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“Start again?”
Clearing his throat, he dropped his hold on me and increased the distance between us, gaze locked on mine.
“My name is Lachlan Hale. My favorite things are making breakfast for you and your daughter, coming home to you after a tough game, and that thing you do with your tongue on my earlobe. Oh, and phone sex.” He winked. “Can’t forget about that.”
“Certainly not,” I laughed as I swiped away my tears, all the anxiety that had plagued me since walking into the prison disappearing now that we’d taken that first step in clearing the air.
Now that Lachlan had a better picture of what life with Nick was really like.
“And even though you can be so bloody stubborn sometimes,” he continued before sobering, eyes gleaming with affection, “I’m completely in love with you, Julia Blaire Prescott.”
The mood instantly shifted, his stare unwavering as his confession hung in the air. He didn’t attempt to hide from it. Instead, he laid himself bare for me. Allowed himself to be vulnerable, even though I knew it petrified him.
“So there you have it. That’s me. Take it or leave it.”
I briefly closed my eyes as I drew in a shaky breath, attempting to collect my thoughts. Then I fixed my gaze on Lachlan, his blue orbs filled with so much love.
I felt a crack form in the hard exterior I’d erected years ago when I didn’t think I had any other choice but to keep people out in order to protect myself.
“My name’s Julia Prescott,” I began with a smile. “My favorite things in the world are having breakfast with you and Imogene, feeling you crawl into bed beside me after a long day, and that thing you do with your tongue on my earlobe. Oh, and phone sex. Can’t forget about that.”
“Never. I’ll be a senile old man and will still remember the sounds you make when you come.”
My face heated, lips twisting into a smile. I’d remember the way Lachlan made me feel until I was old and senile, too.
When I lifted my gaze back to his, I summoned all the courage I possessed to face my biggest fear.
“And I’m completely in love with you, Lachlan Keone Hale.”
He blinked repeatedly, jaw dropping. “What— What did you just say?”
“That I love you,” I repeated, as if it were the easiest thing in the world. The truth was, it was easy to say it.
“But—”
“Earlier today, I didn’t believe I’d ever be able to let anyone into my heart, especially when I was in that room with Nick.” I clutched his hands, holding them tightly. “But I love you, Lachlan. Love how you love me, even when I can be a giant pain in the ass. Or, as you say it, arse.”
“And I thought you liked my Australian accent.” He winked.
“That I do. In fact, I love it. And I love how incredible you are with Imogene. How you constantly keep me on my toes.” I placed my hand over his heart. “Mostly, I love how you’ve made room in here for me, even after all the shit you’ve been through. I can’t promise things will always be easy. That I won’t do things that drive you absolutely crazy.”
“I’m counting on you pissing me off on a regular basis. My mum often said that loving someone doesn’t mean you always get along or never have an argument. It means that, despite the bad days, you can’t imagine your life without them in it.”
“And I cannot imagine living a single day of my life without you in it, Lachlan Hale. You’re…a part of me.” I took his hand and placed it over my heart. “You own this. Completely. It’s yours… If you’ll have it.”
I held his gaze for several protracted moments. Then I pulled back.
“So there you have it. That’s me. Take it or leave it.”
He didn’t hesitate, yanking my body against his. “Take. I absolutely fucking take.”
Digging his fingers into my cheeks, he crushed his lips to mine, coaxing them open, a warmth building in my heart and spreading throughout my body. When his tongue swept against mine, I sighed, melting into his kiss, his taste, his everything.
Our love didn’t hit me suddenly, stealing my breath and arresting my heart. Instead, it crept in slowly. A touch here. A kind word there. But with each compassionate gesture, Lachlan had managed to dismantle the walls I’d erected around my heart until I didn’t know where mine ended and his began.
For too long, I was scared to admit what this feeling truly was. But now I knew.
And I wasn’t going to run from love anymore.
I wasn’t going to be scared of love anymore.
Love made us stronger.
And I had to believe it would make us strong enough to get through whatever the future held.
