Page 98 of Hold You Close
“You . . . you hurt me on purpose?” The truth sinks in hard and fast, a knife through the heart.
He nods miserably. “I did what I thought I had to do. But letting you go hurt me too, Lon. Believe me. I meant everything I said to you that night. Watching you walk away from me at Sabrina’s party was pure torture. But I had to.”
I’m beyond shocked. “All this time . . . Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“I tried, when you came back.” He shakes his head. “You wouldn’t listen to me.”
I bite my lip, wanting to defend myself but knowing he’s right. I made up my mind about him the moment I saw him at that party with another girl at his side. But if he’s telling the truth, and in my gut I feel like he is, then this could change everything. “So that was all an act? Then . . . and now?”
“Yes.” He moved closer and lowers his voice. “I never stopped loving you. Ever. Even when we fought, even when I pretended to hate you, even when I tried to forget you, you’ve always been the one.”
God, I want to believe him. But I’m scared. “Don’t say things you don’t mean. It’s not fair.”
He cradles my face in his hands and looks me right in the eye. “I mean every word I’m telling you, London. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone. You’ve made me happier than I’ve ever been before. Without you, I’ll be lonely and miserable for the rest of my life, hating myself for pushing you away, when all I really want to do is hold you close.” He crushes his lips to mine. “Stay with me. Stay with us. Where you belong.”
I don’t think. I don’t move. I don’t even breathe. All I can do is feel. And in my heart I know this is my dream—this man, this family, this life we’re building together. “Yes,” I whisper, and a second later his lips are on mine, his arms are wrapped around me, and I’m being lifted right off the floor. People in the crowd cheer and whistle and applaud, and the kids hug each other and then us. I’m still crying, but the tears are happy now, and Ian is holding on to me so tight, it’s as if he’ll never let go.
“I love you,” he keeps whispering in my ear. “I love you so much, and I’ll never let you go.”
Eventually, we open our arms to the kids, and even Christopher, red-faced and grumbling a little, lets us include him in one big embrace. I’m sure we look a little crazy and ridiculous, but I don’t care.
I’ll never forget this moment as long as I live—a happy ending to one chapter of my life, but a brand new start to another.
I can’t wait to see where love will lead us.
Twenty-Three
Ian
“So what happens now?” Morgan asks from the back of the minivan I still can’t believe I’m driving.
“We go home.” London squeezes my right hand, which she’s holding in her lap.
“Whose home? Are you going to live with us now, Aunt London?” the nosy little thing wants to know.
“Um, I’m not sure.” London seems a little flustered by the question, but I’m not.
“I hope so.” I pick up her hand and kiss the back of it. “All that running across the back yard is getting tiresome, don’t you think? I feel like a teenager sneaking around.”
“Ian!” London laughs, her cheeks going beautifully pink as she glances into the back seat.
“Please. It’s not like we don’t know you stay the night.” Christopher’s tone tells me he’s rolling his eyes right now, even if I can’t see it.
“Seriously,” Morgan agrees. “You guys are, like, so obvious.”
In the rearview mirror, I catch Ruby’s eye and wink at her. “Well, Lon? What do you say? Think you can live with a hot
caveman, two smart-ass teenagers, and one adorable almost-first-grader?”
London laughs, and the sound warms my insides. “I think I can handle it.”
“What the heck, Uncle Ian?” Morgan shrieks in outrage. “Was that supposed to be a proposal or something? That’s not how you do it!”
I meet her defiant stare in the rearview mirror. A week ago I probably would have been angry at her big mouth, but today I just grin. This is my life now, and I’m embracing every chaotic, unexpected moment. “Oh no?”
“No! You have to give her a ring,” Morgan insists.
“And get down on one knee,” adds Ruby.
