The Stranger I Married novel · Chapter 24 of 24
Chapter 24: The Envelope
We went home to Pilsen that night in a cab that smelled of someone else's fries.
Elias carried the duffel and my mother's empty casserole dish up all three flights.
He dropped the dish on the landing and swore.
It bounced, and I laughed so hard I had to sit on the stairs.
Inside, my apartment smelled like eucalyptus and old pizza.
He shut the door and leaned his back on it, and the smile went out of his face.
"Mrs. Hartwell," he said.
"Ms. Ferris-Hartwell.
I'm working on it."
"Mrs. Ferris-Hartwell."
"Better."
I took off my jacket and let it fall.
Under it was the apron.
He looked at the knot at my waist, and his breath went out of him in a long slow rush.
"Take it off," I said.
"Which?"
"Whichever you can reach."
He crossed the room in two strides.
He untied the apron strings with those enormous careful fingers, and I felt every one of them through the cloth.
The ivory dress went next, a slow tug of buttons down my spine, his mouth following his hands.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–12 of The Stranger I Married are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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