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‘Why? What is there left to say?’
He swallowed hard, his throat impossibly tight. Now. He needed to say it now. She reached for the handle again.
‘I love you.’
The words fell into the stillness, and even now part of him wanted to snatch them back. The last time he’d said them had been to his mother, and she’d wearily told him she wished she’d never had him. He’d vowed never to say them again. Never to want or need to say them again.
But Mia had changed him. Loving Mia had changed him.
‘Alessandro…’ She shook her head slowly. ‘Why are you saying this now? You can’t mean it…’
‘I do. I was too much of a coward to say it before. But the truth is I’ve been falling in love with you for months now, and fighting it all the way.’ His words came faster and more assuredly, and the release of finally being open and honest was strangely wonderful. Freeing in a way he’d never expected. ‘I never wanted to love anyone, Mia. My mother didn’t love me, and I wanted her to, desperately. She told me she wished she’d never had me…she forgot about and neglected me time and again, and still I wished she’d love me. I loved her.’ He swallowed hard, the words coming faster and faster as he tried to explain. ‘At a young age I told myself I’d never let someone have that kind of control over me. I’d be the one who was in control, always, and I made that my life’s mission. Yet here I am, risking everything because it’s too important not to. Because I love you too much, and I don’t want to be a coward any more. I love you, Mia. I love you.’
He spread his hands wide, his heart thudding as he waited for her response.
‘You…love me?’ She sounded incredulous as she turned from the door and put down her bag and Ella’s car seat.
‘With all my soul. All my heart. I’m terrified, Mia. I’m shaking.’ He let out a ragged laugh. ‘And yet here I am, giving everything I have to you. You can do with it as you will. You can walk out that door as you were intending to, or you can come over here and slap my face and tell me what an arrogant imbecile I am.’ He took a quick, steadying breath. ‘Or you can tell me you love me back, or even that you could learn to love me, like you asked me to last night, and you’ll give us a chance even though I’ve been so very stupid and scared. I wasn’t giving you your freedom… I was trying to find mine. I’m sorry. I don’t want you to go. I love you.’
He was babbling, but he didn’t care. He’d say anything to make her stay…even, especially, the truth.
‘I’ve been afraid too,’ Mia said after a long moment. ‘I’ve been fighting it too, because I was scared of losing myself, like I said. So scared, and yet it happened anyway.’
‘Yes.’ Alessandro’s voice was fervent. ‘But I realised last night that loving someone means losing yourself—to another person. Entrusting them with everything that you are. And that’s terrifying, but it’s also so good and right. I know I’ll mess up, Mia, so many times. I’ll be angry or thoughtless or bossy or…something. But I’ll try. And I hope you’ll forgive me. And learn to love—’
‘Oh, Alessandro, you idiot,’ Mia said with tears in her voice. ‘I already love you. I’ve loved you for ages. I just thought you’d never love me. You’d never do what you just said, and offer me everything. Ever since our wedding I’ve felt you’ve been holding something back…’
‘I know. I have been. But it’s yours now. All of it—me—is yours. I’ll tell you whatever you like. I’ll give you the parts of myself I’ve been trying to hide, the ones that are dark and ugly and needy. And hopefully you won’t be put off—’
‘Never,’ Mia whispered. Tears trickled down her face, and with a jolt Alessandro realised he was crying too.
‘So you’ll stay?’
‘Yes.’ Mia walked towards him, her arms held out, so all it took were two steps for Alessandro to catch her up in his, pulling her body closely to his. Home. He was home. ‘I’ll stay,’ Mia whispered as he lowered his head to kiss her. ‘I’ll stay. For ever.’
EPILOGUE
Three years later
SUN BEAMED DOWN on the terrace as Mia stepped out, baby Milo in her arms. It was her son’s christening, three months after his birth. Just like Ella, he had Alessandro’s grey eyes and her blonde hair. He gurgled up at her now before catching sight of his father and reaching out chubby arms to him.
‘Hello, caro,’ Alessandro said, scooping up his son easily and planting a kiss on his plump cheek. ‘It’s your special day.’
‘She’s been good as gold,’ Alyssa said as she joined them on the terrace, holding Ella, now three and a half, by the hand. ‘A very proud big sister.’
Mia smiled at Ella, and then shared a loving look with Alessandro. The last three years had been so wonderful, so blessed. Admittedly, it hadn’t always been easy. They’d had their battles and struggles, both of them learning day by day to let go of control, of their very selves, as they committed themselves to each other in small yet significant ways.
Now Alessandro brushed a kiss across her lips as he cradled their son. ‘Happy?’ he asked softly, his eyes full of warmth and tenderness that, even after three years, made Mia melt inside.
She reached for his free hand, lacing her fingers through his. ‘Yes,’ she told him, thankful for so much, and especially this man by her side who had chosen to share his life, his very self, with her. ‘Very, very happy.’
Coming next month
CINDERELLA’S ROYAL SEDUCTION
Dani Collins
“You’re genuinely asking me to marry you. And if I do, you’ll give me this hotel and spa, all the property and rights to the aquifer. Everything,” she clarified.
