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But he was still letting her go. The hope in her chest died a little.
“I need to tell you something before you leave,” he continued, his breath still coming fast. “It’s something I should have already told you, but I was too damn chicken shit to admit it. But not anymore.” He brushed the hair from her face, his expression soft. God, he was beautiful. She’d already forgotten how much he sent her heart spinning. And how tall he was, compared to her small stature – especially in the sneakers she was wearing for comfort. “And before I do, you need to know I don’t expect anything in return. I just need you to know this before you get on the plane.”
“What?” she asked, her brows knitting.
“I’m so damn in love with you it hurts,” he told her, sliding his nose against hers until their lips connected in a soft, gentle kiss. “You’re beautiful, funny, and you’ve changed me in every way. When I walked into the airport to pick you up I was somebody else. Somebody who didn’t see the beauty in life. But when you’re around, I see it, Lydia. All of it.”
Her heart clenched. “I love you, too,” she told him. “So much.”
His smile was glorious. It sent a wave of warmth through her, from the tip of her head to the end of her toes.
“You don’t know how happy I am to hear that.”
She grinned back at him. “I can hazard a good guess.” Because she felt it too, this happiness that washed over her. “So what happens next?”
“First of all, we need to work out when we can see each other again. I have a new member of staff starting next week, and I’ll need to train him. But I figure I can get away in a month.”
“Away?”
“I want to fly out to see you. Wherever you’ll be in a month. France, Spain, Italy, I don’t care. I just want to be with you.”
Her heart started to speed. “I’ll be in France.”
“Then that’s perfect.”
“Can you really afford the time off?” she asked, hope lighting her up inside.
“I imagine it’ll give Lisa the shock of her life, but yeah. I’m owed about five years’ worth of vacation.” He stroked her face softly with his fingertips. “What’s the point of owning your own company if you can’t give yourself time off?”
“What about Bella?” she asked. “Does that mean you won’t be adopting her?”
“I’m still adopting her,” he said firmly. “But my dad will help take care of her when I’m not there.”
“You’ve thought of everything,” she said, her lips still curled.
“I had a lot of time to think when I was driving here. I was stuck in traffic for hours.”
She pressed her hand against his, as he cupped her jaw. “I’d love to see you in France. That’ll give me a chance to make some plans.”
He gave her a questioning stare. “What kind of plans?”
“I’ve been thinking, too,” she admitted. “And I kind of had a revelation.” She didn’t have time to tell him all the details about her talk with Autumn. That would have to wait. “All this time, I’ve been searching for what filled my soul. And here you were, all along, waiting patiently for me.”
“I’ll always wait for you,” he told her, pressing his lips to hers. “You’re worth waiting for.”
“Well, now that I’ve found you, I want to be with you. So I figure I can travel a little less. Maybe only take on four jobs a year once I fulfill my outstanding commitments.”
He looked surprised. And happy. “What will you do with the rest of the time?”
“I can still plan clients’ vacations for them and charge a premium for that. I just won’t always be there to show them around.” Her eyes were bright. “And maybe I can diversify. Do some travel writing, or help people run their social media. Like I did with Deenie.”
“You’d be amazing at that. Deenie’s already singing your praises everywhere.”
“Sometimes people just need a little nudge. I can run training sessions or something.” She grinned. “And the rest of the time, there’s this guy who needs to learn how to relax. I figure I can make that my life’s work.”
“I don’t feel relaxed when I’m with you,” he told her, his voice dipping as he kissed her again. “I feel alive.”
An announcement came over the P.A. and Lydia looked at the line for security. It was getting longer by the minute. She turned back to Jackson, who was looking at the same thing.
