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My heart skipped a beat. He wantedme; the tragically messed up wreck of a woman.He had walked away from his family, and likely his money, for me. “Myriam?”
“My sister will be fine. I can still provide for her, although she insists she’s fine.” Before I could utter another word, he continued. “You said you wanted things to be easy, and to not have it be such a battle.”
Yes, those were my words, one of the last said before we parted.
“So, here I am.” He tossed his hands out to the side. “I’ve made this easy for you, if you’ll have me. Tell me you need me too.”
A burst of jittery excitement made me lighter than air, and I had to check to see if I were truly floating.
“Iris, I need you to say something. Anything. Please.” There was a hinting plea in his voice.
I nodded again, trying to bring forth the right words to vocalize. It was still hard to believe he was here, standing in front of me, let alone telling me how much he wanted me. I’d never been wanted by anyone. Not like this. My brain was firing in rapid motion, trying to put together a sequence of words that made any sense.
“I’m working on my GED.” I hung my head. That’s not what I meant to say.
A smile spread from cheek to cheek as he tipped my chin to make eye contact. “That’s fantastic.”
“And I’m seeing a shrink. A good one.” I exposed my arms, pushing my sweater up to my elbows. The scabs had long since fallen off, replaced with ghostly healed lines; a haunting visual of all I’d put myself through, and yet a daily reminder how life was worth living.
“I’m so proud of you.” His eyes reflected the overhead lights as he reached out and grabbed my hand.
Words were not only blossoming, but they also fell out as fast as my tears. “Amber is getting married in the Mediterranean, on board her yacht soon and once they set a date, I’ll need one too.”
He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Are you asking me to join you?”
I held my breath. “I am.”
“Iris?”
My heart pounded so strongly, I figured he could feel it as I pressed against him. “Holden?”
“Say the words. I’ve come a long way to tell you about everything I gave up.”
“I need you too.” I threaded my fingers through his thick, dark hair and brushed my lips over his.
Without skipping a beat, he pressed his against mine, sealing the deal, and he spun me around. For a moment, I forgot where I was. However, leave it to the patrons to whoop and cheer as my feet touched the ground, and I buried my face into Holden’s chest.
After catching my breath and wiping away tears of joy, I faced Amber and Antonio. “This is Holden. The guy who–” Twisting, I stared into his face. “Likes me despite who I am.”
Holden’s fingers linked through mine with a gentle, comforting squeeze. “I didn’t want someone pretending to be who they thought I needed. You were honest with me the whole time, and you weren’t afraid to be real. I wish I could’ve been as honest with you.”
“You explained it. I didn’t like it, but I understood.”
“I’m all yours now.”
“And I’ll take you.” I gazed up into his perfect face.
“As I am?”
“Yes, because you’re perfect for me. I can’t imagine being in anyone else’s arms.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
My heart exploded, and I knew my journey with Holden was far from over.
Epilogue
Seven months later
