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“You would do that?” she softly cried.
“I should have been doing it all along, sweetheart. I was just too hard-headed to realize it.”
“Thick-skulled,” she reminded him on a sob.
“Yeah. That.”
She clung to him, in no hurry to release him. Jenna knew she’d eventually have to let him go. But this time, perhaps… Not forever.
“Rafe, I can compromise too. I swear. I’ll build some breaks into my schedule—Tad will understand now. I’ll come to San Francisco whenever I’m able.”
“It’s a start for us, Jen. And I honestly will take any second I can steal with you versus not seeing you at all. God, that’s hell. I hate being without you, sweetheart.”
She cried a little harder.
“Hey,” Rafe said as he stroked her hair with a hand. “How about we have the champagne sent up to your room?”
Several moments—minutes, maybe—slid by while Jenna attempted to regain her composure, get all of the overwhelming feelings under control.
Finally, she pulled slightly away. She gazed up at him. “You told Tad you were coming, didn’t you?”
“When I indicated I wanted to, he encouraged me. He really does adore you. Said he’d order drinks for us and then beg off for the evening.”
“Little devil,” she said with a sniffle. “No one ever had a better friend. I’m the luckiest woman on the planet to have both of you.”
“You do have me,” he assured her. “Wholeheartedly, Jen. Things’ll be different this time. We just need a second chance.”
She nodded. “I still want to be with you, Rafe. I still want to belong to you.”
His jaw clenched briefly. “I should have given you more time. I should have given you space to reconcile all the changes in your life when we got married. Let you process it all—maybe you would have been able to open up to me. To confide in me.”
“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings—anyone’s. I didn’t want you or your family to think I wasn’t crazy about them and their exuberant acceptance of me. I handled it all so poorly, Rafe. I’m sorry for that. But I never stopped loving you. Or them.”
“I get it now, Jen. It was a lot for both of us to manage without being more forthcoming with each other. If we just keep open minds and understand—
”
“Yes.” She wound her arms around his neck again. Pressed her body to his. “We can do this, Rafe. I want to do this. I want you. Only you.”
“You’re all I want too, sweetheart. Forever and ever.”
“Thank you. Thank you for coming. For wanting to be with me. For—”
“Loving you beyond all distraction.”
She laughed, though it was a strangled sound. “That too.”
“I do, you know?”
“I do too.”
Rafe’s warm lips brushed her temple as he murmured, “Let’s make this a private kiss and makeup, hmm?”
“Good idea.”
Rafe arranged to have the champagne delivered to her suite while Jenna texted a thank-you note to Tad.
Then they slipped between the sheets and did precisely what they did best...
