Page 51 of One Week With You
“I meant this situation isn’t real. We don’t live in a remote cottage hidden away from the world, and we never will. Not permanently at least. I’ve got my business and you’ll have yours one day and—”
“You really believe that?”
“Of course I do. You’re incredible. You can do anything you set your mind to and when your heart is in it too? You’re unstoppable.”
Tears stung my eyes, beading at the corners enough that I had no choice but to blink them away, let them bleed down my cheeks and the tips of his fingers. I hadn’t realised what it would feel like to have someone believe in me that much.
“Thank you,” I choked out, clutching at the front of his sweater.
“This time with you here, the two of us, I wouldn’t change for the world,” Rafe confessed, brushing my tears away with his thumbs. “I needed this. We needed this. To see what we could be. This has been a long time coming. But our real life is in London, and that means being together around our family and friends and balancing all of that around work. That’s what I meant.”
I was too overwhelmed to say anything but, “Okay.”
“Does that sound like something you would be interested in?”
I swallowed around the lump lodged in my throat and nodded, finally managing a smile. “Where do I sign up?”
Rafe grinned and my heart soared. His eyes lit up like I’d given him the greatest gift imaginable –me– but oh, that didn’t seem possible. He ducked to even up our mismatched heights and we stood there, foreheads pressed together in joint relief. I closed my eyes, let out a breath, and sank against him.
“That’s good to know,” he murmured. “And maybe after our busy days you could come home to me and tell me all about your day while I rub your feet. I know how much you like your heels.”
I drew back to look at him, elation stretching into my eyes. My cheeks ached with it. “I love my heels. I’m told they make my ass look fabulous.”
“They really do.”
“You noticed that, huh?”
“I noticed everything, Talia. Every single thing about you. I’m obsessed with you.”
Exhilarated. That was this floaty feeling, right? This tingly rush of joy in my veins?
“Why did you never tell me?” I wondered. “Why push me away after we kissed all those years ago?”
“I don’t know where to start,” he said with sigh.
“Was it Leo?” I asked. “Because I spoke to him earlier. I didn’t tell him anything, but he already knew and he was fine.”
“I know. I told him I was coming up here. I mean, it was a worry in the back of my mind in those early days. I’ve never had a friend like Leo before. And then your family…” Rafe shook his head slowly, as if he couldn’t quite find the words. “Your family accepted me as one of their own and that meant everything to me. You know what my parents are like. I’ve never had the kind of family life you and your brothers have had, and I liked that I was suddenly a part of it. And then there was my job. It takes over my life sometimes. When we kissed that first time, I’d only recently taken over as CEO and everything was so unsettled and chaotic, and I was always worried I’d never be able to give you the time you deserve. That’s why I held back. It was never about Leo. Not really. There was just so much more to lose. I had to be sure.”
I slid my hands up his torso, clasping them together behind his neck, and stretched up on tiptoe to plant a soft kiss to his lips. Just a little one, a taste.
“And you’re sure now?” I asked. “You want to be with me for real?”
“I am with you for real. This hasn’t been pretend. I need you to know that. How I feel about you, how you make me feel, is the most honest I’ve ever been. I love you.”
Something swooped in my chest. My eyes widened. “What?”
“I love you, more than I could ever say.” He shook his head in disbelief, a wry smile decorating his face. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“I’ve spent the day freaking out so… not really, no.”
Rafe huffed a laugh, tucking an errant wave behind my ear. “You remember you asked me why I told everyone you were my girlfriend?”
I nodded. Like I’d ever forget.
“The truth is, your name didn’t just pop into my head. Your name is a constant. There is never a day I don’t think about you in some way. Wondering where you are, what you’re doing, who you’re with. If you’re happy, even if it was another man making you smile. You were – youare– always on my mind. Always, Talia.”
“Rafe—”
