Leo: I’ll take your silence as a yes?
When I still didn’t respond, he sent another text.
Leo: Is it okay if I come to you now?
I finally typed a response.
Felicity: Sorry. Yes. I’m just in shock.
Leo: Heading over.
I had no clue what to do with myself as I waited for him to arrive. I grabbed a towel and started wiping the table to distract myself from my nerves. There wasn’t even anything to wipe.
When the doorbell rang, my pulse raced even faster.
I put one foot in front of the other and opened the door to find my long-lost love towering over me. My heart leaped.
Leo wore a black peacoat, and his hair was a bit longer than the last time I’d seen him, the scruff on his chin a bit more grown out. He smelled amazing, just like always, and I couldn’t believe he was standing in front of me in the flesh. Why is he here? I didn’t dare even let myself hope.
“Oh my God, you’re shaking,” he said, squeezing my arms and sending shivers through my body.
“Leo, what are you doing here?”
He let go of me and flashed a hesitant smile. “Surprise?”
“I would have loved a warning.”
“We’ve never been good at those, have we?” He smiled into the silence. “Are you going to invite me in?”
Shaking my head, I stepped aside. “Oh. Of course.”
His eyes wandered over me. “You look absolutely gorgeous, Felicity.”
I looked down at myself. I was still wearing my bulky black parka and jeans.
“You’re not that hard to please, then. But thank you. And you…” I pressed my hands to my stomach. “I feel like I’m gonna throw up.”
“I make you want to vomit.” He sighed. “Great.”
“I’m sorry. It’s nothing personal. It’s just…I can’t believe you’re here. When did you get here?”
“Yesterday.”
“You were across the bay all this time?”
“Yes. The same people own it as when Sigmund and I rented it. They still rent out the property in the summers, but it’s typically empty this time of year. So I booked it.”
“I can’t believe you were across the water last night, and I didn’t even know.”
“I was jetlagged and needed to gear myself up before I threw this on you. So I waited until today. But I found the old binoculars in the house, decided to look across, and there you were.”
“How long are you staying?” I asked, willing my heart to slow down.
He blinked several times. “That depends.”
This was getting us nowhere. “Leo…what happened at home? Why are you here?”
He raked his hand through his hair. “I just…left, Felicity. I left. And I don’t have any plans to go back until I legally have to.”
What?
“What do you mean, you left?” I looked down at his hand. He wasn’t wearing his wedding ring. “What about Darcie?”
“Darcie and I are getting a divorce.”
“Oh my God,” I muttered, looking momentarily down at his black shoes, then back up at him, my eyes likely reflecting the shock I felt.
The first thought that came to me was: What have I done?
“And before you go there, Felicity, it’s not your fault. Darcie and I rushed into marriage, and there were warning signs long before you showed up on my doorstep.” He looked over toward the living room. “Can we sit, please?”
“Yes, of course.”
We walked together to the living room. Once we sat down, he immediately started talking.
“After you left, it forced me to open my eyes and take a good look at what I wanted out of life. And sometimes recognizing that means hurting others, something I’ve avoided since the day I was born. I knew if I decided to stay married, I would be living a lie.” He paused. “I love Darcie. But I’m not in love with her. The fact that I couldn’t bite the bullet on starting a family is very telling. Deep down, I knew that would bind me to her forever, and that was the reason I was never ready.”
An immense sadness for her came over me. “Where’s Darcie now?”
“She’s still living at the house. We’ve started the process of divorce, but it takes a while to be finalized. I’m legally still married, but we’re not together anymore.”
“She must be devastated.”
A sad look crossed his face as he nodded. “She’s accepted it. This didn’t happen overnight. Since you left, there have been many heated discussions, many tears…many sleepless nights while we figured everything out. But she’s better now with it than she was in the beginning. I knew she’d fight for the marriage, but I couldn’t let her. I’m doing what’s best for her by letting her go and allowing her the freedom to receive the kind of love she deserves from someone else.”
My head spun. “What about everything else…your work?”
“I left things in disarray, but honestly? The business, the properties, they’ll be fine. Nothing is going to crumble. I have associates to help with all of that. The only thing I can’t buy is happiness.”
I shook my head. “Your mom must have flipped.”
He cringed. “She’s not happy. But that’s her problem. I’m not letting it affect me.” Leo frowned. “Nan passed away a couple of weeks after you left.”
Oh no. “I’m so sorry. I know how close you were to her.”
“She left me with some life-changing advice there at the end. I’ll forever be indebted to her for helping me to see the light. Sigmund, too.”
He paused and then leaned forward, seeming almost desperate. “Are you with anyone, Felicity?”
It had only been a few months since I left England. The idea of my having met someone during this time when I’d been incapable of focusing on anything besides Leo was laughable.
“No.”
He exhaled. “I know you’re in shock that I’m here. And I know I have to be careful. I can’t expect to just jump into your life after everything I put you through. I’ve been through a lot myself. And I really just…” He looked into my eyes, his voice strained. “I just need a fucking hug right now.”
No way was I going to deny this man the hug he desperately needed—the one I needed as well. I moved to sit next to him and wrapped my arms around him. He brought me to his chest and held me close. All of the fear inside of me faded away as I melted into his body. Our hearts pounded against each other. This was the most surreal moment of my life.
When he pulled back, he looked in my eyes again. “We’ve been apart far longer than we were ever together, yet I haven’t been the same since I met you. I don’t care how we make this work…only that we try.”
“Where do we start?”
“How about dinner?”
“Only if you’re not making it.”
His face lit up. “I missed you so fucking much.”
Leo brought me into his arms again and held me even more tightly than before. This felt different from any other time. Until now, I hadn’t realized the tension that had marred every past embrace. I was always afraid to exhale. I’d always believed I’d lose him. But I wasn’t tense this time. I let myself feel safe in his arms without worrying about the future—for the first time ever.