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“I love that you want to protect me, but please don’t make my decisions for me. And please don’t use De Marco as an excuse not to give us a chance.”
“It’s not an excuse, Aiden. The threat is real.”
“And so is my ability to protect us.Do you honestly think now that I found you, I will ever desert you? Whether you give us a chance or not, I will protect you… with my life.
“If De Marco ever turns up here, I will fight him. No harm will come to you on my watch. So we might as well enjoy this time together. If my life has taught me anything, it’s to not waste what precious time we are given. I want to spend my time… my life, with you, Ella.”
My heart tumbles into freefall at his admission, lighting up every single cell in its path.
“There is something else,” I confess.
Aiden looks at me expectantly. God, if I tell him, he probably won’t want anything to do with me anymore. After losing Tiero, I don’t know if I could stand it, my heart is not strong enough. My life used to be so simple only two months ago.
“You can tell me, Sunshine. I know some things aren’t easy to say, but open and honest communication isn’t negotiable between lovers. And that’s what we are. We might not have slept together yet, but it doesn’t change that fact.”
“You love me?” I ask in a whisper. The words come out in an awkward mumble.
“From the moment we met,” he replies softly. “It feels like I’ve been waiting my whole life for you.”
Oh fuck, how am I going to tell him now? I swallow hard, my trepidation clogging up my throat.
“I’ve fallen in love with you too. I’ve been fighting my feelings for you from the first day we met, not wanting to admit this to myself, but it was staring me in the face yesterday when you said you were going away.”
Aiden’s face lights up and he leans in to kiss me. But I raise my hand, stopping him. God, this is hard. “I love you, Aiden. Of that I am certain…”
“But…” he continues for me when I stall.
“I don’t know if I can give you my whole heart. I feel that a part of me will always love Tiero too. The connection with him was strong. And even though I’ve chosen not to be with him and have accepted all the consequences that come with it, the love for him is still there. It’s been confusing me because I didn’t expect I could have these feelings for two people…” There, I said it, and now I’m at his mercy.
When I dare a glance at Aiden, he looks relieved and actually begins laughing.
Huh?
Not the reaction I expected. I’m not offended by it because it sounds like a boulder has been lifted from his shoulders.
“Why are you laughing?” I ask, confused.
“It’s hard to explain. Love is hard to explain, isn’t it. You falling in love with a gangster seems so unlikely, but it happened. There obviously must have been a deeper connection or you wouldn’t have gone there. It speaks of your character.”
“Well, I didn’t know at the time he was a mob boss.”
“No, you didn’t. But you did have red flags going off and still something drew you to him. The thing is, Ella, I believe you can love more than one person at a time romantically. What would polyamorous couples do otherwise?”
“I suppose, though, I’ve never met any,” I say, still a little confused. “So you’re not turned off by me admitting that I still love another man?”
“No. I would have a problem with it if he was still in your life, but he isn’t. You chose to leave him. You have moved on, and you deserve happiness. Ella, I believe we can be ecstatically happy together. I’ve never felt this way before…
“I want you to be mine… and I want to be yours.”
What a difference that last part makes. He wants to be mine. And I want him to be—badly.
“But what if Tiero finds me one day?” That fear is still alive and beating.
“I can handle myself. I’m not afraid of some mobster.”
“He’ll stop at nothing, Ade.”
“Neither will I.”
