“Then let me put it back together,” I said. “And I promise I won’t do that again.”
“Promise?” he asked. He seemed so vulnerable right now and I wanted to hug him and tell him that everything would be fine and hold him and care for him and never let him go again.
“Promise,” I whispered. I brought my lips all the way up to his and rested them there. “Besides, Sally misses you too.”
I felt his lips smile against mine. “Really?”
“Mmm,” I mumbled, dragging my lips over his. God, he smelt good.
“I’m not into threesomes.” He took my lip between his and kissed it teasingly. “I’m too selfish. I wouldn’t want to share you.”
“She could watch,” I offered, and then burst out laughing.
“From the cupboard,” Alex added and we both laughed. “I lied, by the way. I just wanted to hear you say it out loud, I did see your article. It was beautiful.”
“Then why didn’t you get hold of me?”
“Because I realized something too when I read it.”
“What?” I asked.
“I never actually said the words to you, so I never gave you all the information.”
I shook my head.
“I never actually said I love you. And I should have. And then I shouldn’t have walked away, I should have stayed and given you a minute because I could see what a strange and confusing moment it was.”
“Really?”
“So I bought a ticket to South Africa. I was going to fly there this week and barge into your apartment and fight Matt for you, if I had to.”
I laughed and cried at the same time. “You were going to do that?”
“Fight him to death if necessary.” Alex smiled at me.
“I love you,” I said again and it felt so good to say.
“I love you.” He kissed me softly on the lips and I melted. “By the way, I take it you don’t have a, um . . .?” He pulled away and looked at me pointedly.
“NO! No,” I laughed.
“So no need for me to—”
“No need.” I cut him off. “No need at all. And for the record, there’ll never,ever, be any need to . . .”
Alex laughed. “Noted.” He let go of my face and slipped an arm around my back. The gown was open and his hand immediately slid under it.
“I never thought I’d be so happy to be wearing a hospital gown,” I said.
“Me neither.” He slipped his other hand around me and into the gown. I moaned as his hands travelled down my back.
“God, I missed you so much,” I said, finding his lips again and kissing them.
And then he pulled away from me. “I have something for you.” He stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. I watched as he opened it and reached into the coin pouch. “I found them in my room, and I couldn’t bear to leave them there.” He pulled them out and I immediately started crying.
The green ribbons.
I held my hand out for Alex and he reached for it. “Can we try this again,” he asked, “with new promises that we make to each other?”
