My heart thumps. I love you. I squeeze my eyes shut. How long have I wanted to hear those words from him? Longer than I may care to admit. Ten years long. His anguished expression from tonight plays behind my lids. In it, I see the shadow of every glance he gave me over the years. What if he really
MichaelIt’s too fucking early for someone to be knocking. I’m only halfway through shaving, and I have a towel wrapped around my waist. There’s a persistent ache behind my right temple, and the best I can hope for today is to be numb to the world.I wrench open the front door to Mallory’s surprised
LillyWhere is the damn email? I check again. I’m curled on the impossibly comfortable couch this morning, under a wool throw, anxiously refreshing my email, checking my texts, texting Mallory, and then checking my email again. I’m wearing Michael’s sweatshirt, like I have since I got back from Mont
“What do you mean? He has friends, doesn’t he? Girlfriends?”George shakes their head. “To my knowledge, you’re the only woman in his phone, other than his mother.”My whole body is clenched. “Not even Amora?”“Why would Amora be in his personal phone?” They finally stop typing and look up at me, th
She colors. “Apologies, I’m thrilled Michael is buying it. I feel like I’m really putting my foot in things today. I’ll leave you alone with the paperwork. I have the cashier’s check and the wire instructions for the remaining amount.” I’m unable to respond, and she gets up, shutting the rickety doo
His long legs are nearly brushing mine. My hand on the wood is so close to his.“I gave you a piece of my family.” His eyes are serious.“I can’t accept it.”His mouth turns down. “You signed, right?”I nod, and he looks pleased.“Then there’s nothing you can do. The cottage is yours and the deed fo
MichaelThe breathy sigh of happiness that Lilly makes into my mouth as she kisses me again fills a hole inside me that I didn’t know existed. She loves me.“Come home with me.” My words spill out. I need her.“Okay.” She brushes her lips against mine again.“Never leave. Stay with me forever.”She
LillyI wake to strong arms scooping me out of the bed. I press my cheek into Michael’s chest and breathe in his scent. Faint cologne, warm skin, coffee.Coffee.“Where are we going?” I mumble as he moves through the house.“You said you wanted to take sunrise photos on Christmas morning.” His voice
“Rodrigo and Jade are perfect for one another.” Jule smiled. Tony chuckled. “I think everything we did for them worked out, starting from that text you sent me telling me to encourage the dinner plan. After Rodrigo mentioned where he was going for dinner, I ensured we went to the same restaurant he
“Why?” “It was named ‘Playing by Her Rules’.” He smiled, understanding her hint. “And just like that lioness in that painting, I will always protect you.” Now it was his turn to laugh out loud. And she loved it. She loved seeing him like this, carefree and so much at ease. “You are magnificent,
The horse pushed further into her hand as if in agreement again. She smiled. Xerxes reinforced her belief that he understood what she was saying, always. “I love how you communicate with my horse.” She looked sideways and found Rodrigo leaning against a pillar, watching her, arms crossed. “He’sou
He turned to Kabier and Sameer. “Thank you for your support that day. You guys stood by me when you didn’t need to. You were ready to battle your wives for me, and I appreciate that.” Kabier shrugged. “We all needed closure on your silly and childish squabble with our women.” Sameer nodded. “Besid
Soon after Jade had proposed to him, Rodrigo had whisked her off to Delhi and to his home. He’d finally slept properly again with her in his arms. His insomnia was a thing of the past now. Jade had even returned to work at FF. His woman was brilliant. One day, he was certain, she’d head the FF team
Three months later Delhi The late afternoon sun rays washed over his stud farm, casting a golden light over everything they touched. Summer hadn’t set in yet, and a light cool breeze was blowing, adding to the surreal ambience. The weather was perfect, just as his wedding had been. A few hours ago
Aisha and Jade laughed. Rodrigo felt like his chest would split open with all the happiness he was feeling. Jule and Anthony approached them. “I’m so proud of you, Jade,” Jule said. “You are brave and strong. You battled hard to win him, and now you have.” Anthony patted Rodrigo’s back and hugged
He swallowed through the lump in his throat. “I’m glad you pushed me away. Seeing you with Ayden opened my eyes. I hated it when he touched you. My heart burned when he touched your hair. Seeing you with him made me realize what a colossal fool I’d been. I figured that to get you back, I had to try
“Yes.” “Uh, okay…” He couldn’t for the life of him understand what was going on. She tilted her head to study him. “Once upon a time, there was a girl who fell in love with a prince, and they were happy for a while. But then he rejected her. Again and again.” His muscles tightened. He understood