The Wife Read Online Free Page A

me. I was ready to keep moving minutes ago,” I said, trying to stand my ground, and as usual, tried unsuccessfully to hide the fact that he had my heart, wholly and completely.
    His eyes smoldered as he leaned in and ran his fingers up the inside of my leg as he feathered kisses on my neck. I closed my eyes as I became putty in his hands. “Are you sure you’re ready to go?” His husky voice was filled with desire as he tested me.
    “Positive,” I answered meekly, secretly begging for him to continue his search north.
    I tried to hide the fact that I was completely helpless to his touch, but my body once again betrayed me and folded into his wantonly.
    Just as he was about to reach the place that begged for his touch, he placed one sweet kiss on my mouth and backed away. “Let’s go then,” he said, exhibiting more self-control than me.
    Jamie led me over the top of a grass-covered hill to the clearing near one of the properties on the outskirts of camp. There, in the soft glow of the sunset, I noticed a red plaid blanket spread out under the willow tree where we had our first real kiss this summer. He turned with eager eyes to watch my expression as I took in the scene before me. I leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek before taking off through the wavy, tall grass toward the spread he had laid out for the two of us. Jamie trailed behind, watching me with hope that his surprise would be well received. Little did he know that just being with him was special enough for me. He always made me feel special and cherished when we were together.
    I noticed a small picnic basket next to pillows he had set up at the base of the tree and a small, intricately designed silver box sitting next to it, begging for me to open it to see what was inside.
    Jamie came up beside me and tucked me under his arm, kissing the top of my head. “How does dinner under the stars sound tonight?”
    “Perfect as long as it’s with you.” I pointed down to the box. “What’cha got there?”
    “Patience is a virtue,” he quipped playfully again.
    Patience was going to be a difficult feat for me tonight.

“A lexa, where did you put my blue and white tie?” Mike yells up at me from the room he’s been sleeping in downstairs since I discovered a text on his phone of some blonde’s half-naked body. Mike denied knowing who the woman was, which I knew was total bullshit. He said it must’ve been a wrong number—more bullshit. Unfortunately, she was smart enough to keep her face out of the picture, so I have no idea who it was that sent it to him; it was also sent from an unknown number. I was smart enough to forward the picture to my phone; that way, I could at least figure out what her dumb ass tattoo on her hip said. I don’t know why I cared, but I was grasping at anything to be able to confirm my fears and stop Mike from telling me I’m paranoid.
    “Faithful.”
    Yep, a woman who is sending my husband naked pictures has a tattoo that says “faithful” permanently etched in her skin. How’s that for irony? I’ve since deleted the picture because looking at it was pure torture. In my heart, I know it wasn’t a mistaken number, but I have to try to trust him and not let my insecurities get to me because I’ve never been able to prove otherwise. I keep reminding myself that I’m unhappy in my marriage because he works constantly, and I feel abandoned; his work is what keeps him occupied, not other women. I have to remember that Mike has a very busy and important job, and up until recently, was the only provider for our family. He’s never cheated on me before, and I can’t assume his distant behavior is because of another woman. I have to remind myself that doubting him this way isn’t fair to him. Or at least that’s what our therapist tells me to do. I am clearly failing at those reminders.
    Mike and I made the decision to work on our marriage even harder after the blowup with the half-naked picture. I have to believe