what’s on your mind. Does it have to do with something Vera said that night you came to the Breakers to meet me, and I asked her to find you and tell you we were landing a little late? I wasn’t sure you’d picked up my phone messages.”
“A
little late
?” Emma asked, surprise temporarily making her forget the anxious topic. “She told me you wouldn’t be returning that night.”
“She lied,” he stated flatly. “She was likely lying about whatever it was that she said to spook you as well.”
Emma recalled the official-looking birth certificates. “I wish she was lying,” she whispered. An image of Vera waving those pieces of paper in front of her face sprung up in her mind’s eye. For the first time, she realized Vanni’s aunt had gone and gotten the birth certificates on purpose. She’d known Emma would be at the Breakers, alone and vulnerable, and she’d prepared for battle. Maybe Vanni saw something on her face, because he squeezed her hand. Her gaze flickered to his face.
“Tell me,” he said.
“It’s just . . . you’re . . . you’re not going to like it, Vanni.”
“Does it have to do with you?” he asked, his blue-green eyes looking like gleaming crescents as he peered down at her through narrowed lids.
She shook her head, looking away from his stare.
“Emma, as long as you’re fine and you’ve given up on this crazy idea about not seeing me anymore, I can take it,” he said. “Everything else is a breeze compared to thinking something had happened to you, worrying I was never going to have the chance to see you again.” His finger brushed across her jaw. “Touch you. Tell you how I really felt about you,” he said more quietly.
She went still beneath his caress. “And . . .
how
is that, again?”
“Are you trying to sidestep the issue?” he asked quietly, humor quirking his mouth.
“Maybe a little,” she admitted, meeting his stare earnestly.
A smile quivered on his firm lips. Her love for him swelled like a balloon expanding in her chest, threatening to burst.
“Maybe you’re right,” he said, his fingertip brushing across the bridge of her nose. “There’s nothing more important than what’s happening between us.”
“Really?”
He looked at her, his heart in his eyes, and shook his head. “You’ve hauled me into the world of the living again Emma . . . kicking and screaming in protest at first, maybe . . . but still . . . here I am. I’m going to stay here, too, as long as you’ll have me.”
“Forever,” she mouthed, smiling. His fingertip brushed across her lips, and she felt that familiar tug at her core.
“I love you,” he said simply. “I never thought I’d tell another person that. I thought I knew what that word meant. But I’ve never known
this
.”
She stared at him, unable to draw breath.
“What? Don’t you believe me?” he asked, his brows knitting together.
“Yes,” she said emphatically. “I love you, too.”
He cupped her jaw before he leaned down to kiss her. She’d been wrong to think they’d left behind that golden, unfurling sweetness on the sun-drenched beach at La Mer. It spread inside her now in the unlikely setting of a hospital room, all because he was here next to her, taking a risk.
He lifted his head and plucked softly at her lips with his.
“Now. Tell me,” he urged.
And with his breath mingling with hers, and that golden sweetness running thick in her veins, she gathered her strength, knowing his pain would be hers.
* * *
She couldn’t read his expression as the truth spilled out of her, no matter how desperately she tried.
“. . . and Vera showed me the birth certificates, Vanni,” she finished, her voice having gone high as her concern mounted. He just continued to look at her, an unreadable, vaguely stunned expression on his face. “Vanni, I think it’s true,” she whispered, touching his face. “But is it really that terrible? Yes, Cristina bore you, but that
“A
little late
?” Emma asked, surprise temporarily making her forget the anxious topic. “She told me you wouldn’t be returning that night.”
“She lied,” he stated flatly. “She was likely lying about whatever it was that she said to spook you as well.”
Emma recalled the official-looking birth certificates. “I wish she was lying,” she whispered. An image of Vera waving those pieces of paper in front of her face sprung up in her mind’s eye. For the first time, she realized Vanni’s aunt had gone and gotten the birth certificates on purpose. She’d known Emma would be at the Breakers, alone and vulnerable, and she’d prepared for battle. Maybe Vanni saw something on her face, because he squeezed her hand. Her gaze flickered to his face.
“Tell me,” he said.
“It’s just . . . you’re . . . you’re not going to like it, Vanni.”
“Does it have to do with you?” he asked, his blue-green eyes looking like gleaming crescents as he peered down at her through narrowed lids.
She shook her head, looking away from his stare.
“Emma, as long as you’re fine and you’ve given up on this crazy idea about not seeing me anymore, I can take it,” he said. “Everything else is a breeze compared to thinking something had happened to you, worrying I was never going to have the chance to see you again.” His finger brushed across her jaw. “Touch you. Tell you how I really felt about you,” he said more quietly.
She went still beneath his caress. “And . . .
how
is that, again?”
“Are you trying to sidestep the issue?” he asked quietly, humor quirking his mouth.
“Maybe a little,” she admitted, meeting his stare earnestly.
A smile quivered on his firm lips. Her love for him swelled like a balloon expanding in her chest, threatening to burst.
“Maybe you’re right,” he said, his fingertip brushing across the bridge of her nose. “There’s nothing more important than what’s happening between us.”
“Really?”
He looked at her, his heart in his eyes, and shook his head. “You’ve hauled me into the world of the living again Emma . . . kicking and screaming in protest at first, maybe . . . but still . . . here I am. I’m going to stay here, too, as long as you’ll have me.”
“Forever,” she mouthed, smiling. His fingertip brushed across her lips, and she felt that familiar tug at her core.
“I love you,” he said simply. “I never thought I’d tell another person that. I thought I knew what that word meant. But I’ve never known
this
.”
She stared at him, unable to draw breath.
“What? Don’t you believe me?” he asked, his brows knitting together.
“Yes,” she said emphatically. “I love you, too.”
He cupped her jaw before he leaned down to kiss her. She’d been wrong to think they’d left behind that golden, unfurling sweetness on the sun-drenched beach at La Mer. It spread inside her now in the unlikely setting of a hospital room, all because he was here next to her, taking a risk.
He lifted his head and plucked softly at her lips with his.
“Now. Tell me,” he urged.
And with his breath mingling with hers, and that golden sweetness running thick in her veins, she gathered her strength, knowing his pain would be hers.
* * *
She couldn’t read his expression as the truth spilled out of her, no matter how desperately she tried.
“. . . and Vera showed me the birth certificates, Vanni,” she finished, her voice having gone high as her concern mounted. He just continued to look at her, an unreadable, vaguely stunned expression on his face. “Vanni, I think it’s true,” she whispered, touching his face. “But is it really that terrible? Yes, Cristina bore you, but that
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