Page 94 of The Gambler Wagers Her Baron

She knew this because it was the same for her. The future she’d planned would arrive or fade away but would not have any effect on her family. Marce would be content to have her close for all her years though Payton knew she longed for a life of her own. It was Payton’s personal success she feared failing at.

Disappointing herself, not others.

He remained silent, though she saw the battle growing once more within Damon. “You came and accepted, loved, and cherished my children in a way I’ve never allowed myself. You stepped into the role I was unprepared to fulfill.”

Was. Was unprepared to fulfill.

“What about now?” Her breathless whisper filled the space between them.

“They may very well reject me,” he confessed. “But I can no longer allow my fear to stop me from trying.”

“They would never turn away from you, Damon.” She slipped from the lounge to kneel before him, her cream gown of satin and lace crushed and wrinkling under her knees. “Just as I, despite my anger over your high-handed manner, could never reject you.”

Taking hold of his hands—strong, capable hands—Payton raised them to her cheeks, their warmth infusing her with a sense of urgency. She needed him to understand how much he meant to his children, her, and his entire household.

“Favorably, you have the benefit of time.” His thumb caressed the skin of her face. “The children are young, and I suspect they would forgive you anything. They have only you, no one else.”

“That is not true,” he sighed. “They have you.”

It was Payton who broke their eye contact. “Yes, but I am no longer their governess.”

“What you’ve done tonight shows you care,” he replied. “In my need to be distracted, I was oblivious to their longings, their hurt. But they went to you, and you came even after everything that had happened between us. You saw them home, safely.”

“I did as any person would.”

“No, you did what someone who loves them would do,” he countered.

“I do love them.” At some point, they’d both reverted to whispering as she leaned closer, her hands settling on his knees while he continued to trail his fingers along her flaming skin from her cheek, to her jaw, to her neck. She trembled under his touch, longed for him to never withdraw his hand. In this moment, she would gladly remain forevermore. “…and you.”

The declaration slipped from her lips unbidden.

As the words hung between them, the seconds of silence stretched between them as everything around them faded. Payton could not think of the crowded ballroom down the hall, or her brother waiting in the foyer, or what ploy Catherton would employ next to seek his revenge.

It was only her and Damon. There was much she’d gambled on in her life, but never again would she wager so carelessly with her baron.

She loved him. Despite everything, she was in love with Damon.

Could he love her in return?

Something broke within her, freeing her from everything that held back her words—her emotions. It wouldn’t stop her if he didn’t love her in return, as long as he knew that she loved him.

She’d spent her entire life believing that one was only free and unburdened if they remained in control and were beholden to no one. It was how her mother had lived. No one could hurt her because she was in control of every aspect of her life—her children, her home, and her business.

Her mother had been wrong.

Everything Payton had believed was wrong.

She’d never feared risking herself financially, but now she had to risk the independence she’d fought so hard for by offering her heart to someone who might not think her love worthy enough to let go of his past and embrace a future together.

Yes, she was in love with Damon.

No amount of distance or time would ever change that.

Now that she’d laid all her cards on the table, no matter the consequences, she could move on with no regrets or thoughts of what might have been.

His hand slipped away from her cheek, grazing her collarbone before grasping her gloved fingers. At the same time, his stare fell away from hers.

This was the risk of her admission. Payton was familiar with taking risks. She took them every time she entered a gaming hell or sat down at a card table. Sometimes, she won. Other times, she lost.