Page 227 of My Real Love Affair

“For what?”

“For growing. For being willing to do the hard work of healing those relationships. A lot of people would just cut ties and walk away.”

“I thought about it,” I admitted. “For a long time, I thought about just staying gone. Making my own life somewhere far away from all the Bancroft expectations and drama. But then I realized I’d just be running forever. And I’m done running.”

My mind started to drift as I thought about the new future I saw in front of me. It was so different than anything I had ever expected. I had never actually seen it before. It was like a heavy curtain had been pulled up to reveal the grand prize since I skipped the smaller doors. It was right there for the taking.

“Austin?” Melody’s voice pulled me back. “Where did you go just now?”

“Just thinking,” I said.

“About what?”

I looked down at her, at the woman who changed everything. She made me want to be better, do better, live better. She had shown me what love could really look like when it wasn’t tangled up in manipulation or expectations.

“About how I never thought I would have this,” I said honestly. “A moment like this. Someone like you.”

She shifted to look up at me. “What do you mean?”

“I spent so many years chasing things that didn’t matter. Impulsive fun, adventures that were really just distractions, new women who were really just one night of forgetting. All the fast cars and expensive toys and stuff that’s supposed to make you feel alive but really just makes you feel empty.”

“And now?”

“Now it’s all lost its allure. The thrill-seeking, the rebellion, the constant need for something new and exciting. None of it compares to this—to you. To us.”

I sat up slightly, cradling her face in my hands so she had to look at me.

“I want to tell you something,” I said. “And I need you to really hear it.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

“I want to make things right with my father. I want to be a better brother. I want to spend time with my nieces and nephews and be someone they can count on.” I paused, making sure she was listening. “But Melody? All of that—every single bit of it—that’s just bonus. Extra. Nice to have but not necessary.”

“Then what is necessary?”

“You,” I said simply. “Just you. You’re the only thing I actually need. Everything else? That’s just icing. But you’re the cake.”

Her eyes filled with tears, and she let out a laugh that was half sob. “Did you just compare me to cake?”

“It’s a good metaphor,” I defended. “Everyone loves cake.”

“It’s a terrible metaphor,” she said, but she was smiling. “But I love you anyway.”

“I love you too. So much that it scares me sometimes.”

“Me too,” she admitted. “I never thought I could feel this way about someone. It’s terrifying to be this happy.”

I kissed her with all the love and gratitude at having found her. When we broke apart, she was crying for real now, happy tears streaming down her cheeks.

“I love you,” I said again, because I couldn’t say it enough. “I love you, Melody Stephens. And I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure you never forget it.”

“I love you too, Austin Bancroft. Even when you’re comparing me to baked goods.”

I laughed and pulled her close.

I was never letting go.

The only thing I’d be chasing for the rest of my days was Melody.