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He steps closer to me. “My heart damn well knows it because the chain that bound us together is still holding strong.”
His eyes find mine. “You know that, Thea. I belong to you, to Matt. It’s us together for the rest of our lives. But I’m not here to win him over, I’m here for you.
“I fucked up. I know I did. And I had to live with that. But I’m willing to fight for who I love. You.”
He runs both hands through his longish dark hair. “I’m asking for a second chance, and I’ll do it for as long as I live. Leaving you was a mistake—the biggest mistake of my life.
“If you accept me, from this point forward, we, as a unit, will make the decisions. We’ll fight together. Just give me a second chance, and I’ll show you. No more hiding who I am or who I love. I’m proud of who I am. I’m proud of who I love. Trust me, please.”
His eyes close for a few moments. “Fight with me. Believe in me as much as I believe in you.”
Tears run down my face as I hear his pleading voice begging me to take him back. He’s being honest. I feel it in my heart, in my soul. Never before had he promised something like this.
Can I trust him again?
“Give me time,” I finally say.
“An eternity if that’s what you need to forgive me, but I hope you don’t make me wait so long.”
“Coop…” I don’t know what to say, hold me, kiss me.
“Butterfly?”
“I want to fly with you, believe that this time is real but I…”
“Thea, I just hope that you know how much I loved you. I love you. That you give me a chance to show you I’m a changed man. A man who believes in himself, is opening his heart, and wants to surrender it to you. We made a truth between us. It might not be what the world accepts, but it’s real and ours. I’m ready to embrace it.”
His words, the way he speaks with a voice he’s never used before pulls me to him, to home. To the safety of his arms.
He makes me feel as if every part of me is welcome. The hope lets the light slip through the cracks. It reminds me how undeserving of love I once felt and how he taught me I’m his sun and he’s my universe.
“Never again?” I ask. “I’m still Hollywood’s favorite tramp. The news might come back again and again. Maybe one of our children will be wild and those old pictures of me will pop up like daisies in magazines and the internet.”
He smirks and I wonder what he imagines. All he says is, “We’ll deal, as a unit.”
And then I walk into his arms, opening my heart, letting go of the resentment and the pain. His mouth finds mine and as his tongue swirls along with mine, we untangle the grief from the love, freeing what we almost lost.
Today, everything is possible and maybe soon we’ll find all the lost pieces of our hearts.
ChapterFifty-Nine
Thea
Standing by the dance floor,I feel his presence before he speaks.
“Where are your vigilantes?” Matt asks, using that raspy voice that sends shivers down my spine.
I glance at my date while watching my brother and sister-in-law dance. He made it. My heart beats hard and loud, so loud I tune out the band. Adrenaline rushes through my body as anger and excitement collide inside me. Damn, I have to choose one of those, but it’s hard. I’m upset because he didn’t make it to the ceremony or the dinner.
But also freaking elated as we haven’t seen each other in a long time.
Fuck, the conflict remains inside, though my bones melt at the sight of him. He’s strikingly hot, and part of me wants to rip him out of his clothes. Mr. Armani should forbid Matt from wearing his tuxedos. He looks sinfully gorgeous in them.
He approaches me somewhat cautiously, I notice, assessing me with his head slightly tilted to the side. Probably trying to gauge just how pissed I am.
“Sorry I’m late, Butterfly. I’ve been working all day. The pilot thought I wouldn’t fly out and left for dinner… Long story short, I barely made it.” His cocky smile appears, flashing that dimple that I love so much.
The emotions finally settle, and my complete attention is on this fine specimen of a man. A moment of silence passes between us. It’s like, all of a sudden, there are a million words, yet nothing at all to say. He finally clears his throat.
