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A flop of his dark curly hair had fallen into his eyes, and Lillian brushed it away, her hands trembling. “Why didn’t you call me afterwards…when I woke up from the coma? I never heard from you. I thought you hated me after the terrible things I said…the lies I told. I thought you never wanted to see me again. I thought…”
He placed a warm hand over hers to stop the shaking and brought it to his chest. “Never.I’ve never hated you. I may have been angry or frustrated or even disappointed at times. But I didn’t hate you. I think I fell in love with you the moment we first kissed.”
He pressed kisses against her cheek, nose, eyes, lips, before continuing. “I was in agony. I wanted to call many times. But you said you didn’t love or want me around because I couldn’t give you healthy children, and I believed you. I was hurt, and I promised myself if you recovered, I wouldn’t force myself on you. If you wanted me, you had to come to me and tell me. I wouldn’t believe it any other way. I waited and prayed when you came out of the coma, but you never contacted me…until tonight.”
“I didn’t think you’d want to see me. I’m sorry I ever said those horrible words, Tristan. You don’t know how often I wished I could take them back. I thought I lost you. I thought you had moved on with Angelina and…” A hiccup interrupted her next sentence, and she tasted the saltiness of her own tears. “I was miserable without you.”
“Shhh…”
Tristan wiped her eyes with the pads of his fingers, and there was such warmth shining from his gaze, her heart was about to explode into a million fragments.
“I hope those are tears of joy and you’re no longer miserable because I don’t think I can live without you in my life.”
What was he saying? Did he mean…?
He laughed and set her from him. “Don’t look so shocked. You really don’t think I’m going to let you slip away from me now, do you? Lillian Abigail Milano, I don’t think I can go another day without you. I can call you Lillian, can’t I?”
She nodded and hiccupped, and he used his fingertips to wipe the lingering wetness from her cheeks, then replaced his fingertips with his lips, pressing light kisses everywhere.
She didn’t know how long they stayed like that. It was probably only minutes, but it felt like hours before the kisses ended and her heartbeat slowed to a more manageable rate and the thick lump in her throat dissolved.
Could this be real? Would she wake up and find it had all been a dream?
He smiled and smoothed the hair from her forehead with such tenderness in his gaze, her heart stuttered.
“I do have a confession to make, though. I don’t want any more lies between us.”
Her heart knocked against her chest. “What is it?”
“The big guy you saw in the park—you nicknamed him Fred—his real name is Glenn. He works for Brian.”
“Your security guy? You mean you paid Glenn to spy on me? Why?”
“To protect you. I didn’t want to take a chance after you warned me the FBI was working with Kinetica…although I was ninety percent sure the government had shut them down and put the leaders behind bars.”
“I see.”
“You’re angry.”
“No…surprised is all. I wish I had known.”
“I couldn’t tell you at the time since I thought you didn’t want to see me. But I wanted to make sure you were safe. I had almost lost you once. I wasn’t going to take another chance with your life.”
“Even though I had told you I didn’t love you?”
“Yes, even then. I wanted you to have a life free from worry and fear.”
She smiled. “You are an amazing man.”
He returned the smile, and his eyes seemed to glow.“I am a man desperately in love with you. Come and live with me in my lonely house, Lillian, and let’s be amazing together. We’ll have children one day…or not. Whatever you decide you want. I need you by my side.”
“What about…”
“Or if you want, we can sell the place and move to Boston—your dad told me you live there and not Denver. Whatever it takes to get you to say yes.”
Did Tristan sound a little panicked? She wrinkled her brow. “You’re asking me to live with you?”
“Yes, although I’d like to put a ring on your finger and make it official.”
