Page 92 of Because You Loved Me

“You were.”

“I’m so sorry.” He’d never meant an apology more. “Will you ever be able to forgive me? After all the things I said…I don’t blame you if you?—”

“I already have, Asher.” She squeezed his hands and pulled him toward her. “I was scared, too.” Her words were little more than a whisper, but he heard them loud and clear. “The way I feel about you…” She dropped her gaze for a moment. “I’ve never felt like that about anyone else. Ever. I didn’t think it could be real. How could I possibly feel so strongly about someone after such a short amount of time, right?”

He nodded.

“But when I’m with you, I feel like the very best version of myself. And these last few days without you, they’re so…”

Asher stepped forward and cupped her cheek with his hand when the words escaped her. “Hard?” he finished for her. She nodded. “Empty?” This time, she smiled a little when she nodded. “Lonely?”

“Oh, God yes. All of that.”

He couldn’t resist her a moment longer. Asher’s lips crushed hers in a hungry kiss. His arms came up around her, and he held her tight as they kissed like no one was watching. They made up for the days they’d been apart, for the angry words they’d spoken to each other, for all the things they should have said. Everything was in that kiss.

“I love you, Noa.” The words flowed easily, no longer stuck in his throat because he’d never meant anything more. “I don’t care about anyone else’s timelines, but our own. And right now, that means telling you that, without a doubt, I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

They kissed again.

“I’m not going to do anything crazy like ask you to marry me, but?—”

“Marry?” Noa pulled back from his arms, and her hand flew to her mouth as she looked around at the crowd who were all still watching their reunion. “The ceremony,” she said. “I’m sorry. I totally forgot.”

“This is my fault.” Asher was reluctant to leave Noa, but he had to do the right thing. “I’m so sorry I interrupted your special day.” He spoke first to the men before turning to Noa and Ryan’s mothers. “I know today is a difficult day for you all, and Noa told me how important it is to make new memories. I will just?—”

“That’s exactly what just happened, my dear.” An elderly woman stepped forward and took his hand. “My name is Rose, young man.”

“Grandma Rose,” Noa added.

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” she said to Asher with a little wink. “I know you didn’t intend for this to happen quite like this,” she continued. “But today is all about making new memories and that’s exactly what we’ve just done. I don’t think anyone is going to forget about this anytime soon.”

“You make a very good point,” he said. “But there’s room in today for plenty more new memories. Maybe if it’s not too late, you could start the ceremony over again?”

Rose put his hand into Noa’s and patted it. “It’s never too late for love, my dear.”

ChapterTwenty-Three

“Where did you learn to dance?”Asher moved her around the dance floor with perfectly timed steps. “Don’t tell me you’re secretly a professional ballroom dancer?”

He laughed at her question as he spun her out and pulled her back into his chest. “Hardly a professional.” Asher kissed her gently. “My mother taught me. She insisted that we should all know the basics of dance. Just in case.”

“In case of…”

“In case I were to ever find myself on the dance floor with the woman I love,” Asher finished smoothly.

“Your mother sounds like she was a very smart woman. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet her.”

“She would have loved you, Noa.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.” He winked. “Because I know she’d say that any woman who can put up with me, and hang in there while I worked through some of my insecurities, is a keeper for sure.”

“Someof your insecurities?” She looked up and gave him the side eye, but Asher only laughed.

“Oh, sweetheart, I can’t promise that a lifetime of doubt and uncertainty about relationships was resolved in only a few days. But what I can promise you is that I will always work my hardest to be the best version of myself for you.”

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