Page 52

"It's everything." He kissed my forehead. "Stay."

"I was going to."

"I mean stay for real. Not just tonight."

"What changed?"

"I stopped being more afraid of wanting you than of losing you."

I pressed a kiss to his chest, right over his heart, and felt his breath catch.

"Okay," I said. "I'll stay."

We lay in silence for a while as his fingers traced slow patterns on my back.

"Can I ask you something?" I said.

"Anything."

"The last day. Before the wedding." I kept my eyes on his chest, watching it rise and fall. "When I found you in the corridor to say goodbye. Did you know?"

"Know what?"

"That I was looking for you. During the whole walkthrough, I couldn't stop—" I shook my head. "Never mind. It's stupid."

"It's not stupid." His hand stilled on my back. "Tell me."

The final walkthrough had been agony.

I couldn't stop searching for him.

Every security uniform made my pulse spike. At every corner, I hoped he'd be there.

I found myself drifting, falling behind the group, lingering near service corridors while Elizabeth's mother debated napkin folds.

"Tobias, do keep up," my mother called.

I smiled, nodded, and kept searching.

When the walkthrough ended, I made an excuse about the restroom and slipped away.

I found him near the staff entrance.

He was checking his radio, back to me. When he heard my footsteps, he turned.

"Mr. Langford. Can I help you?"

"I wanted to thank you," I said. "For the terrace. And the fountain."

"Just doing my job, sir."

"It didn't feel like just a job."

His expression didn't change.

"The fountain was a safety issue," he said. "The terrace was routine patrol."

I waited for something more. There was nothing.