Page 41 of Devlin

“Why?” she whispered.

He didn’t hesitate. “Because I never looked. I had the gift of the perfect woman for me. And I lost her. I knew there was no one else for me, my Mia. And I was willing to stay single for the rest of my life.”

She blinked, stunned. She had assumed he had moved on. Had found someone else. That he had been able to do what she hadn’t—find love again. But he hadn’t. And the revelation rocked her.

His gaze softened as he studied her reaction. “I guess that sounds strange to you, doesn’t it?”

Slowly, she shook her head. “No. Or rather, it sounds strangely familiar. I assumed I was destined only to have one love in my life, too.”

A spark ignited in his eyes, the first sign of hope she had seen all night. And suddenly, she realized she had given him something—an opening.

Her thoughts were a tangled mess, refusing to fall into any order. She squeezed her eyes shut for a second before meeting his gaze again. “Devlin… what do you want? What do you want from this? From me? Closure? If so, I guess we have that.”

He shook his head. “No. Seeing you again was like waking up from a ten-year-old, suck-ass dream that keeps playing on repeat and never gets better. I don’t expect you to jump into my arms. Hell, I’m lucky you haven’t decked me yet. But I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give me. If it’s just friendship, I’ll take it. We have so much history, but I want a future, Mia. Whatever that looks like—I’ll take it.”

Mia dropped her chin, offering a pointed glare. "You’ll only be here a few more days. You’ll finish your job and leave, and I'll still be here," she argued. "That's hardly time to figure anything out between us."

"Mia, honey, I've gone years without you in my life. And I've hated every fucking minute of not being with you. I want to be in your life somehow."

She snorted. "Pen pals?"

His lips quirked ever so slightly, but his eyes remained earnest and pleading. "If that's the best we can have, I'll take it. But it needs to start with me earning your forgiveness."

Silence stretched between them as she searched her heart. The animosity she had clung to for so long was ebbing. Truthfully, it had faded long ago, though she had never admitted it. A heavy sigh left her lips. "I don't hate you, Jim. I did… or maybe that was just the heartbreak talking. But I don’t hate you. If forgiveness is what you seek, you have it. You meant the world to me. Moving past that emotionally took time, but my life went on."

She had spent years learning to be whole on her own. She had picked up the broken pieces and forged something new, something strong. She shrugged, lifting her shoulders in a gesture of surrender. "Maybe we were always meant to be apart for these past years. Maybe that time apart let us grow into the people we were always meant to be."

The words hung between them, and as she heard them aloud, she realized they rang true. They had both grown, becoming the people they had once dreamed of being.

"Maybe so," Devlin agreed. "But I'm grateful for your forgiveness. The way I ended us was wrong. It was fucked up, painful, and inexcusable. But I’m not that same person."

She nodded, believing him in a way she hadn't expected. "So what happens now?" she asked, studying the man in front of her.He was no longer the man she remembered, but looking into his eyes, she could still see the teenager who had once shielded her from the police when she’d been strapped to the goalpost. A little smile curved her lips at the memory.

"We start new," he said, his voice edged with hope.

"New?" she echoed, her brows lifting.

"We had ten years of good, Mia. And now we’ve had ten years of pain, mistakes, hard work, career changes, and figuring out what matters. Then, against all fucking odds, we run into each other on the far side of the world."

"That’s scary,” she whispered, feeling more vulnerable than she had in a long time.

"I'm suggesting we start something new, knowing that all our decades from now on will be whatever we decide together they’ll be. And you’re right. It’s scary as hell. But that doesn’t make it wrong."

Silence stretched between them again, thick with possibility. She felt like she was standing on the edge of something massive, a decision that would determine whether she truly lived or simply continued existing. And, God, she wanted to live.

“Okay,” she murmured.

Devlin inhaled sharply, his eyes widening slightly. Before he could misinterpret her meaning, she quickly added, “We’re not the same people we were. Friends might be all we ever are. But like you said, I'd rather have you in my life than not.”

He reached for her hand, his fingers wrapping around hers, completely engulfing them. Warmth traveled up her arm, settling in her chest. Still holding her hand, he stood and gently pulled her to her feet.

“I'd like nothing more than to stay and keep talking all night,” he admitted. “But I can see the exhaustion on your face, and I never want to be the source of your pain again. So I’m going to say good night, but I ask for a promise from you.”

She tilted her head, peering up at him. “What promise?”

“Don't backpedal. Don’t talk yourself into thinking you were hasty by agreeing that we can work on becoming close again. Don’t overthink it. Just let it be, Mia. Sleep. Rest. And tomorrow, we can talk some more.”

It had been a long time since someone had cared for her like that. The words she might have spoken fell away, and she simply nodded.

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