“I told her I’d check with you first.”
Her expression softened. “You checked with me first.”
“You get a say. In everything. From now on.” He held her gaze steadily. “I know I have a long way to go. I know trust isn’t rebuilt overnight. But I’m going to keep trying, Marina. Every day. For as long as you’ll have me.”
She descended the stairs slowly, stopping on the second step so they were nearly eye level. Her hand came up to rest against his cheek, and the bond hummed between them, hers and his, indistinguishable.
“You’ve already changed,” she said. “The Alessandro who crashed into my bakery a month ago would never have checked with anyone. Would never have admitted he was wrong. Would never have asked for help.”
“That Alessandro was an idiot.”
“He was scared. There’s a difference.” Her thumb traced his cheekbone. “We were both scared. And we both made mistakes. I should have stayed to fight instead of running. Should have pushed harder instead of retreating into silence.”
“You had every right to protect yourself.”
“Maybe. But I want us to protect each other from now on.” Her eyes searched his face. “What do you want, Alessandro? Not what you think you should want, or what would be practical, or what would make sense. What do you actually want?”
He hadn’t expected the question. When was the last time anyone had asked him that? When was the last time he’d allowed himself to want something without immediately calculating how to achieve it alone?
“You,” he said simply. “This. The bakery and the bond and the life we could build together. I want to split my time between here and New York. I can restructure my role at the firm, take only cases I can handle remotely. I want to fly above you while you swim. I want to wake up at four in the morning because you’re stress-baking something ridiculous. I want?—”
She kissed him.
Not the desperate kisses from before, when they’d been trying to fix something with their bodies that was broken in their hearts. This was different. This was a choice. A promise. A beginning.
“Yes,” she whispered against his mouth.
“To which part?”
“All of it. The dinners with your family. The long-distance arrangement. The four AM baking.” She kissed him again, softer. “I love you, Alessandro. I should have said it before. I was scared.”
He held her close. “I love you too. I was scared as well.”
“We’ll be scared together from now on?”
“Deal.”
Her joy mirrored his own. They would fight and frustrate each other and occasionally fall back into old patterns. But they would also try.
“Take me to bed,” Marina said.
“Are you sure? After everything tonight…”
“I’m sure.” Her eyes held his. “This time, I want to choose you. Not because we’re desperate or sad or trying to fix something. Because I love you and I want you and the bond isn’t a trap anymore.”
Alessandro didn’t need to be asked twice.
He carried her to bed. Not rushed, not desperate. Slow. Savoring each step.
When he laid her down among the pillows, Alessandro took a moment just to look. Marina in moonlight, hair spread across white sheets, eyes dark and certain.
“You’re staring again,” she said softly.
“I’m memorizing.” He settled beside her, propping himself on one elbow. “Every time we’ve done this before, there was something else happening. Desperation. Fear. Trying to fix things.” His hand traced her collarbone. “Tonight, I just want to be here. With you. No agenda except this.”
“This?”
“Choosing you. Over and over. In every moment.”
