“Yes, I do. Wynter, I think I’ve loved you from the moment we met. I don’t think I realized it until that night we kissed under the mistletoe, but there it is. Some part of me always knew you were meant for me. It didn’t matter that we were separated for years. Even when I tried to move on and go on dates with other girls, none of them held a candle to what I had with you. I’ve always known you were meant to be in my life and I…” He squeezed his eyes shut and a thread of emotion filled his voice. “I think when you left that first time, it broke something in me.”
Tears sprang to her eyes, and she turned her head away. Suddenly, she wanted to run. She wanted to break the promise she’d made to herself.
But then Marcus released one of her hands and cupped her cheek. She couldn’t go anywhere. He pinned her in place with that soul-searching gaze.
“The best relationships are built on friendships. I’m not a patient man. I think if you had stayed all those years ago, I would have asked you to marry me then, too. And probably in an inappropriate way.”
She laughed, but it came out sounding more like a sob.
“Wynter,” he rasped. “You’re everything to me. You’ve seen me at my worst.” He grimaced. “Like when I proposed to the girl of my dreams in front of a crowd of people, even though I knew she hated being put on the spot.”
Her lower lip wobbled until she pulled it between her teeth to keep it steady. He was breaking down her barriers one by one, and he probably didn’t even know it.
“I might not know you as well as I once did, but I want to. I want to be the person you run to when you’re scared. I want tobe the man who holds you when you’re hurting. I want to be your everything, Wynter.”
“Marcus—” she started, but he stopped her.
“I’m not asking you to marry me or even give me another chance.”
She frowned, her heart splintering with disappointment. “You’re… you’re not?” If anything indicated where she stood in this moment, that was it. The heart-stopping, soul-rending feeling of losing him due to her own insecurity was going to bring her to her knees.
He shook his head. “I just want you to know how I feel. Where I stand in all of this. If you wanted to take me back, I’d be yours in an instant. But I know you need time to process things. It’s that genius brain of yours. You’ve always been the careful type. And I’ve… well, I’ve always been the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of guy.”
Wynter held back a sob. “We’d make quite a pair, wouldn’t we?”
“The best,” he murmured, leaning closer to her.
The breath in her lungs seized. Was he going to kiss her? She wanted it so much. What she wouldn’t give to be able to throw her arms around him and melt into his embrace. But that wasn’t what he was here for.
“Marcus, I wanted to explain something to you.”
He waited. The man wasn’t known for his patience, and yet he waited. For her. Even as she shifted her weight from one foot to the next. Even as she chewed on her lower lip until she was close to breaking the skin.
He waited.
Wynter took in a deep breath and then exhaled. “I’m scared.”
He gave her a soft smile. “I think I knew that.”
“No, likereallyscared. Debilitatingly so. My father abandoned my family when I was little. My mom died. EveryoneI cared about left me, Marcus. And I… I couldn’t stand the thought of you doing the same.”
He frowned. “I’d never leave.”
“It’s intrusive. It’s like no matter how many times I tell myself that you’re going to be there for me, I can’t make it stick. I don’t know how to explain it better than that. I don’t know if it will ever get better. I think it might be a good idea to see someone about it, but… I can’t promise that I won’t revert to running. And I—I can’t do that to you.” Sobs spilled from her lips, and he pulled her into his chest.
She cried into his coat, clinging to him, her fists clutching the fabric.
Marcus rubbed her back. And once again, he waited.
Wynter lost track of how long she stood there in his arms. The cold had numbed her to the point that it was probably dangerous. But when she pulled back, Marcus didn’t look at all distressed.
“How can you be so calm?” she demanded.
That boyish grin could bring anyone to their knees. He framed her face with his hands as he searched her eyes. “Because I’m not giving up. Ever. Run, Wynter. Go to the ends of the earth, and I’ll follow you. Push me away. But I’ll still be here. There isn’t anything you could do to make me love you any less. You are it for me. You are worth every risk. Every heartache. Everything.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “I’m here, Wynter. Always.”
More tears streamed down her face, even though she thought she’d for sure run out. “You’re sort of crazy, you know that?” she blubbered.
“Crazy for you. Crazy foronlyyou.” His arms folded around her, bringing her against his chest again.
