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“The board is a gift. I’m hoping she’ll get lots of use out of it.”
Sophie’s jaw fell open.
He couldn’t stop himself this time. He cupped her chin. “I’m hoping she’ll give me a chance to explain myself and believe me when I tell her I love her.”
Gasps and sighs sounded.
His heart pounded.
“Would you mind holding this?” he said, when Sophie still just stared at him. He handed the board to her mom, strategically blocking the view of her dad, then took Sophie’s face in his hands and kissed her.
Giggles erupted. A few “Oh my’s.” None of it fazed him. He deepened the kiss. That’s when she pressed a hand to his chest and…melted against him.
Her kiss pumped life back into him. Nothing was better than the feel of her lips and her body, the scent of cinnamon sugar and woman. He wanted to kiss her until the moon brightened the sky, but they had an audience.
She pulled back first, but the sparkle in her eyes promised they weren’t through. “Come with me.” Her hand took his and she tugged him through the gathering.
“That was so romantic,” a woman said as they passed.
“It was,” Sophie said on a whisper-sigh. She peeked at him under long eyelashes. “And,” she voiced louder, “we’d like some privacy, so nobody better follow us.”
She led him inside the house and up the stairs to a small room at the end of the hall. As soon as she shut the door, she leaned against it and let out a breath.
“Is this your bedroom?” His lips curved up. The walls were slate blue, the bed coverings were white with a navy trim, a dark wood desk with a corkboard and shelf held small trophies and containers lined up in a neat row with pencils and pens. A striped rug in blue, brown, and white covered the hardwood floor. Total brainiac room. He loved it.
“Itwasmy bedroom.”
“Ever bring any boys up here?”
That beautiful pink hue that drove him crazy bloomed in her cheeks. “You know I didn’t.”
“So I’m the first.” He stepped toward her, ready to pin her against the door and kiss her senseless.
She held up her hand and, without her saying a word, he knew that was his cue, his chance to make things right.
He swallowed the sudden bundle of nerves in the back of his throat. “I’m sorry, Sophie. Sorry for saying the terrible things I said. I panicked. I was on the phone with Julia and she was telling me she’d gotten married. That her fiancé didn’t want to wait and surprised her with an intimate ceremony. It hurt that I wasn’t included and then she pressed me about you, and the void I’ve carried with me for as long as I can remember rose back to the surface and I didn’t want to think that you had filled the spaces.
“Because if I let you in, inevitably I’d let you down, and I hated to think about disappointing you. So I lied. I lied to my sister to get her off my back. To push away feelings I didn’t know how to handle.
“And I lied to you because I thought you’d be better off without me. I pushed you away thinking I wasn’t good enough.”
A tear slid out of the corner of her eye. “You let me believe the things you said.”
“Yes. At the time I thought it was for the best, but God, Sophie, none of it was true. I came here to tell you that I love you.” He reached out and took her hands in his. “That not a second has passed since we said good-bye that I haven’t missed you. You’re in my head. You’re in my heart. And I’m ready. I’m ready for the change you’ve made in me. I’m ready to love you with everything I have. I can’t promise I won’t make mistakes along the way, but I can promise to strive to be the kind of man you deserve.”
“Oh, Zane.”
“I want to start forever with you. For so long I didn’t think I could love anything more than the water. But no ocean feels half as good as just looking at you feels. Everything is better, brighter, and more vital with you in it. You’re what I’ve been looking for my whole life, and if you let me, I’ll love you for the rest of yours.”
She brought a shaky hand to her face, wiped away her tears. “Okay.”
“Okay?” His heart jackhammered inside his chest.
A wispy sigh escaped her beautiful mouth. She nodded. “You’re more than good enough and I love you, too.”
“You do?” He lifted her off the floor and spun them around in a circle.
“Yes!” She giggled. “Now put me down.”
