She held her breath as she waited for him to continue, knowing whatever words he spoke next would be the most consequential of her life.
“I told them that I loved them, that I would never forget them. I told them I had to live, that I wanted to live, so that I could love you and our child completely.”
She let the breath she was holding escape through pursed lips, her lungs deflating like overextended balloons.
“I thought I could do this without loving you, Regina, and I was wrong.”
He lay there with her, letting his words hang in the air, letting her soak them all up. Like a menthol balm to achy muscles, those words melted in her flesh, seeping deep into her soul.
“I should’ve known I was wrong when I woke up in my hotel room alone and I had to fight myself not to follow you back to America and drag you back home with me.”
If he’d thought waking up without her had been difficult, he should’ve tried leaving. She’d had to force herself out of his hotel room because she’d known if she stayed, she’d never be able to walk away. Knowing he was suffering just as much gave her a perverse kind of joy. It was petty as hell. But at least she wasn’t alone in her misery.
“I should’ve known it when I wanted to murder someone because I thought the woman who’d thoroughly ruined me was marrying Jasiri.”
What she and her sister had seen as a harmless lie had such a serious impact. Aléx’s confession was proof of that. She would forever regret the anguish he’d suffered as a result.
“If I could ignore all those things, I should’ve known how deeply I’d fallen for you when you collapsed in your lab.” His arms tightened around her even more as his body tensed against hers. Even talking about this still affected him.
“The thought that you could be seriously hurt, that you might leave me…” He couldn’t finish the sentence, but the hard and fast tempo of his heart against her back made her understand how that incident had terrified him. “And once we learned you were pregnant, it triggered all my fears about Charlie and her mother.”
That surprised her. She turned in his arms to face him, a feat that wasn’t exactly easy at eight months pregnant.
“What are you saying, Aléx?”
He cupped the side of her face, and she burrowed into it, loving his warmth, needing it to get her through whatever he was about to say.
“The reason I couldn’t sleep at night wasn’t because I was mourning them, Regina. I couldn’t sleep because I kept having dreams that I would lose you and our child just like I had them.”
“Aléx.”
Her heart pained her, thinking of the agony he’d been fighting through alone.
“You couldn’t have known, Treasure. I wouldn’t have let you know. I was so determined to be the suffering hero of my own story. Talking to you felt like letting you down. I was afraid you’d either pity me or hate me. Either way, I couldn’t tolerate you thinking of me in either sense. Not when I knew what it was like to be held in your esteem.”
Her eyes watered, and her tears spilled onto her face. He immediately wiped them with his thumb, smiling down at her.
“Treasure, I will never hurt either of us like that again. Seeing you on that boat put things into perspective for me. I can’t be without you. I don’t deserve you, but I’m begging anyway. Please love me, and let me love you. If you do, I promise you will never regret granting me that grace.”
She remained quiet for a second, trying to slow her racing heart so she could have a clear thought. This wasn’t something she could rush into. Then she looked up into those electric eyes of his, and the noise was silenced in her head. This man was her home, her refuge. Now it was time for her to be those things to him.
“I’ve got two conditions.”
“Name them.” His words left no doubt he was eager to accept any terms she put forth to make them a reality again.
“You’re so lucky I’m a good woman. Otherwise, I could take you for everything you’re worth.”
“And I’d gladly give it.”
She didn’t doubt it.
“First, we never keep things from each other again. Aléx, we’ve been so locked in our own heads, carrying around old hurts and pains and not being there for one another, and it almost ruined us. We only deal in truth from now on.”
“Agreed.”
Satisfied with his answer, she continued. “The second is, you’ve got to give me one of your incredible foot massages at least once a week after the baby is born. There is no way I can exist without them.”
His laughter shook them, and before she knew it, she was joining him. The heavy tension they’d dragged around unnecessarily was laid by the wayside. They’d made it through the storm, and instead of tears, there were smiles and laughter.
