Page 128 of Good as Gold
My heart lifts. “Is that right?”
He traps my hand against his chest. “I’ve missed you so much I ache. I flew home to say that. And also this—I love you, and I have for a long time.”
“Oh.” Later I’ll blame the pregnancy hormones. But suddenly there are tears rolling down my face. “I love you too. It’s been hard work holding that in.”
“So let’s put it all out on the table. I’ll start. What we had together last summer was so good. I want more.”
“Me too, except you have to know that it can’t be the same,” I point out. “Having a baby changes everything.”
He shrugs. “It doesn’t change how I feel about you. You’re it for me. Big belly and all.” He cups my face and gives me a very gentle kiss.
I feel myself truly relax for the first time in months.
CHAPTER48
MATTEO
Leila makes a soft sound when I kiss her. So I do it once again before I force myself to pull back.
She’s red-faced and wearing a blue hospital gown. Her hair is a mess. And I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful in my whole life.
Everything I’ve done these past two weeks is for her. Every new complication. Every life-changing plan. And I’d do it all over again, a thousand times with no guarantees, so long as she and the baby come through this safely.
“Baby,” I say. “About that present I brought you…”
Her eyes sparkle. “Oh yeah. You said something about that. What is it?”
“It comes with a story.” I chuckle awkwardly, because I can’t believe I’m about to admit this. “It’s about a young guy who didn’t think he was good enough for you.”
Leila leans back against the pillow. “Then it can’t be a story about you. You’re the best man I know.”
“That’s incredible to hear. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret—young men aren’t very smart sometimes.”
“Ah.” She smiles.
“Remember when you asked me why I never came home for Christmas that year before you graduated from college?”
She nods, her face solemn again.
“Yeah, well Ididcome home. I’d brought you a gift. Kept it in my pocket all the way from Colorado. And the minute I got here, I borrowed my brother’s car and drove to your house. I wanted to see you so bad.”
Her eyes widen. “You’re joking.”
“Dead serious.” I close my eyes for a moment, picturing that winter night. “Your house was all decked out for Christmas. There were lights strung across the porch, and a half-decorated tree in the picture window. And I was gathering my courage to knock on the front door. When I was growing up, your house was the nicest one I’d been to. I’d spent a lot of time trying to figure out how a guy like me could deserve a girl from the nicest part of town.”
“But I didn’t care about things like that,” she whispers.
“I know that now.” I give her a sad smile. “But I didn’t know it then. I thought I had to prove myself to the world, and earn enough money to buy you presents. But I lost you instead. See, I walked up the drive that night, and I saw you and Rory in the window.”
“Oh.” Understanding blossoms in her eyes. “Together.”
“Yeah, obviously together. And I realized I had missed my chance. I’d stayed away too long. So I doubled down by staying away even longer.”
Her face drops. “Oh. News flash—young women aren’t always smart, either. I knew Rory and I weren’t soulmates, but I stayed with him anyway. I probably derailed his life just as badly as I derailed mine.”
“What if we stopped blaming ourselves for being dumb?” I suggest. “Let’s stop wasting time.”
She squeezes my hand. “Okay. I will if you will.”
