She was pretty sure Derek was doing this on purpose. If he had the time and mood to make a double bed, why couldn't he have made it wider?
At just four feet wide, the bed was a tight squeeze for two people, especially with Derek's near-six-foot-tall, muscular frame.
There was no way around it—Tabitha had to snuggle up to him; otherwise, she'd be hugging the ground.
The sleeping bag, now as a blanket, covered them. Beneath it, both of them were completely bare, feeling every detail of each other's skin, warmth, and contours.
Truth was, even in their honeymoon days, they hadn't been this close.
Back then, Derek had been so restrained, suppressing his nature even in bed.
After years of sleeping alone, Derek often thought about going back in time to slap some sense into his past self.
Now, there was no restraint.
Derek held Tabitha's waist from behind and whispered contentedly, "Tabitha, I'm really happy."
"Don't celebrate too early. Just because we're sleeping together doesn't mean I've forgiven you or want to reconcile," she said.
There was still Elena between them.
Derek's eyes darkened, but then he said, "Even like this, I'm happy. You've given me another daughter."
He kissed Tabitha's shoulder. "Thanks," he said.
Bringing up the topic, Tabitha turned around and glared at Derek. It was time for payback.
"How many secrets have you kept from me? Did you know I once thought I was pregnant with someone else's child and almost had an abortion?" she said.
Still seething, she bit Derek's chest hard. "Did you know I nearly died from postpartum hemorrhage when I gave birth to Hedwig? Do you have any idea what I've sacrificed to have this child?"
Derek endured the pain, letting her vent.
When her fury subsided a bit, Derek gently patted her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Tabitha. I just thought birth control pills were bad for your health. I didn't expect you to get pregnant so quickly. Let's not have any more children; I promise."
Now, Derek felt like a winner in life, with a pair of twins and two other kids, all of them well-behaved. He had everything he wanted.
Tabitha twisted his arm hard. "You dream on. No one's having your children anymore."
Derek had seen how tough Tabitha's journey had been. Even without the kids that came later, he would never let her go through pregnancy again.
He just found it strange that the doctor had said she was not easy to conceive. How did it always happen so coincidentally?
He needed to be more careful in the future; he didn't want Tabitha to suffer through pregnancy and childbirth again.
"Honey, I won't let you suffer anymore," he said.
Tabitha's body trembled. "What did you call me?"
This was the first time he'd called her that.
Derek used to be as old-fashioned as an eighty-year-old man!
He used to sneer at other men calling their girlfriends "honey," dismissing it as mere sweet talk.
But now, his voice was thundering with self-mockery.
"Only now do I realize how stupid my restraint was. If I had told you how much I loved you earlier, we wouldn't have ended up like this."
"Honey, once we're back, I'll get a vasectomy, okay?"
Tabitha's eyes widened. She didn't know whether to be shocked by the term of endearment or the mention of a vasectomy.
Not to mention whether she had a future with him; she had never asked him to do that.
"Do you know what that means?" she asked.
Derek took her hand and kissed her knuckles. Not liking the feel of the bandage, his lips moved to her fingertips.
Like a devout believer kissing his god.
"It means me loves only you, now and forever, and always," he said.
Tabitha's mind was in a whirl. She just wanted to follow her heart. As adults, they had needs. Even if she and Derek eased their relationship, it didn't mean she was ready to reconcile.
But this man said such things.
"I haven't agreed to reconcile. Your words mean nothing," she said.
Derek sucked on her fingertip. Tabitha shuddered. "Let go. It's dirty."
Derek panted. "Tabitha, knowing you still care for me makes me happy. I want to give you a title and reconcile, but if you prefer your current life without the shackles of marriage, I'm fine with that too."
Was she hallucinating?
Could these words really come from Derek?
Derek flipped her over and covered her again. "Tabitha, I only ask one thing——don't drive me away again. Even if you see me as just a tool to satisfy your needs, that's okay."
Tabitha's eyes grew moist as Derek caressed her lips again and again. "Honey, be gentle with me, will you?"
For the first time, Tabitha realized that seduction wasn't just a woman's game—Derek was like a fox spirit from novels, sapping men's vital energy with his coquettish pleading.
He bullied Tabitha until her voice turned hoarse.
Seeing his hand move to her waist, Tabitha quickly became vigilant. "What are you doing?" she asked.