The Marriage Sacrifice Read online

  “It wasn’t a lie. I love you more than anything in the world. I want to be with you, Sage. I want to make this up to you, not the other way around.”

  “And it’s why I didn’t go to a lawyer to divorce you. I was upset, but I’m not going to hold all of this against you. I’ve seen some of the data and saw your shares and the way your business has been declining in the last year. I also stole my father’s files on the Booker deal. I want you to know he’d been putting pressure on Booker, working it so he’d come to us. It hadn’t happened. I called Booker myself, and I’ve set up a meeting with him for next week.”

  “Sage?”

  “I don’t want to see you fail, Dom. I can’t be responsible for thousands of people being out of work. I want to help. I want to make this up to you. All this time, you’ve been dealing with this stress. I really wish I hadn’t been so mean to you. I’m not going to give you my shares of my grandfather’s company. He didn’t want that. I’m hoping that you and I can work together. He believed in me, and I think it’s time I believed in myself and in you. I’ll provide you everything you need, and we do this, side by side.”

  “You’re offering me a business deal?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can I say how hot you look right now?”

  “You think I look hot dressed like this?”

  “No, you came back.”

  “I wasn’t going to go anywhere. I was hurt, but after I sat back and thought about it, I got it. I did. I mean, it was upsetting to know you were that desperate. I don’t know how desperate you are.”

  “On the day of our wedding, I couldn’t pay the electric bill,” he said, being completely honest.

  “Oh.”

  “With all these shares, you no longer have to work.”

  “I love what I do more than anything. I won’t stop. This doesn’t change much for me,” she said. “I did have a small sum that I played with. It was really small, and I used it in stock markets. I remember my grandparents’ informal training, and I used that. I’ll still continue to invest in the markets, and I use the profit to donate to the charities I love, and reinvest the original sum.”

  “How did I not know this about you?”

  “You saw a rebellious girl. You didn’t look deeper for anything else. Just like I didn’t for you. That was my mistake, and now I’m looking at the real Dom and he’s quite a guy.” She shrugged. “I guess this is my secret coming out. Not that it was an old secret. I only found out a week ago. I hope you can forgive me.”

  “You really didn’t know?”

  “I didn’t even suspect a little bit,” she said. “I’m blown away by this in all honesty. I can’t believe my grandparents could do this, but then, they were always brilliant and knew what they were doing. I miss them so much. I feel like I need them to tell me what to do. There’s so much to learn.”

  “I’ll be there to help you. Your father’s not going to be happy.”

  “He’s not happy. He’s tried to contest this, but my grandparents put everything in place. A full medical, trusted lawyers and board members. They were both of sound mind and body when this was done.”

  “Would you have still married me, knowing this?” he asked.

  “Dom, I’m going to stay married to you. If I’d have known what was going on before I fell in love with you, I wouldn’t have married you. This is our second chance.”

  “You did fall in love with me.”

  “Yes, and unless you want to divorce me, I don’t want to throw this marriage away. I love you. You mean everything to me.” She put the files down on his desk before coming toward him. She placed her hands on his chest. “All the time you spent with me when I thought you were thinking about someone else, or wishing you were elsewhere, you were trying to figure this out, weren’t you?”

  “I didn’t want to have your father in my life like that.” He stroked his fingers down her arm. “I didn’t anticipate falling for you, Sage. I did, and I don’t want to not love you.”

  She chuckled. “You’re going to love me for a long time.” She went to step away from him, but he grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving. “What?”

  He slammed his lips down on hers, sliding a hand to her ass to cup her against him, and the other he sank into her hair, holding her firmly in place.

  She didn’t fight him.

  Sage melted against him, and he was in heaven just from being near her. She was everything he ever wanted, and he didn’t want to let her go.

  “I love you, Sage,” he said.

  “I love you too. Let’s get down to business though. I don’t want you worrying anymore.”

  “I don’t deserve you.”

  “Well, let’s help make sure that one day you do. Besides, I’m the one that doesn’t deserve you, but I’m going to make it up to you. I promise.” She moved away from him, and his heart raced.

  Sage was even more than he could have ever imagined. She was his savior, his love, his everything.

  ****

  Three months later

  The Booker deal was Dom’s, and his company was finally out of the red. Sage closed the recent file and sat back in her office chair, smiling. She had set up her office in Dom’s office. Blue always slept between them, but where Dom had his chair facing his office, she had hers turned to the window so she could look out of the city.

  Their marriage was surprisingly solid after the revelation on their wedding day. She would always remember the feeling of being hurt, but as the cab driver had driven her around the city, giving her a chance to think, she knew there was way more to the story than what she’d heard.

