Wife's Bitter Revenge Against Neglectful CEO Husband-Chapter 114: Loving Alec

"I’m easy?" Alec asked.

"Yeah. You’re easy to talk to. Easy to get to know. Definitely easy on the eyes."

"Let’s see if you think I’m easy once we reach the top."

"Deal, but I’m out of ideas where to go from here."

Alec pointed out a couple of likely options, but I lacked the reach of my six-foot-plus mountaineer companion.

"Okay," Alec said. "It looks like its time to use the ropes and gear to climb. Hold here and here."

He showed me how to use the ropes and the gadget at my waist to lift myself up as I walked up the precipice until I reached the next blue chalk mark.

I thought I saw the perfect set up to resume my climb the old-fashioned way, and frankly, I felt safer pressed against the wall than hanging out in the air on ropes, and both options were strenuous.

I walked my feet over to the indentions where I intended to get a toe hold. The left foot slipped right in, but I’d misjudged the distance to the second spot.

My body contorted, and I twisted on my rope away from my intended destination. Only my left foot wedged tighter into the rock.

I cried out in pain as agony shot up my leg. My shoulder slammed into the wall. My hand slipped off the rope.

Grappling for a new grip on the rope, I bore the pain as I used my trapped foot to anchor me against the wall.

Alec called out my name in alarm. The rope became more stable as Alec rappelled to my side and wrapped me in an embrace, locking me in his arms while pulling me in tightly against my rope.

I cried out again when my sore shoulder came in contact with Alec’s chest, and my foot was still stuck.

Alec said, "Damn it, Teela, I’m so sorry. I never should have pushed you so hard. Give me a minute, and I’ll get us down."

"No," I protested. "I mean if we have to, fine. But we’re close to the top, right? I’d like to finish, if we can."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded, then I thought about it. The way it felt now, I was a human growth, forever attached to my rock captor. "Only my foot."

"Yeah, can you hang on alone for a minute? Don’t touch anything but the rope. Hug it to you."

Alec swung over to the injured foot as if he were born on a rope, which was odd because after watching him break boards held higher than his head during our last visit to The Red Dragon, I could have sworn he was born on the mat.

He had to pull me closer to change the angle of the foot before he could ease it out of its confines. Alec examined my foot as I bit back a cry. "I don’t think it is broken."

"Hey, better my foot than my head or hands. I need those to work."

"I’d rather you have nothing broken. I’m kind of fond of the full package."

I looked up the wall. I could see the top, but it was still a ways off. "How do we do this?"

Alec pulled me in close and hooked us up to the same ropes before loosening his hold on his ropes. "Wrap your legs around my waist. I’ll pull us up. I need you to hang on though. It will be quicker if I can use both hands."

"Good thing I like being wrapped around you."

Alec turned our bodies until I was between him and the wall. He walked up the wall, using the ropes and gear to work his way up the wall. Every few feet, he would stop and step into a foot strap long enough to move the safety equipment higher on the ropes. Then we would continue.

All I had to do was hang on, only that wasn’t so easy with my sore shoulder. I focused on keeping my legs tight around Alec’s waist and leaning into Alec, which came with its own problems since I couldn’t obstruct the ropes or Alec’s ability to grasp them. As long as I could hold on and trust Alec, he would take me to safety.

I looked up to judge the distance to the top. We were still several feet away, but Alec showed no signs of slowing down. As long as I kept my act together, we’d make it to the top.

I rested my head on Alec’s chest and breathed in his scent. Much more comforting than fresh air.

"You know," Alec said, "If you keep trying to distract me, we could end up on the ground sooner than anticipated."

I tilted my head up and ran the tip of my tongue along the underside of his chin. "You’ll be properly rewarded for getting me to the top." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"That’s all I need to hear."

Alec picked up his pace until we were at the top. The next trick was getting me over the ledge, but we managed, mostly because Alec manhandled me and rolled me to safety before climbing up himself. He collapsed beside me, breathing hard but looking relaxed as if he’d worked off all the tension in his body.

When he was breathing normally again, he pulled off his backpack and dug through it for water and the first aid kit.

"First aid can wait until we are on the ground," I said. "I’m not that bad off."

"It won’t hurt to make you move comfortably before we head down."

I reached into my jacket pocket for the braided ring while Alec eased my shoe off and applied an ice pack to the discolored area of my foot and ankle. I wouldn’t be doing any taekwondo for a few days, but I’d be fine. I’d know if it were broken.

The view from the top was picturesque with the sun still low in the morning sky and the dark greens and browns of the forest giving way to the lighter greens and sun-bleached creams of the fields. In the distance, a creek wound out of sight.

But the landscape wasn’t nearly as breathtaking as watching Alec care for me as if I were precious. No one had made me feel so cared for since I was a little kid, long before Mom’s illness, back when I was the priority, and I didn’t think I was too old to be pampered.

"Here." I held out the ring.

"What’s that?" Alex asked.

"For now, it’s a promise ring. Promise to think about marrying me one day. You are the only person I can picture doing happily ever after with. Well, besides Stiff and Bea, but that is different. I don’t want to make beautiful babies with them."

"You’d have my babies?"

"If that is what we want, when we are ready. You know, sometime after you accept my ring and promise to stay with me for like a million years or so."

"That’s a long time, Tee."

"We could start off with fifty years and renegotiate."

"Is that why you wanted to finish the climb? To propose?"

"I guess." I waved the ring at Alec. "So, what do you think?"

"You can’t say it, can you?"

"Say what?"

"That you love me."

"I thought I just did."

"You tell Bea you love her almost every time you see her. You’ve said you love Stiff and Jake, but you can’t tell me. Why is that, Teela? Don’t you think we should wait until you can say the words to talk about forever?"

I was confused. What was Alec talking about? Didn’t my actions speak louder than words. For Pete’s sake, I’d climbed a mountain, well a really big rock for Alec. Shouldn’t that have told him I was into him? Not to mention sharing my body with him and facing down the possibility of meeting a snake. Why did he need to hear the words when every fiber of my body was attuned to his. Alec should know how I feel.

But then again, wasn’t the fact King never told me he loved me something I held against him? Alec had a right to hear the words, even if they might feel awkward on my tongue. Awkward or not, the words were true to my heart.

I scooted closer to Alec and looked him in the eye. "Alec, I love you. I may have loved you the first day I met you. Every time we face adversity and come out on the other side together, I love you more, and I grow more confident that you and I can survive whatever the future holds for us, as long as we face it as a team."

Alec’s face lit up with a smile. "Where is that ring?"

He held out his hand and I slid the slightly too large ring on his ring finger.

"Just so you know," Alec said, "I expect something more durable before I agree to marry you."

"I can do that. Gold? Platinum? Diamonds? What would make my man happy?"

Alec kissed me. "You just made me a very, very happy man."

"Now, how do you expect to get me down?"

"Helicopter."

"You’re kidding, right?"