“There’s more to it, I may not have known you long, my love, but I know you well.” He strokes my chin with his thumb. “Tell me.”
“I found out last year it’ll be really hard for me to have children.”
He stills.
I rush on. “I don’t mean impossible. But close. When I found out, I was already so exhausted and I wasn’t with anyone so I convinced myself I didn’t want a husband or a family. So, I ignored it. Buried it. And now you’re here saying things like marriage and babies and I’m—I’m unprepared for any of it. I can’t be what you want. Or need.”
His silence as he wipes my tears away slices me open.
When he finally speaks, his voice is so sweet it wrecks me. “You think I’m here for some dream of what could be? I’m here foryou, Rosa. The woman who’s stolen every breath I have. You’re more than enough. You’re it for me. If I lost you, nothing else would matter.”
“No I’m not.” New tears pool in my eyes. “You deserve someone who can give youeverything.”
He takes my face in his hands. “Stop this nonsense and listen to me. I want you.Allof you. Not a fantasy. Not a child-shaped promise. You’re not broken, Rosa. You’re brilliant. You’re wild and gorgeous and so strong it hurts to look at you sometimes.”
I chokeback a sob.
“My marriage fell apart because we stopped talking. We stopped touching. We let silence creep in.” He presses his forehead to mine. “I won’t let it happen with you. In three weeks you’ve become my entire world. As crazy as it is, I’ve never experienced love like this and never will again. I’d crawl through fire to keep this thing we’re building alive.”
My voice is weak. “Really?”
“One thousand percent. You’re my world. Stop this madness.” He kisses my nose, my cheek, my lips. “We don’t have to figure it all out today. From now on, you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. We tackle life together.”
“I’m scared.” I fall into him.
He squeezes me tightly. “I’m not. Let me ease your fear from now on.”
“I love you,” I sigh into his chest. “So much.”
Santiago kisses the top of my head. “I love you too.”
I want to believe him.
Every word sounds true.
The problem is, I’ve never known love at all, let alone something this intense.
I hope he doesn’t crush my heart.
Chapter sixteen
Two Days Later
Rosa’sforeheadrestsagainstthe window.
One arm is curled under her cheek. The other cradles a glass of wine.
The countryside slips past in streaks of green and sunburnt gold. Vineyards, silos, crooked olivetrees climbing out of stubborn earth. Her hair moves slightly with the vibration of the train.
She looks peaceful. Focused. Like she’s absorbing everything and committing it to memory.
I want to believe she’s cataloging the view. Not the countdown.
The rhythm of the train is soft and constant.
I chose Rioja for us to spend her final few days in Spain. It’s my history and has always been one of my favorite places. I love how the vineyards carve into the hills as if they have always belonged there. The wine is magnificent, holding the memory of every season of its lifecycle.
Rosa mentioned how much her father loved it here, though she never had the chance to visit while she was in culinary school. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.