  When she realized how bad Dom’s situation was, she knew she couldn’t stand by and do nothing. She had to help him. She had to do something, and especially after her grandparents’ letter.

  She wasn’t a corporate businesswoman. She wouldn’t win any awards for the way she was or her vision. She wasn’t business-minded, nor did she have what it took to take care of business, or at least that was what she’d thought. She would do whatever it took to keep the controlling shares now. Her father wanted her to give up her shares, but her grandfather had taught her to read everything she signed.

  She missed them both.

  “Excuse me, are you Mrs. Duke?”

  She turned toward the door to see Billy.

  “Billy, what are you doing here?” she asked, getting to her feet. After the first day with Dom, she had stopped wearing her suit, and she stood out at the office like a sore thumb in her jeans and shirt.

  “Sage, I had no idea I was picking you up.”

  “Did Dom call you?”

  “Yes, he wanted me to come and escort his wife home. I’ve got the address, but it’s not where I usually take you.”

  “Dom called you?”

  “He said you’d only trust me. I guess, I know why now.”

  She chuckled.

  “You stayed married to him?” Billy asked.

  She hadn’t been able to call Billy the day of the wedding. He had a small family gathering during that weekend as she had invited him to come.

  “Yes, I stayed married to him.”

  “Are you happy?” Billy asked.

  “Yeah, I am.”

  “Well, that’s the main thing, isn’t it? Love?”

  “It is, and I do love him.”

  “Does he love you?” Billy asked.

  She grabbed her bag and coat. “In his way.”

  “I can drop you off at your place. I don’t have to take you to him.”

  “It’s fine. Believe me. I’m happy to go home.” They had been sharing each other’s places for the last week. They hadn’t slept together, but they did share a bed. He held her close, and it was a little complicated. They were working through their problems.

  They did have to make a decision about where they were going to live.

  Walking with Billy down to his cab, he opened the door in the backseat and she climbed inside. Sitting back, she asked Billy about his f
amily, keeping the topic firmly away from her and her chaotic love life.

  He finally arrived at Dom’s apartment block, and she pulled out some money to pay him.

  “You know me by now, Sage. I don’t want your money. I hope you find happiness with your man.”

  “Thank you, Billy.”

  Climbing out of the cab, she made her way inside, and like always, Billy waited for her to enter the building before driving away.

  She nodded at the reception desk ladies and went straight for the elevator. She pressed the button for the right floor, and waited.

  She didn’t have to wait long before the doors opened up, and she stepped toward Dom’s door.

  Lifting her hand, she was about to knock when she noticed something red peeking out from under the door.

  Bending down, she lifted it up and saw it was a rose petal.

  Knocking on the door, she waited, the rose petal in her fist as Dom opened the door. The room was dark with just the glow of candlelight.

  “Welcome home,” he said.

  She stepped inside. The floral scent invaded her senses as she looked around the room. It was the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen.

  “Dom?”

  He took her bag and jacket, before holding her hands and walking her toward the dining room table.

  “I made us dinner.”

  “You did?”

  “Yes.”

  “You can cook?”

  “I … tried.”

  She saw Blue was asleep in the corner, and she sat down at the table. Dom poured them both a glass of wine.

  “I will be back.”

  “What is going on?” she asked.

  Everywhere she looked, it was romance. Dom had put a lot of love and effort into this.

  He returned to the table, carrying a tray.

  “I hope you like stuffed peppers. I followed the recipe exactly, and it is the first one I have ever made.” He slid the peppers onto each plate, and left again.

  It did smell good. Lots of tomatoes, onions, and garlic.

  He returned with a bowl of salad. “I may have overdressed this.”

  “It is more than fine.”

  She was so touched by his shot at romance.

  “This is why you left early?” she asked.

  “I wanted to do something for you. I know you do all the cooking, and I didn’t want to order takeout or take you to a restaurant. This is personal. I wanted you to know I love you, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win you back.”

  “Dom, I’m not gone.” Tears filled her eyes as she looked at what he’d done. “This is incredible.”

  He held her hand. “I want us to be together, Sage. I want to spend every single night holding you, loving you. Showing you that I was a dick and I shouldn’t have taken that deal.”

  “I know why you did, and I don’t blame you. I couldn’t imagine what it was like to live with that kind of stress.” She licked her lips. “I forgive you.”

  “You might want to hold off the forgiveness until you try the food. It could be bad. I purchased everything fresh.”

  She chuckled, but seeing how nervous he was, she did as he asked and picked up her fork and knife.

  Cutting into the pepper, she took a bite. Her plate had filled with the dressing Dom had used, but the flavors, though a little dull, were not bad.

  “It’s delicious.”

  “It’s not great,” he said.

