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I’ve only beento the Buddha-Bar once. I marvel at its soothing cinema-style decor and art pieces.
“This is delicious,” Miles says as he eats his soup.
I simply nod and stare at my salmon. I’m nervous about telling him about the baby, and my appetite has taken a nosedive. I take a sip from my water and wish I could have a glass of wine for some courage. Miles’s brows shot up when I said I wouldn’t have any. I’d wondered if he guessed the reason, and I quickly lied about still being on antivirals because I’d caught the flu the previous week. It’s too early in the evening to blurt out the news.
“Here we are, Miles. Now what?” I probe, afraid that nausea might overcome me from the smells around us.
He lifts his eyes from his plate and takes a sip of his wine. His heavy stare chases a tingle up my spine, a traitorous flush creeping up my face.
“I’m sorry you overheard a part of that conversation. It was advice for a friend. I wish you had stayed to hear the end it.”
“Which was?”
Smiling, he says, “I told him to grab love with both hands if he finds it again.”
My heart summersaults in my chest. Love?
“I told him to strike a balance between his daughters and the woman he loves, which is what I should have done myself a long time ago once I realized what I feel for you is love.”
“What?” I can hardly believe my ears. Is this just another way of charming me back into his bed?
He leans forward to take my hand on the table, and he smiles at me so endearingly that warmth spreads all over me. “Yes, you heard me right. I’m in love with you.”
Take deep breaths, Giselle. Don’t faint.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all this time. I love you, and I want you in my life. Permanently.”
I pull my hand from his and sit back. With a shaky hand, I reach for my glass of water. I take a sip and struggle to steady my nerves.
“I know you might find it hard to believe, as I’ve always blown hot and cold. The truth is I . . . I was scared.”
“Scared?”
He smiles tenderly. “Of falling in love and having my heart broken again if something happened to you.”
My jaw drops. “You thought I would die like your late wife?”
He nods with a rueful expression. “I kept using Ashlyn as an excuse to push women away, thinking I didn’t want to be in a relationship because of her. The truth is, I was trying to protect myself. It took you coming into my life, falling in love with you, and losing you for me to acknowledge the truth.”
My heart melts at his confession. It’s totally reasonable for him to have felt that way. I wish he’d just opened up to me earlier. The misery of the past few weeks was pointless.
“I’m so sorry for pushing you away, Giselle. My head and heart weren’t in the right place. But now, I’m ready to move on from Gwen’s death. She’s always going to be in my heart, but I have more than enough room for you, my love.”
All I do is sit there and stare at him, not knowing what to think or say. Miles is in love with me. He wants me in his life for keeps. This was all I ever wanted.
“Please say something,” he speaks into the silence that falls between us.
“Um . . . I don’t know what to say. What about Ashlyn?”
He gives me a bright smile. “She told me not to return without you.”
“What?”
“I spoke to her about having you in our lives, and she’s thrilled. She looks forward to spending more time with you. She even wanted to come along with me to beg you to take me back.”
Laughter bubbles from my throat at that. It’s something Maddie would do, too. And maybe our daughter if we’re having a girl. This might be the perfect time to tell him that I’m pregnant, but I hesitate. The feeling of loving and being loved in return is so beautiful that I want to bask in it for a moment.
