He swallowed. So much for rescuing. Once again the damsel had saved herself. “You have?”
“Uh-huh.” Her fingers teased the corner of hismouth, and without thinking he parted his lips, welcoming the taste of her. “Do you want to know why?”
Barely able to form coherent thoughts, he simply nodded.
“I thought about what you said.”
“About not loving your fiancé?”
“About deserving more. About not being happy in a marriage based on a profit-and-loss statement.” She met his eyes. “You were right.”
“I was?” His breath hitched as he realized the import of what she was saying. He’d said that on the beach, days ago.As Tony. “No, I never said that,” he whispered.
She met his eyes, her nod almost imperceptible, as she reached up to stroke his face. Her fingers deftly skimmed under his patch, pushing it up and off before he could stop her. “Yes,youdid.”
He stiffened, afraid she’d be angry. But when he looked in her eyes, he saw only understanding. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I should have told you earlier.”
“It’s okay. I understand why you didn’t.” She looked down, and he noticed that she was twisting her hands in her lap. “But there is one thing I’m not as sure of—”
“I love you.” He took her hand. “I love you, Kyra.”
Her smile was watery, and she closed her eyes, her relief almost palpable, and he felt like an idiot for not saying it sooner.
“I should have told you earlier. Hell, I should havetold you a long time ago. But you’d made up your mind about Harold, and I thought it would be easier if you didn’t know. I thought you didn’t want to know.”
She tugged him down onto the bed beside her. “So what changed your mind?”
“I thought you needed a choice—be with a man like Harold who can offer you the world, or be with a guy like me who can only offer you his love.”
Her smile broadened and some of the tension eased from his body. “Well, that’s a no-brainer.” She squinted at him. “But is that a proposal, Mr. Moretti?”
“Yeah, it is,” he said, realizing for the first time that there was no way he was leaving the island without Kyra at his side.
“Good,” she said, twisting to kiss him. “Then that’s a yes.”
His heart swelled, and he took her hand, filled to the brim with love. But he also wanted her to understand what she would be giving up. “You know I can’t help with your business.”
“Yes, you can,” she said, her eyes earnest. “It’s going to be rough for a while. But don’t you see? You help just by being there, just by holding my hand.”
He did that then, closing his hand around her fingers and squeezing tight until she felt his warmth and strength fill her. “Always, sweetheart. That’s a promise.”
They fell into each other’s arms, spooning together on the mattress, lost in a haze of love and happiness—sentimental as hell, but it felt damn good. He took another deep breath, letting the truth sink deeper into his bones. She loved him. She really loved him.
In the months since the accident, he’d thought he had it so bad. He’d been a damn fool. He didn’t have it hard, not at all. At least not anymore. He had Kyra. And that made him the luckiest man on the face of the earth.
“My brother will understand,” she continued. “For that matter, I think Harold will, too. My dad will be harder, but I think he’ll get used to it. His bottom line is for me to be happy, so even if he blusters for a while, he’ll be fine. And as for me…” She shrugged. “Well, if I can go it alone and keep the business alive, great. But if not, I’m sure there’s someone else out there willing to hire me.”
He shook his head. “That won’t work.”
“Why not?” She turned her head to face him, her eyes wide, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to tease her for long.
“Because I don’t intend to ever let you go it alone.”
“Yeah?” She snuggled even closer, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“Yeah.”
“Promise?”
