Theo was here. In her mother’s living room. But how?
She drank in his features like a woman lost in the desert. His hair was mussed, there were dark circles under his eyes, and the shirt and trousers he wore were creased. Even disheveled, he was still the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. A pang of longing clutched at her chest.
“What are you doing here?” The words came out in a whisper.
He whipped around to face her.
Her mother glanced at her watch. “Oh, look at the time. I have a thing at the place. I should run; I don’t want to be late! I won’t be back for hours. See you later!”
Chloe watched her mother rush out the door. There was no appointment. Her mother was giving them privacy. Although if she knew her mother, she was actually going to go sit in her car to make a swift reappearance if needed. Chloe just kept staring at the door because if she looked at Theo, she might crumble to the floor.
“Chloe.” The sound of his voice warmed her insides. God, she’d missed him. “Please, look at me.”
Locking her knees before her legs gave out, she slowly turned her head toward him. “What are you doing here?” she asked again. “How did you find me?”
“Ethan told me. I tried to catch you before you boarded your plane, but I didn’t make it.” Then his gaze traveled over her, and he gave a small smile. “Cute pajamas.”
Chloe blushed; she’d forgotten she was still wearing her favorite Winnie the Pooh pj’s. “Thanks.”
“Chloe,” he stepped forward, then hesitated like he wasn’t sure she’d want him near her before taking another step closer. “I’m such an ass for letting you walk away from me. I’m sorry. It was the biggest mistake of my life. I fucked up. I let my insecurities—mypride—get in the way, and I lost the best thing to have ever happened to me.”
Chloe’s heartbeat accelerated, slamming against her chest. Her breath caught in her throat, and she was left unable to speak.
His eyes boring into hers, Theo continued, “I’ve been miserable without you. You’re all I can think about. All I’ve ever wanted.” He inched closer. “You’re the only person I see myself waking up to every morning for the rest of my life. The only one I want to come home to. The only one I want to grow old with.” He took a deep breath, then said, “I love you, Chloe. I’ve always loved you. I loved you when we were kids. I loved you when you stumbled back into my life, and I love you even more now.”
Chloe wrapped her arms around her stomach. Was this really happening? His words were too much to hope for. “But when I asked you how you felt about me, you said—”
“I lied.” He hung his head for a beat before returning his gaze to her. “I’m sorry. I hated telling you I didn’t love you. I’ll never forgive myself for the pain I caused you. I thought I was doing the right thing for you.” He sighed. “But I don’t get to make that decision for you.”
“Theo…”
He held up a hand. “I still believe you’re better off without me. But I’m selfish; I love you too much. I don’t want to live the rest of my life without you.”
Breathless, she held shaking fingers to her lips as tears filled her eyes. “You love me?”
“So much.” He reached out to clasp her trembling hands. Or were they his hands that shook? “I want us to be together. I want to do all that I can to make you happy.” His eyes shimmered, and love poured from them.
Chloe’s smile grew wide, and her heart pounded so hard like it wanted to burst from her chest with happiness. “Theo—”
“Wait. Before you say anything, I want to give you something.” Pulling away, he picked up a yellow box from the coffee table and handed her the package.
“What’s this?” She glanced from the box to Theo.
Theo shuffled his feet. Was he nervous about something? Why did he want her to open a box when all she wanted to do was throw herself into his arms and kiss him like there was no tomorrow?
He nodded toward the present. “Open it and find out.”
Taking the box from him, she sat in a chair and lifted the lid. It was filled with pale blue and pink tissue paper. On top of the paper sat a round, clear tube of plastic with some cloudy liquid in it. She plucked it out, put the box back on the coffee table, and slid the tube through her fingers.
“It’s a glow stick from the disco. The one you crashed with Isla way back when.” Her eyes flicked up to Theo. “You were wearing so many you didn’t notice when you dropped one. I picked it up and put it in my pocket. I was going to give it back to you, but instead, I kept it. To remind me of you, Glowy.” He smiled.
Her fingers trembled as she ran her fingers along it, the color long ago faded. “I can’t believe you kept it all these years.”
“Even when you were a scrawny kid”—his lips quirked at her frown—“I knew you were someone special and wanted to have something to remember you by. Now, open the rest.” He pointed to the box.
Bending over, she parted the paper and pulled out a white baby’s onesie and an envelope with a sheaf of papers. She swung her head toward Theo. An eyebrow raised in question.
He drew in a deep breath. “If you still want to try and have babies with me, I’ll do everything I can to make it happen. The outfit should speak for itself, but the papers are the forms we’ll need to fill out to adopt.” He gave her a wry grin. “I should warn you, some of the agencies only give children to married couples.” He pulled out a small light-blue box and slid it toward her.