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

  “I wanted to wow you with my cooking.”

  She chuckled. “Dom, you did wow me with all of this. Cooking, rose petals, candles, this means everything. One day, you will cook me a meal, and it will be delicious.”

  “I love you.”

  “And I love you too. I don’t want us to fight, or fall out. I don’t want you to keep feeling like you need to apologize. What happened, happened. I love you more than anything, and I do want to make this work.”

  They finished eating their dinner.

  “I did attempt dessert.” He held his finger up, and she watched him go, sipping at her wine.

  He returned with a bowl and some ice cream.

  “This is the chocolate cake with fudge frosting.”

  The cake was soggy. “You put the frosting on too soon and it melted.” She broke off a small piece, taking a bite. She closed her eyes. “It still tastes good.”

  Opening her eyes, she stood up. “How about we take the cake and the ice cream to the bedroom?”

  “That sounds like the best idea in the world.”

  She took the ice cream from him and followed him into the bedroom.

  They put their food on the bed, and then without any encouragement, they began to tear each other’s clothes off.

  It had been too long since they were together, and she wanted to feel him inside her, to love him, like only she knew how but to also feel him once again. All people made mistakes. They had both made theirs, but she wasn’t going to turn her back on the man she loved. They could make this work because that was what marriage was about, making it work, and keeping the love alive.

  Epilogue

  Five years later

  Sage laughed as she watched her little girl play with Blue. Their dog was getting a lot older, and he just liked to rest and bask in the sun, but Layla wasn’t having any of it. She was giggling, making those perfect child sounds that always made Sage feel so full of love.

  Dom wrapped his arms around her waist, his hands resting on her heavily pregnant stomach.

  “Hello, love of my life,” he said, nuzzling her neck.

  Five years of married bliss, one girl, and a boy on the way. They had moved out of the city, taking a house in the country where there was a garden for their children to play.

  Dom still traveled a couple of times a week to work, but for the most part, he did everything at home, spending time with them.

  “She looks so happy.”

  It was their daughter’s third birthday, and their guests were due to arrive any moment. Much to the press’s shock, she didn’t divorce Dom.

  They had stuck together, working through their problems, bringing Dom’s company out of the red, and it was now back to being in either first or second place. They were also working to merge the two companies together. As the partner with most shares, she had gotten the board to agree to the merger with Dom.

  She and Dom would have equal shares, and the rest divided up with the board.

  “Our daughter will always be happy. Are you happy?” Dom asked.

  Not once in the past five years had Dom forgotten his promise to her. He’d been an amazing husband, and he never forgot a birthday or significant date they shared together. On every single anniversary, he cooked for her, and he’d been able to improve his skills in the kitchen.

  She turned in his arms, her stomach nearly knocking him over.

  “I’m the happiest woman in the world. I have you, I have our daughter, our family.” Her love for him had continued to grow, and she knew Dom loved her. There was no doubt in her eyes.

  The way he looked at her, touched her, held her, it couldn’t be anything but love. Their relationship hadn’t started off so honest, but now, they told each other every little detail. No lies. No secrets, just the truth.

  “What are you doing for the next fifty years, Sage?”

  “Being married to you.”

  “Good answer.” He took possession of her lips, and it was like magic. Her body filled with pleasure, and as she let out a moan, she felt wetness between her legs.

  Dom pulled back. “Shit, your water just broke.”

  Later that night, their son, Daniel, was born, sharing the same date as his sister. Their perfect little family was full of happiness because against all the odds, they made it work.

  The End

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  Other Books by Sam Crescent:

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  BONUS SAMPLE CHAPTER

  UGLY BEAST

  Sam Crescent

  Copyright © 2019

  Sample Chapter

  “You’re not supposed to be here,” Nico Garofalo said.

  Ugly Beast tensed up at the insult. Here they stood in the fucking mansion of the Italian mafia, after standing by their side in a war that was created by the Mafiosi over a slight of one guy wanting a girl. Personally, he never saw a good reason to allow pussy to get in the way of business. Women were good for one thing and one thing only: fucking. It’s why he never got involved with problem pussy.

  He didn’t understand the guys from all over the club, chapter to chapter, why the fuck they’d want to settle down with an old lady. Now, he didn’t mind a couple of the women that cooked. They were all right and didn’t make waves. They knew the lifestyle, and even if they hated it, kept their mouths shut. It was better that way.

  Hell’s Bastards MC didn’t like a whole lot of things. First, they didn’t like any motherfucker who believed they could use them and discard them like trash the way this piece of shit was doing right now.

  Nico had some dealings with the Americans, and rather than risk his own ranks, he’d reached out to them, the MC. Now, Smokey, the club president, was more than happy to help for a price.