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He lifted it, placing it around her neck, moving behind her so he could fasten it.

‘It was my mother’s. It’s all I have of hers. It means so much to me.’

‘I should have returned it before now,’ he admitted. ‘But I held onto it, because it was a part of you, and I liked having something of yours near me. I knew I was addicted to you, but I thought I could conquer that.’

‘I see.’ Her voice was soft.

‘You have lost so much, and yet you offered me your love. I can’t let you go without telling you how I feel.’

Silence cracked, heavy with expectation, but also anxiety. Thirio knew this was a watershed moment, and, after six years of walling himself away, it took concerted effort to step over this threshold. But for Lucinda, for the life his parents would have wanted him to grab, he knew what he had to do.

‘You are not just under my skin,agape mou, but you are a part of my soul, the owner of my heart—lock and key. You are the other part of me, a part that I have been missing all my life, a part that I hunted for before the accident, and that I have badly needed ever since. I did not think I was broken. If anything, I thought my decision to remain here was a mark of strength.’ What a fool he’d been!

‘But I was wrong. I was shattered by what happened—splintered into a thousand pieces—but meeting you—loving you—has made me whole again. I love you,’ he said, simply. ‘And it is a love that has given me the strength I need to face the world, regardless of what I did. You were right when you said I must learn to walk alongside my grief. And I will. But I would much rather do that with you at my side.’

Her back was to him, but he felt her shoulders tremble and spun her gently in his arms.

‘I love you,’ he said again, his eyes showing the truth of his heart. ‘I am yours, Lucinda, in every way, for all time. I can never thank you adequately for being brave enough to admit how you felt, even when I gave you no reason to think I would welcome your admission.’

‘You gave me every reason,’ she denied tenderly. ‘You love me. I could feel it. I knew it. And I hoped, more than I have ever hoped for anything in my life, that you would know it too, one day. I was willing to wait for you, Thirio, but I’m so glad I don’t have to.’

His laugh was a deep rumble. ‘No. No more waiting.’ He pressed his forehead to hers. ‘Do you think the priest could be persuaded to perform another ceremony today?’ he asked, only half joking.

She smiled against his lips. ‘Sadly, no. There’s paperwork required. But perhaps he’ll come back in a month?’

Thirio blinked. ‘Are you—do you actually mean—?’

She laughed. ‘That depends. Were you seriously asking?’

‘Lucinda Villeneuve, I want, more than any person has ever wanted anything on this earth, to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to wake up with you, to kiss you, to taste you, to make you smile and to see all your dreams come true. I want to love you as you deserve to be loved, to worship you, to support you and hold you, for as long as we both shall live. You are my other half,’ he said simply. ‘Will you marry me?’

She nodded. ‘In a heartbeat.’

And their heartswouldbeat, both perfectly in synch, for as long as they lived.

Three years later

‘Are you absolutely sure about this?’ Thirio scanned the paperwork, before passing it to Lucinda.

‘One hundred per cent. It’s been an amazing ride, but I’ve achieved what I wanted. Besides, the purchase price is too good to refuse,’ she joked, because Mrs Thirio Skartos hardly needed any more money. For this reason, she’d decided to donate the proceeds from the sale of her father’s company—which she’d spent three years building into an events powerhouse, with Thirio’s support—to a bereavement support charity.

‘I know the business will be in safe hands,’ she added. ‘Much safer than it was before. Reflecting on things, that’s what I really wanted. It wasn’t that I needed to follow in my father’s steps, it was just to stop my stepmother from destroying his legacy.’

‘And you have done that, ten times over,’ he said with satisfaction, thrilled that the grasping, unkind Elodie and her equally displeasing daughters had disappeared completely from Lucinda’s life. Whatever thoughts Elodie had entertained of their marriage being a pathway to billionaire husbands for Sofia and Carina had been swiftly shut down by Thirio, who wasted no time confronting Elodie with his feelings about her cruelty, and telling her she would never be welcome in their home.

Perhaps he’d gone too far, but there was nothing he wouldn’t do for his wife. Besides, they had each other, and they had Evie and Erik and their twins, and a small, loyal group of friends that made them feel blessed every day.

‘So long as you know I would have supported you working at this company for as long as you wanted.’

‘I know that.’ She grinned across at him. ‘You’ve been wonderful. But I have something else I’d like to work on now, and I think it’s going to take a lot more of my time and energy than rebuilding Dad’s business.’

‘Oh?’ He watched his wife with sheer admiration. Anything she decided to take on, she could accomplish. He had seen that first-hand. ‘What is it?’

She stood, walking around the table, placing a hand on his shoulder. ‘Haven’t you noticed, Thirio? Is that really possible?’

He frowned. Always detail orientated, he struggled to think what he might have missed.

Lucinda chuckled. ‘Look.’ She took his hand in hers and pressed it to her flat stomach. He stared at it, her meaning obvious, even when it didn’t compute.

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