“Exactly.”
He gestures vaguely toward me. “You’re sitting here wrapped in a duvet, your hair’s all messy, and you’re not wearing a single bit of makeup.”
My heart rate increases slightly.
“And you’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
I open my mouth. Nothing comes out. Because that wasn’t what I expected him to say. At all.
“You’re joking,” I say weakly.
“I’m not.”
He brushes his thumb lightly along my cheek. “Frey.”
“Yeah?”
“You could put every woman in Oakwood in this room right now.”
My heart starts beating a little faster.
“And I’d still be exactly where I am.”
His hand slides gently into my hair. “Right here.”
My throat feels tight. “You mean that?”
He smiles softly. “Completely.”
I glance down at my phone again. The girls are still sending messages.
Emma:FREYA???
Clara:Are you smug?
Hannah:She’s definitely smug.
Rory glances at the screen again.
“Well,” he says.
“Well what?”
“They’re right about one thing.”
“What?”
“You should be smug.”
I laugh quietly. “Why?”
“Because,” he says, pulling me gently closer, “I’m the lucky one here.”
And somehow… For the first time since those messages started arriving… I believe him.
Chapter fifty-four
Freya
