"But I'd vowed to be the man you could count on.Who would always be there for you.Then I ran at the first sign of trouble.I stayed away, assuming that you agreed with your mother.Maybe not today but some day.And I thought it would be easier if I broke things off."
Her brows furrowed."But you didn't talk to me."
I stepped closer."And I'm sorry for that.I was getting ready to tell you that I love you, and when that happened, I freaked out."
Her breath hitched."You love me?"
"I hope I'm not too late.I'm not asking you to forgive me all at once.I want to prove to you that I'm the man you deserve."
She stepped close, her hand on my chest, right above my heart."I love you too, and you're already deserving of my love.You don't have to prove anything."
I dropped my head, her words hitting me in the chest."You do?"
She licked her lips."Yes."
"I want to build a relationship that has nothing to do with our families.Their opinions don't matter."
"I agree with you.I've met with a therapist to discuss ways to create boundaries with my mother that we can both live with."
"You did that for me?"
"I did it for me.My relationship with her isn't healthy."
"We're really going to do this," I said softly, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.
She looked up at me."Yeah, I guess we are."
With the fountain water trickling next to us, we kissed under the lights.Soon, people would be congregating on the patio, but tonight we had it to ourselves.
