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She trembled, caught by his gaze. Afraid to say a word. Afraid this was all a dream.
“Because if I thought I had a chance, I’d...”
“You’d what?” she said softly.
He took a shuddering breath. “I’d throw myself at your feet.”
“Get the baby,” her father muttered, and Nico discreetly plucked Bear out of Theo’s arms.
Her husband turned to face her. And as he came forward, taking both her hands in his own, everyone and everything else around them vanished. She saw only him.
“Leaving you was the biggest mistake of my life,” he said in a low voice. “For all my life, I’ve been scared to love anyone. The day we wed, I was terrified out of my mind.”
Her jaw dropped. Theo Katrakis admitting fear? Aloud? In front of all her family and friends?
“Because I already knew what would happen,” he continued. “I knew I’d fall in love with you. That I already had.”
“What?” breathed Emmie. What had he said?
His hands tightened over hers. “What if I gave you my heart and you left? What if you died? What if I couldn’t be the man you wanted? I didn’t think I could survive it. So I tried my hardest to be like ice. To never let you in.”
She was afraid to breathe. “And?”
His dark eyes flickered. Raising his hand, he stroked her cheek. “Your love melted my defenses,” he whispered. “You left me bare. When you went into labor, I felt helpless. Powerless. I felt panicked and ashamed. So I left you.” His gaze fell on Bear, cuddled in Nico’s arms. “Both of you.”
Remembering that awful day, Emmie closed her eyes, feeling a painful twist in her heart. “You hurt me.”
“I know. I’ll never forgive myself. And I’ve been punished every day since. I ran away to be a big shot in Paris. To follow my so-called dream. And I learned something important.”
“What?”
He took a deep breath. “The whole world is a wasteland without you. No matter how many palaces or gardens I build. Without the woman I love...this earth is as empty as my heart.”
His voice cracked. He looked down at their intertwined hands. Then, as he’d threatened, he fell to his knees before her.
“Give me a chance to win you back, Emmie,” he whispered, pressing her hand against his rough, unshaven cheek. “Tell me I have a chance to regain your trust. Whether it takes weeks or months.Years.All I ask is that you let me try.” He looked up at her, and his eyes were luminous with tears. “Because I’m utterly, completely in love with you.”
Emmie gasped. She heard her friends and family do the same.
“I love you, Emmie. And it’s true what I said. You deserve a better man that me.” He pressed his forehead to her clasped hands in a medieval, almost holy, gesture of fealty. “But if you give me the chance, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to be the man you deserve.”
Beyond the terrace, beyond the shadows of autumn trees with their hanging lights, Emmie saw the sweep of moonlight over the black Atlantic waves. Could she forgive him? Could she let him back into her life—back into her heart?
A dozen people waited breathlessly for her answer. She closed her eyes, hearing the soft whir of the heat lamps, the call of seagulls in the cold October night.
Then she exhaled, opening her eyes. Reaching down, she pulled him to his feet. “I’ve always known you were a pain, Theo.” Tears overflowed her lashes as she gave him a slow-rising smile. “And I’ve always known you’re worth it.”
He searched her gaze with an intake of breath. “Yes?”
“I never stopped hoping for a miracle. I never stopped loving you, Theo—”
“Oh, my darling,” he whispered and pulled her into his arms. For a long moment, he just held her tight. Emmie closed her eyes, her cheek against his chest. She breathed in the scent of him, woodsy and masculine, and she felt like she’d finally come home.
“Kiss her!” someone yelled.
Lifting his head, Theo looked back with a grin at their friends and family. “I was thinking the same thing.”
And he lowered his head to hers in a kiss of pure fire. Emmie dimly heard the wild roar of the surf, echoing the rush of blood in her veins, as his hot, sensual embrace told her everything she needed to know, pledging love forever...or maybe longer.
