He turned the phone off and faced her again. She stared up at him, waiting for an explosion, for some emotion other than humor to cross his face. She didn’t know what to do or say. She wanted to run, but she knew there was no chance of that happening. He still said nothing, just gazed down at her.
“You can’t keep standing there looking at me like that,” she finally said. She was so close to falling apart, she wasn’t sure she knew which way was up or down anymore.
“I’m waiting,” he said. There was so much understanding and humor in his face, she didn’t know what to think.
“You’re waiting for what?” she snapped. She felt her anger rise again and tried desperately to push it down. She’d already humiliated herself enough for one day. She didn’t need to add to the mess she was making of her life.
He smiled, his face almost serene, and she felt a sense of calm pass through her. She didn’t understand it at all. What in the world was happening?
“I’m waiting for you to put it all together,” he told her.
“Put what together?” she snapped. She wanted to pace, jump up, and shake him. She wanted action, but didn’t understand what action. This was too overwhelming. It was all too much, and she felt as if she were going crazy.
“I love you,” he simply said.
She gaped at him. How could he even say those words to her when she’d been acting like a crazy woman? Was there something wrong with him? Maybe she was perfectly fine, and he was the mental one.
“I love you,” he repeated.
This time, the words sank in slowly and began drifting through her like a slow molasses warming her blood and easing her stress. She stared at him, not knowing what to think, what to say, what to do.
“I love you, Roxie Gilbert. I always have, and I always will.” His words came out with such surety, such devotion. She felt her body sag, her mind let go and . . . and her heart open. It opened so wide, so painfully, that she clutched her chest. It hurt; it physically hurt as it beat erratically in her chest.
She stared at him as he continued to give her that serene smile as if he had all the answers. And suddenly she felt as if he did. She felt as if he’d known all along what was in her heart, in her soul, and he’d simply been waiting for her to figure it out. She couldn’t find words to say as she gripped her chest, the ache turning into a warmth that radiated through her.
“I love you,” she whispered. It was almost a question. But she did. She loved this man in an all-consuming, passionate way. But for some reason, she wasn’t frightened by it anymore. She wasn’t filled with the need to run away from him; she was filled with the desire to run straight into his arms, to let him hold her, to share the burdens and joys with her.
“I won’t lose myself in you,” she said, her voice awed. He looked at her, joy in his eyes as she figured it all out. He’d forgiven her for fleeing because he knew she hadn’t known who she was. He’d forgiven her in the hopes she could forgive him. That’s how it worked, didn’t it? You loved someone in spite of the bad; you loved them in good times and in disasters. You couldn’t choose which emotion to feel; you could only choose how to handle each situation.
But Roxie knew she couldn’t run anymore. She had run in the wrong direction, and she’d almost lost the man she truly loved. But by some miracle, she’d been called back home, and now she had received a second chance.
Slowly, afraid her limbs wouldn’t hold her up, she stood, her legs trembling. Kian didn’t move. He stood right where he was, but he uncrossed his arms and opened them, showing her she had nothing to fear.
She moved quickly, pressing herself to him, finally accepting what he’d wanted to give her all along—himself. His love for her had survived it all, and now she could accept him and give him all of her. She had never had anything to fear but herself, and now that she was letting him, he would help carry that burden.
“I love you,” she said. She said it again and again, and he rubbed her back and held her as she sobbed in his arms. He loved her. He truly loved her, and with that knowledge, she felt invincible.
Kian picked her up and carried her to the bed. He lay down and enfolded her. He didn’t strip them bare, didn’t make love to her, he just held her, and it was absolutely perfect. They would soon pick up their daughter, and their family would be complete.
“I’m going to marry you as soon as I can get the license,” he said, his voice casual, as if there wasn’t a chance of letting her escape.
“What makes you think I’ll say yes?” she joked, joy in her voice.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. He was leaning against the back of the bed with her resting between his legs, her back against his chest. She looked at the box in shock as he opened it, and a brilliant square diamond sparkled against the velvet.
Her fingers shook as she lifted them and traced the sparkling rock. She snatched her hand away as if she were stung. Tears fell down her face. How long had he been carrying this? She wanted to ask, but she didn’t think it was possible to get words past the tightness of her throat.
“I carried this for two months before you left four years ago. I’m not telling you that to hurt you; I just want you to know how long I’ve loved you,” he said. “I’ve now had it in my pocket again since the day after I saw you in that park.”
His voice choked on the last word, and she felt her own heart break all over again at how much she’d hurt this man and how truly strong he’d been for the both of them. She twisted on the bed so she was on her knees before him.
She carefully cradled his face in her hands and leaned in, running her lips across his before she backed away, not trying to hide her tears from him anymore.
“Thank you for loving me. I will never be able to apologize enough for the pain I’ve caused you, but you need to know I will do my best to be your everything from here on out,” she said, the words difficult to speak past the lump in her throat.
His eyes sparkled as he gazed at her, and then he pulled the ring out and took her left hand, slipping it on her finger. It was a perfect fit. He then cupped her cheek in his large hand as he smiled at her.
“For time and all eternity,” he whispered.
“Yes, Kian, a thousand times, yes.”
They stopped talking as his lips took hers. They sealed their promise to each other, and then, hand in hand, they went and picked up their daughter so they could start the rest of their lives together.
Epilogue
Why was it that sometimes it took a terrible tragedy to wake a person up? Roxie would never understand it, but she also wasn’t a person who didn’t learn from mistakes. She’d made too many of them in her life, and now she had been given a second chance, and she vowed not to waste it.
Kian held Lily in his arms, and the sound of her laughter was about the most beautiful music in the universe to Roxie. She rubbed her bulky stomach as she glided across the dance floor, her eyes focused on the two most important people in her life.
“There’s my beautiful wife,” Kian said as she leaned in and kissed him before giggling.
“With my stomach out so far, I’m having a much more difficult time reaching you,” she said.
“I love this belly. I’m going to miss it,” Kian told her as he ran his fingers across her protruding stomach.