‘A good one, I promise. After you left, I called the guy from the art gallery and showed him my sculptures. He’s agreed to exhibit them for me next month.’
I can’t help myself. I fling my arms around him, grateful for the excuse finally to hold him close. ‘That’s wonderful!’
‘I never would have done it if it wasn’t for you,’ he murmurs into my hair, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close. Leaning back to look me in the eyes again, he reaches up and pushes my fringe out of my face, sweeping his thumb across my cheek in the tender way I’ve come to love. ‘I wanted to prove to you that there’s more to me than I’ve let you believe.’
‘I always knew there was more to you than you wanted me to see,’ I say with a smile.
‘Yeah.’ He nods. ‘I think you saw through me right from the start, my clever girl. You saw the real me. The side of me I’ve hidden from other people for years because I was ashamed of myself for not being smarter or more successful.’
‘You have no reason to be ashamed.’
‘I know that now.’ He smiles and strokes my face again. ‘In fact, I’ve made an appointment to speak to a professional about getting tested for ADHD and to figure out some methods I can use to help me when I’m struggling to concentrate.’
I blink at him in surprise. ‘That’s great.’
‘It’s a start.’
Staring up into his amazing eyes, I know I can’t hold myself back any longer. It’s time to tell him how I feel. ‘You know I’ll always be there for you, don’t you?’ I murmur. ‘Because I love you too.’
He lets out a low moan of relief, dropping his forehead to mine. ‘Thank God!’ He lifts his head again, then presses his mouth to mine, sliding his tongue into my mouth in such a possessive way I shiver with delight.
When we finally come up for air a few minutes later, he says, ‘And you know I’ll be there for you too, right?Always. That’s how it’s going to work from now on.’
‘So, no mistresses and no affairs,’ I say forcefully. ‘I can’t stand the thought of sharing you with someone else.’
He looks taken aback. ‘I wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t need to. I don’t want anyone but you, my smart, beautiful, kind girl. You’re everything I want. I love you. That’s the difference. Only you. And I’m going to devote my entire life to making you happy.’
‘I already am happy.’
He solemnly shakes his head. ‘I can’t believe I tried to dazzle you with sex to distract you from my shortcomings. That was never going to work. You always saw straight through me.’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ I say, grinning mischievously. ‘I seem to remember being pretty dazzled—in fact, so dazzled I might need a reminder about exactly how to do it.’ I give him a mock frown. ‘It’s been a few days and I’m beginning to forget some of the lessons you taught me.’
He grins back, then reaches down and turns the lock on the door. Then he lifts me up, walking us over to the three-seater sofa on the other side of the room.
‘Coming right up,’ he says, and kisses me hard.
