“I know a place.”
Minutes later, we were in a cozy diner, warm and bright against the cold night. The smell of grilled burgers wrapped around us, comforting and familiar. Ronan stepped up to the counter and ordered without hesitation, reciting my exact order like it was engraved into his soul.
I blinked at him. “You remember my order.”
He looked back at me, eyes soft and steady. “I was hoping it didn’t change.”
We sat together with our food, knees brushing, laughter slipping easily between us. Outside, New York pulsed with life, but in that little booth, it felt like we were finding our way back to something that had never disappeared.
Later, as Ronan drove me back, the city lights blurred into a river of color against the dark sky. The streets were quiet, leaving us in a silence full of everything we hadn’t said, a wordless acknowledgment of the tension and history between us.
Stopping in front of the villa, he turned to me, his gaze soft andunreadable.
“Thank you for tonight,” he murmured, his voice warm enough to sink into my chest.
“You’re welcome,” I replied, leaning in almost instinctively. My lips brushed his cheek, brief but loaded with meaning, a quiet surrender to feelings I had never let die.
“Goodnight, Ronan,” I whispered, each word heavy with everything unsaid.
“Goodnight, Nina,” he replied, his fingers brushing a lock of hair behind my ear. The simple touch sent a shiver racing through me, awakening a desire I had tried to bury for years.
Watching him walk away, a storm of longing, hope, and unspoken desire twisted inside me.
We had that reckless, wild young love, the kind that made you feel invincible and left you raw. The kind that tore you open and left scars you never forgot. If I jumped, he would be there, steady, holding my hand as we soared together.
I could lie to myself until my voice went hoarse and my heart turned cold, but the truth was clear: there was no escaping Ronan Romano.
He was part of me, entwined with my soul, and the harder I tried to convince myself I didn’t need him, the more I realized I didn’t want to be free.
I wanted him. I’ve always wanted him.
His presence was a bittersweet addiction and a reminder that some loves linger, no matter how much they hurt.
The night air was cool on my skin, but inside, my heart burned with a warmth only Ronan could ignite.
Chapter Forty-three
RONAN
Present Day
NEW YORK CITY
The hospital buzzed with its usual activity—monitors beeping, footsteps echoing through the halls, the soft murmur of conversations in the distance. But I wasn’t really there. My mind drifted, lost in thoughts of Nina.
Our conversation the other night had left a mark on me, like a door opening to something I hadn’t realized I’d been waiting for. It was more than catching up—it was deeper, something that stirred emotions I’d long buried.
That night, with the city stretched out beneath us, felt like a moment suspended in time. There was an honesty between usthat hadn’t existed before, a vulnerability which felt new and necessary. It wasn’t only about what we’d been, it was about what we could be.
My thoughts were still tangled in the memory of our night together when the phone rang, pulling me back into the present. I glanced at the screen and smiled, recognizing her name.
“Hey,” I said, answering her call. “It’s like you knew I was thinking about you.”
She laughed, a sound so pure it wrapped around me like a comforting embrace. “Aren’t you always?”
I chuckled. “You’re right about that. What’s up,tesoro?”
“I got off the road, went to do some business for my boutique, and thought to give you a call.”
