Caramel | Rip Wheeler

Caramel - Chapter Twenty Four

Maria spent the next week puking her guts out. She couldn't eat or sleep or drink anything. Sure, he was a bad man. Sure, she hadn't stuck around to watch them finish the job. But, oh man was she going through it. She woke up terrified when she could sleep, she swore she could see his face in the darkness.

Rip did his best reassuring her everything was okay and it was in everybody's best interest that he wasn't alive anymore. But she was mostly terrified of the fact that she had done some pretty fucked up things in her life that could earn her a one way, first class ticket straight to hell and she'd have to see that man again.

"Darling." Rip leaned against the bedroom door frame, a mug in his hand. "You feelin' some coffee?"

"No."

He observed her, she was sitting on a chair in their bedroom, her knees to her chest and a knit blanket wrapped around her body. Her hair was a mess, it was a representation of how she felt on the inside.

"Wanna take a shower?" Rip asked.

"No." It was bland, her new favorite word.

He knew it would happen, he knew she would be completely reprogrammed when it did. It happened to him the day he killed his father and ran away. It had been twenty years since then, the only way he could get over it was to convince himself he had forgot it ever happened.

He wasn't going to let Maria go to waste, though. He wasn't going to let her live a miserable life as he did before he found true love in another being. His whole life had been full of pretending, he knew what it was and honestly he hadn't started living until this five foot, dramatic, long haired latina decided she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. So, he was going to protect her at all costs. Even if it was from herself.

He set his mug down on the dresser, wiping his hands on his pants before making his way toward her. He squatted down, looking up at her with hopeful eyes. "How 'bout a bath?" He nudged her by tapping his index finger against her bare knee. "Hmm? I'll sit with you."

She said nothing, but she didn't say no. So he stood and stepped away. She kept her eyes glued to the rug that laid under the king-sized bed they shared. She studied every pattern and color as if she had never seen the rug before and she had a test on it the next day.

Meanwhile, Rip had made his way into the bathroom. He opened the faucet for the bathtub, letting the water get warm before blocking the drain. He looked around, he had never owned any type of bubble bath in his life. So he opened the shower door, reaching for her body wash. He hummed before squeezing a bit of the fruity gel into the tub and watched as the bubbles began to fill it.

As it ran, he walked back into the bedroom, holding his hand out for her. She looked at his large hand, before setting her small one in it and setting her feet onto the floor. He smiled, happy he was finally getting somewhere with her. He walked her into the bathroom after that, removing the blanket from around her shoulders and dropped it by the sink. She attempted to run her hand through her hair but it was knotted, he noticed. "I'll help you." He grabbed her hair products from the shower, shutting the door slowly as he had left it open when he grabbed her body soap.

He set the items down on the side of the tub, she watched him. Even in a moment where she was so numb that she felt nothing; she felt absolute love for this man. His gentle hands removed the large t-shirt from her body, pulling it over her head. Then he reached for the band of her thin underwear, pulling down slightly so they could fall the rest of the way down her legs.

He unclothed himself before getting into the tub, reaching for her hand. "Come here." He tugged a bit on her fingers. He was happy when she dipped her foot in, then the other one. He sat down, guiding her to sit on his lap. "Relax." He wrapped his arms around her, feeling as she leaned back and physically relaxed against his body. He kissed the back of her head softly. "I'm gonna take care of you."

She melted into his embrace, the warm water made the moment euphoric. She felt him move as he reached for her shampoo bottle, but she never opened her eyes. She hadn't felt such calmness in days. When he began to scrub her head gently, goosebumps formed all over her body and she genuinely felt loved for the first time in her life. There were so many different kinds of love, but this was true love. This was a soulmate, this was her happily ever after.

She almost wanted to cry. But, she composed herself. "I'm sorry." She said. He stopped, that was the first time she had spoken in a week. "I'm sorry. You were right."

He sighed, running his fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry I was right." He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "It'll get better." He moved her hair, now setting a kiss to her jaw. "I promise."

She swallowed, feeling nervous. "Let's get married."

"We are." He chuckled softly. "Did you forget?"

"Tomorrow." He furrowed his eyebrows, unsure if she was joking or not. "If anything happens to us from here 'til forever, I want to be a married woman if it does."

He had a toothy smile although she couldn't see. "Tomorrow, huh?" She nodded, turning a bit to face him, the only sound in the entire house was from her shifting in the water. Now she saw the smile, causing her to grow one of her own. "Maria Wheeler." He looked at her with the most adoration possible, his eyes gleaming in an almost animated way. "I'll be."

She chuckled softly. "What?"

"When I was a boy." He brushed a piece of wet hair out of her face. "I always used to wonder what your first name would sound like next to my last name." His eyes flicked from her eyes to her lips. "I'm just about the luckiest son of a bitch on this planet, huh?"

She blushed, holding his hand under the suds. "Maria Wheeler." She said.

He nodded. "Tomorrow."