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His hands tightened on hers. ‘I know now that even if I hadn’t been distracted I still wouldn’t have been able to avoid that drunk driver.’
Edie’s heart ached even as she tried desperately to protect herself. ‘You don’t have to explain all of this,’ she said.
He shook his head. ‘The reason I went back to Buenos Aires was because I wanted to come back to you and leave you in no doubt about what I’m saying. I’ve made my peace with Victor. You were right. He is happy again. We laid a lot of ghosts to rest, and that’s something that I know wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t met you.’
A warm glow infused Edie’s chest. ‘I’m sure it would have happened sooner or later.’
Sebastio grimaced. ‘I doubt it. I needed someone to come along and break me apart so I could start to come back together again.’
Edie’s heart spasmed. ‘What are you talking about?’
He looked at her and she gulped. She’d never seen such intensity in his expression. Or she had... It had been that night in the shower, when he’d been so raw after the nightmare.
‘I love you, Edie... I love you more than life itself. It just took me a while to figure that out, because you were right. How could I know what love was? Except I do know... I loved my grandmother and she loved me. For a long time I buried the memory of those feelings, though, too afraid that if I admitted to them I’d become weak. I had to be strong to weather my parents’ disregard.’
Edie lifted a trembling hand to Sebastio’s face. She couldn’t speak.
‘It wasn’t until you came along that I started to allow myself to feel again. To trust again. To want more again.’ He cupped her cheek. ‘It started that night in the club, four years ago. I saw you and I felt something break inside me. When you looked at me I felt exposed, as if you could see right into me to where I was so dark and jaded.’
Edie whispered, ‘I felt it too...like you could see what I’d been through. How isolated I felt...out of place.’
He nodded. ‘I also saw how young you were—and innocent. I didn’t want to taint you with my cynicism.’
He took a deep breath. ‘Edie, I want to ask...’
He stopped and looked endearingly uncertain. Then he got down on one knee in front of her.
Edie’s jaw fell open. Her legs went so weak that they collapsed, and she found herself sitting on the edge of something soft. She didn’t even know what.
He still had her hands in his and he let one go to take a box out of his jacket pocket. A small dark blue velvet box. He let her other hand go and opened it.
Edie looked down to see a ring. A ring with a teardrop diamond that looked very familiar, and two smaller diamonds either side. In a platinum setting.
Sebastio said, ‘I had the diamond from the necklace set in the ring... It’s the only piece of jewellery I’ve ever picked out for a woman bef
ore... I think that’s when I suspected how much trouble I was in...’
Edie looked at Sebastio, her eyes filling with helpless tears. ‘It’s lovely...’
He took the ring out of the box and held her hand. ‘Edie, will you please marry me and promise to spend the rest of your life with me? Because if you don’t...’ He went pale. ‘I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I want it all with you. A family. A home.’
Edie smiled tremulously. ‘A dog?’
Sebastio smiled too, his eyes suspiciously bright. ‘I’d really like a dog too... So will you? Marry me, Edie...?’
Edie couldn’t hold back any longer. She launched herself at Sebastio and he tumbled back onto the very expensive oriental rug on the floor. Her arms were wrapped tight around his neck, her aching, tender breasts crushed against his chest. But she didn’t care.
She kissed him because she thought she might die if she didn’t. And when she pulled back she said breathlessly, ‘Yes... Sebastio Rivas...yes, I’ll marry you.’
Outside the window the crowd had swelled to about a hundred people. Phones were being pointed at the window and people were clapping and wiping tears from their eyes.
Sebastio’s proposal to Edie went viral within minutes.
When Sebastio finally extricated himself enough to put the glittering ring on Edie’s finger it made a very dull January day much brighter.
EPILOGUE
Two years later. Richmond, Christmas
