“Shouldn’t you be working?” I ask, trying—and failing—to sound casual. “Running your company, doing something big and important?”
He doesn’t even hesitate. His gaze softens as he looks my way.
And I see it. His eyes filled with a warmth so profound it steals my breath.
“You are the biggest and most important thing in my life. Nothing is more important than being here with you.”
He steers us away from the clusters of tourist boats and into a quiet inlet near a distant, tree-lined shore. The engine slows, then cuts completely, and the silence feels sacred.
“I didn’t feel important at all… not in all these years.” I answer, more with sadness than reproach.
He steps away from the wheel and comes close to me. His jaw tightens, and when his eyes meet mine, they’re raw—full of regret and something that feels like pain.
“I am sorry, Della. I’m so sorry. I was blind… and a fool. I let myself believe Leah’s lies and I broke my promise to you.”
He takes a breath, as if the weight of those years is crushing him.
“I can’t change the past. I wish to God I could go back and undo every choice that kept me from you. What you went through… the thought of it will haunt me for the rest of my life. I’ll never forgive myself for letting you go. For not being there for you.”
His gaze holds mine—steady, unflinching, almost desperate.
“But I can promise you this: you are all that matters to me, Della. There has never been anyone but you, and there never will be. And I will spend every day proving it to you. Making you feel it. In every way.”
My pulse kicks hard, his words wrapping around my heart like a vow. I open my mouth to respond, but I stop. I just look at him—and in that moment, I know he means every word.
I turn my eyes on the glassy water, leaning against the railing.
“I had everything planned so carefully—attend the conference, meet with my team, enjoy the city a little, fly back home. End of story.”
His arms fold around my waist and my back meets the solid warmth of his chest.
“Not much of a story,” he murmurs.
A faint laugh slips out of me.
“I honestly thought that in a city of over two and a half million people, I wouldn’t run into you. But then again, in a way, I hoped I would. Does it make sense?”
“Yes, it does,” he says, stepping around me so we’re face-to-face. His eyes burn in a way that roots me to the deck.
“I thank the Universe for that conference. The night I saw you getting out of the car in front of the club, wearing that insane red dress… I died and was resurrected at the same time. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
Then, with a whisper that mirrors my own words, he says:
“But, in a way, I hoped I would.”
His fingers brush a stray strand of hair from my face, tucking it gently behind my ear. Then his thumb grazes my lower lip, the touch so delicate it makes my knees weaken.
I nod and close my eyes. I tilt my head to his palm feeling his warmth, inhaling his scent.
“I love you, Della. I never stopped loving you,” he breathes, the words sinking into me like they’ve been waiting years to be spoken aloud.
“I lost my mind when I couldn’t get in touch with you. In just a few hours, you were gone, completely vanished from my life. At first, I thought the plane had crashed or something, and I checked with the airlines, the airports. After a while, I started wondering if you were just a dream… if I’d imaginedeverything we had together in those months. I started drinking, letting doubt creep in—doubting myself, doubting you, doubting all of it. I couldn’t sleep. Breathe. But the worst part…”
His voice cracks, and for a moment, he looks like he’s fighting to hold himself together.
“… Living every day with the thought I hadn’t fought hard enough. That I’d let fear and pride stop me from finding you. That I let you walk away and convinced myself you were better off without me. It was the worst lie I’ve ever lived with.”
He pauses, his forehead nearly touching mine.
