Life had taught her better.
She tightened her grip on the plate, the heat seeping into her palms as she crossed the space between them, bracing herself for whatever came next.
The instant smile that lit his face when she set the plate in front of him only sent those inconvenient flutters skittering through her chest all over again. “Well, hello, sweet Suze. I thought I’d have to come searching for you today.”
She eased into the chair set at an angle to his, careful to keep things light even though her pulse was misbehaving. “Morning,Justin. Breakfast is on me today. I dumped some heavy stuff on you yesterday.”
“I’m strong,” he replied simply. “I can help you carry your load.”
She let out a long, helpless sigh. “Why do you do that? Say such nice things?”
His smile faded into something quieter, steadier. “Because I mean it, Suzette. Every word.”
He leaned in just a fraction, close enough that she felt the weight of his attention settle warmly between them, but not enough to crowd her. “You shared something raw with me yesterday. That wasn’t a burden — it was trust. And I take that seriously.”
Her breath caught.Darn it. This man.He was killing her sensibilities.
*
Hoping,prayinghe was getting his intentions across, Justin added, “I’m not trying to impress you. I’m trying to show you who I am. And that I’m here … if you want me to be.”
“Until you leave.”
“I have to go back.”
The flicker of disappointment crossing her face was quick, but he caught it — a tiny crack in her composure that hit him harder than it should have.
“For now.” He forced a steadiness into his voice, tried to thread hope into the space between them, to let her see the truth beneath it — the worry he couldn’t hide, and the quiet, desperate plea for her not to pull away.
Especially after the blow he needed to share with her.
She threw her hands up, exasperation bursting through her composure. “Surely you weren’t serious when you talked about buying a place here.”
“Serious as a heart attack.”
“Why?”
Her voice cracked on the word, not with drama but with genuine bewilderment. Like she couldn’t fathom why anyone would chooseher, choosethis, choose the quiet life she’d built out of ashes.
And it hit him again just how deep those old wounds ran.
And how careful he needed to be with her.
He didn’t smile as he continued. “I’ve lived a charmed, glamorous life. At least on the outside. But once the credits roll, I’m alone. It’s … lonely.” His gaze drifted briefly toward the horizon before returning to her. “My mother once said a soulmate isn’t someone who completes your script, but someone who makes you forget you ever had one.”
He huffed out a soft breath, something like a laugh but not quite. “My father was her love, and she never married again after he passed away. Said she’d already had her leading man.” His eyes held hers, steady and unflinching. “I’ve never found that. Not once.”
His voice softened. “Not until you walked up to me in that airport terminal.” He shook his head slightly, almost in disbelief. “Hard to imagine it’s only been a month. Feels like my life split into before you … and after you.”
A charged beat passed.
“You might not believe it yet,” he went on, “but I’m starting to think you’re my soulmate, Suzette. My leading lady. And if this” — he gestured gently to the hotel, the ocean, her world — “is where you need to be … then it’s where I want to be too.”
He paused, letting the truth settle between them. “It’ll take time to honor the commitments I’ve already made. But after that … I’m willing to walk away from that life. To embrace something different.” His voice dropped, rough with sincerity. “Something with you at the center.”
She wouldalwaysbe center. He’d make sure it.
“Justin,” she whispered, the sound barely carrying across the small space between them. “You’re not playing fair.”
