She nods, absorbing this. “Iwashurt at first. Not only at how you spoke to Dad behind my back, but… just what you were implying. I thought you were saying…” She huffs a small laugh. “That there was something wrong with me.”
“No, sweetheart, I swear—”
“I know,” she cuts in gently, and I bite my tongue, giving her space to talk. “I know that now. I’ve done a lot of reading overthe past couple days, talked to some friends, and…” She lets her breath out slowly. “I think you’re right. I think I have ADHD.”
Relief trickles through me that she’s taken it on board. I should have trusted her to handle it.
“How do you feel about that?” I ask.
“It explains a lot.” She rolls her lips to one side in thought. “I feel a lot of sadness for all the times I beat myself up, all the times I let others push me around.”
My heart clenches, and I stroke her cheek, fighting the urge to pull her close.
“But I also feel… relief.” She softens. “It’s like you said. There’s a reason I find things so hard sometimes, and it’s not my fault. Now that I know that, I can do things differently.”
Some broken part inside me begins to piece itself back together. Not only that she’s here, but that she saw my good intentions behind it. That, maybe, I’ve been able to help.
“I’m so proud of you,” I tell her, voice cracking. “That you’re so open to this, that you’re strong enough to face it and accept it.”
“It’s because of you, Aidan.” Her hand comes to my chest, over my aching heart. “You showed me my strength. Showed me I’m not broken, that I’m okay as I am.”
My throat cinches tight. “You’remorethan okay, Iris. You’re wonderful. And…” God, I don’t want to push her, but I have to tell her. To make sure she knows. I’ll regret it forever if I don’t. “I love you more than anything, more than I knew I could love someone. I want a life with you. I understand if you need time—”
“I don’t,” she cuts in, eyes glistening with tears. “I don’t need time. I needyou.”
Oh, God.
I press my eyes closed against the rush of emotion. She needs me as much as I need her. I haven’t ruined this.
“Can you forgive me?” I ask, voice ragged.
Her fingers press gently to my heart. “There’s nothing to forgive. As the most amazing man I’ve ever met once told me,You’re allowed to make mistakes.”
My eyes overflow at her words, moistening my cheeks. I can’t believe how much she’s grown, how she’s stepped into her power, found her voice. And knowing I might have had something to do with that… it’s everything.
“I love you,” she whispers, pushing onto her toes to brush her mouth to mine. “Thank you for seeing me. For loving me as I am.”
Fuck.
My heart fills, warm with hope and love, and I pull her close. “I will always love you exactly as you are,” I say roughly.
I tighten my arms around her, crushing her to my chest as I kiss her hard. Her hands come to my hair, my face, my shoulders, like she can’t touch me enough. I inch toward the sofa, wanting to tug her down onto me, to feel all of her against me, but one of the drafting tables jams in my side.
“Shit,” I mutter, pulling away with a wince.
She giggles, stroking the spot. “You okay?”
I nod, laughing, as she looks at my office furniture, cluttering the room.
“Dad told me you quit,” she murmurs.
I furrow my brow. “Have you been at work?”
She shakes her head. “I popped in today to yell at him, and he said—”
“Wait.” I hold up a hand. “Yellat him?”
Her eyes burn fiercely. “Yes. It was long overdue, don’t you think?”
