Page 29 of Wicked Valentine
This is not how I wanted to tell him. There was supposed to be a grand gesture. After dinner, under the stars. Something. Not here in the middle of the living room with tears in my eyes.
After what feels like an eternity, César finally speaks. “Say it again.”
This time, I’m prepared. I look directly into his eyes, seeing him like he sees me. “I love you, César. I have for a while now. You’ve made me feel loved, seen, safe. The only place I want to run to is your arms every night. I love you, baby.”
I want to scream and shout it now that the words are out in the open. They don’t feel adequate enough for how I feel, and I wonder if this is how he felt the first time he said it.
Then César grabs my face between his hands and crashes us together. His lips meet mine in a searing kiss I feel all the way down to my bones. He kisses me like I’m his life force. The only thing keeping him alive. I cling to him. Desperate. Needing him not only to hear the words, but feel them, too.
“Say it one more time,” he murmurs against my lips. “Please, Lety.”
This time, it’s my turn to caress his cheek, feeling the rough stubble on my palm. “I love you, César Estrada.”
“And I love you, mi reina. I love you so fucking much.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, baby,” I say through my tears.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Lety.”
He then kisses me like a promise—slow, deep, and full of everything we’ve survived to get here. In his arms, I’m not just loved. I’m seen, wanted, and cherished. I’m his in every aspect of the word. In every way a person can be.
And for the first time in a long time, I know I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.
