling that you didn’t care for her. She knew you weren’t madly in love with Rose as all the other men claimed to be right away. And she told Rose that in no uncertain terms. She also told Fred, Rose’s father. Both Fred and Harriett warned Rose that you didn’t love her. Both told her she should choose one of the men who fell at her feet. She chose you.”
Shawn stared at him for a minute. “So what was so funny?” He still couldn’t understand why Max had laughed so hard.
Max shook his head. “I’ve spent years watching that girl toy with boys’ emotions, certain that every man she met would fall in love with her. And now you’re married to her, and you flat out told her you don’t love her? It’s funny.”
“What do I do now? She’s moved to another bedroom.” Shawn shook his head. “I really have no idea what to do to make her less angry with me.” And have her back in his bed where she belonged. He was a newly-wed with none of the benefits!
“Court her like you should have to start with. Take her roses. Take her jewelry. Treat her like a princess. Whether you love her or not, she has to believe you do. She’s your wife and the mother of your future children. You can’t leave her in doubt of your love. It’s not fair to her.” Max should his head. “Even if she wasn’t already a spoiled pampered little princess, she has the right to believe she’s loved by her husband.”
Shawn thought about that. “Makes sense.” He held his hand out to the other man to shake his before getting to his feet. “I’ll try it. I’ll stop for roses on the way home.” He’d do just about anything to get his wife back in bed with him.
“Pink is her favorite color, but she thinks she deserves every red rose in the world. Get her a bouquet of red with a few pink thrown in for good measure. She’ll be happy with that.”
“Sounds good. I’ll try that.” He looked down at the older man still sitting on the ground. “Thanks for your help.
Max watched the other man walk out of the forest and as soon as he was out of earshot began chuckling again. Rose had certainly met her match in that one.
*****
When Shawn got home that evening, he brought her a huge bouquet of red roses with a few pink sprinkled through. She took the flowers and buried her face in them, thrilled that he was trying to apologize, for surely that’s what he was doing.
“Thank you,” she said, realizing her voice was still a little cold, but as hurt as she was, it was the best she could do. “Let me get a vase for these.” She left the room and wandered to the kitchen where she was handed a vase by a very curious-faced maid. Obviously the maids had realized that she wasn’t sleeping with her new husband, because they could see her things in the room she was using.
She added water and carefully arranged the flowers in the vase. Taking it into the smallest of the three parlors that she’d decided to claim as her own, she put it on a table beside the sofa. “Do you like them?”
Rose took a deep breath before turning around to face her husband. “Yes, they’re beautiful.” She walked to him and gave him a dutiful kiss on the cheek, determined to at least make an effort like her mother and aunt had suggested.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her to him, burying his face against her hair. “I’m so sorry I’ve hurt you. Can we start again?”
Rose’s eyes met his. “I’d like to, but I need another day or two. Is that okay?” She knew she was going to do her best to make it work, but another day to be angry and sulk would make her feel so much
Max shrugged. “You weren’t meant to. Anyway, Harriett couldn’t find any reason for you to be kept away from Rose, except for a gut feeling that you didn’t care for her. She knew you weren’t madly in love with Rose as all the other men claimed to be right away. And she told Rose that in no uncertain terms. She also told Fred, Rose’s father. Both Fred and Harriett warned Rose that you didn’t love her. Both told her she should choose one of the men who fell at her feet. She chose you.”
Shawn stared at him for a minute. “So what was so funny?” He still couldn’t understand why Max had laughed so hard.
Max shook his head. “I’ve spent years watching that girl toy with boys’ emotions, certain that every man she met would fall in love with her. And now you’re married to her, and you flat out told her you don’t love her? It’s funny.”
“What do I do now? She’s moved to another bedroom.” Shawn shook his head. “I really have no idea what to do to make her less angry with me.” And have her back in his bed where she belonged. He was a newly-wed with none of the benefits!
“Court her like you should have to start with. Take her roses. Take her jewelry. Treat her like a princess. Whether you love her or not, she has to believe you do. She’s your wife and the mother of your future children. You can’t leave her in doubt of your love. It’s not fair to her.” Max should his head. “Even if she wasn’t already a spoiled pampered little princess, she has the right to believe she’s loved by her husband.”
Shawn thought about that. “Makes sense.” He held his hand out to the other man to shake his before getting to his feet. “I’ll try it. I’ll stop for roses on the way home.” He’d do just about anything to get his wife back in bed with him.
“Pink is her favorite color, but she thinks she deserves every red rose in the world. Get her a bouquet of red with a few pink thrown in for good measure. She’ll be happy with that.”
“Sounds good. I’ll try that.” He looked down at the older man still sitting on the ground. “Thanks for your help.
Max watched the other man walk out of the forest and as soon as he was out of earshot began chuckling again. Rose had certainly met her match in that one.
*****
When Shawn got home that evening, he brought her a huge bouquet of red roses with a few pink sprinkled through. She took the flowers and buried her face in them, thrilled that he was trying to apologize, for surely that’s what he was doing.
“Thank you,” she said, realizing her voice was still a little cold, but as hurt as she was, it was the best she could do. “Let me get a vase for these.” She left the room and wandered to the kitchen where she was handed a vase by a very curious-faced maid. Obviously the maids had realized that she wasn’t sleeping with her new husband, because they could see her things in the room she was using.
She added water and carefully arranged the flowers in the vase. Taking it into the smallest of the three parlors that she’d decided to claim as her own, she put it on a table beside the sofa. “Do you like them?”
Rose took a deep breath before turning around to face her husband. “Yes, they’re beautiful.” She walked to him and gave him a dutiful kiss on the cheek, determined to at least make an effort like her mother and aunt had suggested.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her to him, burying his face against her hair. “I’m so sorry I’ve hurt you. Can we start again?”
Rose’s eyes met his. “I’d like to, but I need another day or two. Is that okay?” She knew she was going to do her best to make it work, but another day to be angry and sulk would make her feel so much
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