“How do I know you will live up to your promise?” I asked. “How do I know this isn’t yet another play? Your words are good, but…”
“You don’t know,” Adrian admitted. “And that’s going to be a challenge for you, Delilah. You’ve always known. Even when you don’t know, you can read between the lines. People refuse to comment, they give glib answers… you have something. But you and I both know only time and genuine commitment can show this is another play. You have to take the leap.”
I gulped as the truth of that statement flooded me. How could I have been so blind as to think only Adrian would haveto make a giant leap? I, too, would have to defy journalistic core tenets and accept the unknown.
Strange, though. As much as that terrified me, realizing Adrian and I were in this together made me feel strangely more secure. Like we could both be open about it, and as a result grow through the struggle.
“I want to say that I can take the challenge, Adrian,” I said, my mind and my voice operating in parallel but not quite on the exact same topic. “But to risk my heart again… to put myself up to a situation where one of us could get ruined by the other’s weakness…”
“Is that not the case for everyone?” Adrian said. “Is that not the case for Sarah and Cassius? For Bridget’s sister and her biker husband? Of course it’s scary. But the payoff is beyond priceless; it doesn’t even fall in the category of being slapped with a price.”
“I know, but?—”
Adrian raised a hand.
“You don’t know, Delilah,” he said. “I don’t know. None of us knows how this will go. It’s a leap of faith for two people who don’t believe in making decisions off faith, only on control. I have applied only the heat that is part of this process. I have said all I can. So, I will ask my last question, and however you answer this will decide if I stay or go.”
He took one last step. We were now so close, even though we weren’t touching, I felt like I could feel his presence. I had to look up at him, not just slightly raise my eye level. Every part of my body trembled; I prayed it was not obvious, even in the darkness.
“Do you trust me, Delilah Reyes?”
I looked into his eyes. They were as fiery as ever, but also more sincere than ever. My mind felt like a frantic roller coaster, going down one path, up another, corkscrewing around, never able to feel settled. Memories of intimacy clashed with memoriesof fights, and memories of arguments clashed with memories of kissing.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Adrian’s gaze remained unwavering.
And then I found the words I was looking for.
I found the path I would take.
CHAPTER 29
Adrian
Ihad years upon years of practice with extremely tense negotiation, often with people who held our fates in their hands. We were always fearless, but that didn’t mean we weren’t oblivious to the stakes.
I knew that, having laid out everything, from truths I didn’t want to accept to truths that I could no longer pretend were for other people, this was it. Regardless of what happened next, there would be no more strategies, no more gifts, no more games. Either the two of us would continue down a path of love as a flawed man and a flawed woman, or we’d go our separate ways. The thought of walking away was beyond painful, but at least I’d done what I could.
And, judging by Delilah’s eyes and her inability to speak for what felt like a fucking eternity, at least she could see the sincerity in my words.
Several times, I was tempted to interject, to offer something else, but that would only dilute the moment. Did she trust me? Yes, or no? Everything else was irrelevant, fluff and makeup that did nothing to alter the truth.
Delilah Reyes…
What would you decide?
I took a step back, the better to give her space. Not a large one; I could still touch her if she agreed to move forward. But enough to convey that the pressure and heat were enough; it was up to her to decide if she wanted a diamond or not.
Several more seconds passed, and Delilah still did not make a move.
So finally, I decided to change things up.
I decided to play one more game, not to force the answer I wanted, but to just force an answer, period.
I walked away.
I recognized what I was doing was beyond stupid, possibly reckless even. I did not intend to leave without Delilah giving me an answer of some kind. But sometimes, in negotiations, you had to not just say you were going to walk away, but literally walk away. If Delilah never stopped me before I got to my car, that was her answer.
If she wanted something else, then she had to choose it.
