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I held her tighter, breathing in her scent. Doing my best to give her what I could.
Suddenly she shoved against me, her tears flowing freely again. “Why are you doing this to me? Why are you acting like you love me and coming when I call you? This isn't good for me.”
“I'm here for you, Daphne.”
“Stop saying that. What does that even mean?”
I tugged her back so she was in my arms. When she came willingly, I bent down and scooped her up and took her to the couch, seating her so she was in my lap.
“What it means is,” I said, gently wiping away the tears on her face, “that I know I messed up. I know I've been messing up in the last couple of months when I've been trying to see you. I just wanted to be available. You ran your half marathon and I just wanted to be there. I was there for the kitesurfing too. I wanted to make sure you were safe coming home on the Tube every night.”
“Yes, but why?” She shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears again. “Why are you torturing me?”
“I'm not trying to torture you. It’s been torturing me trying to stay away. Trying to pretend that you aren't the other half of me. I was trying to keep you out of the darkness, trying to keep from hurting you more. But all it did was make me realize what an idiot I've been. From the moment I kissed you in the bar and then saw your little wrinkled nose when I walked into your office the next day, I have been fascinated with you. Not just your beauty, but the way you think. The way you throw yourself wholeheartedly into everything you do. It's the way you experience life. Your determination, your grit. It's terrifying but exhilarating, and it’s a joy to behold. Daphne, you are an incredible woman. And I cannot believe I walked away from you.”
“Drake—”
“I said things to hurt you because I was afraid that you couldn't love me after everything I've done. I thought my life would tear us apart, so I preemptively did it myself. I told myself I was keeping you safe. But I was keeping myself safe. I was hiding a part of myself that I couldn't look at.”
“What am I supposed to say to that?”
“You don't have to say anything. I'm here for you. Whatever you need, it is my honor to give to you, whether you want to give me anything in return or not. I had the most beautiful being in my arms that I could hold, then stupidly let you go. So now, if I even get to be near you and have a shadow of the kind of love I felt when I was with you, I'll take it. Whatever that looks like.”
“I just want someone to love me, Drake. I don't know what the hell happened to me after I met you. You broke me.”
“And I just pray for the opportunity to make it up to you for the rest of my life. Even if you don't want to give me a chance, know that you can always call on me. And I will always come for you.” I wiped her tears. “I will come for you and sit with you in the dark. I will come for you and hold your hand and fend off your demons. I will come for you when you want to skydive or jump off a bridge. I know you have no reason to believe my words, so all I can do is keep turning up when you need me. That is how I will prove it to you.”
She blinked up at me rapidly, her fingers tentatively brushing along my jaw. “Say it, Drake.”
“The words? The words are easy to say. I love you, Daphne Winslow. I have loved you from that first moment you called me a twat waffle. I loved you when I had to hold you against your will. I loved you as you were getting cooking lessons from Reginald. And I loved you as you fought back against your mother. It might have taken me a while to realize it, but I have loved you since the moment I set eyes on you. And nothing is going to change that, whether you choose to be with me or not. It just is.”
“Drake, I love you, too. That's why it hurt so much when you left.”
“I would love to shoot that version of me. I don't deserve a second chance, but if I get one, I'm never leaving your side again. I will never presume to make choices for you again. I will never discount what you want again. Reginald was always trying to teach me humility. I don't think I understood the lesson until I fell in love with you. I will humble myself so that I can truly see you and what you're asking of me.”
Her dark gaze searched mine, and my heart squeezed in my chest as I waited for her answer.
“I love you, Drake. I don't think I ever stopped.”
With those ten little words, the tightness in my chest eased. I slid my hand into her hair, cupping her head gently as I leaned in for a kiss, our lips just brushing together. And I finally claimed her as mine forever.
Epilogue
Drake
I held on to Daphne. Finally, a bloody date. We'd taken down Massimo and most of the Syndicate, but there were still stragglers vying for power, so that meant a lot of field work for me as we cleaned up the organization.
Unfortunately, that also meant time away from Daphne.
Lately it seemed that when I was off, she had a big project at work. And when she had a lull, I was out in the field.
Not that we didn't sneak in the time to connect, but I'd rather I didn't have to squeeze in the occasional quickie with my girlfriend. .
We'd had almost two weeks of bliss, waking up every morning with her in my arms, but things had gotten crazy. Tonight I wanted to make up for it and take her out on a date.
An actual restaurant in the city at the top of The Shard. I'd hired a driver and pulled out all the stops. Tonight, I was going to show her the London she always wanted to see with a helicopter tour. I might even let her fly for a while. My little adrenaline junkie was going to have the time of her life.
And then would come the surprise that currently burned a hole in my pocket.
