Page 138 of Wildflower
I hope the main point has come across, though.
“It doesn’t matter,” I add. “As long as you have. I mean, as long as you’re here.” I rub my neck, still feeling uncertain. “Rey, I’ve been an absolute arse.”
She lets out a puff of air. I continue, she needs to hear me say it.
“There’s no excuse for me not standing up for you entirely. I sat there, looking at my old friend, my advisor, and I was convinced they were right. But it was all wrong. The wayIhandled it waswrong.” I reach out to her now, cupping her elbows. She’s still hugging herself, as if she’s holding herself together. It makes my chest ache, knowing she’s been hurting because of me. “The billboard… I did that to show that I don’t care what others think. All I care about is you.
“If you let me, I want to spend my life proving to you that I deserve to be with someone as vibrant and joyful as you.” I get down on my knees now, grasping her hips and looking up at her. She bites her lip and opens her mouth as if to say something, but I keep going. “I’m so sorry I took that joy awayfrom you. It kills me to think you don’t feel you can be yourself, your fullest, best self, with me, and in the world.”
Her arms release, and when her hands make their way into my hair, I need to swallow the lump that’s growing.
“I’ll dress up with you. We can go anywhere, dance anywhere. Please Rey. I want to be the man who makes you laugh. Every day I will do my best to make you feel as good as you possibly can feel.”
She grins now, finally flashing me those dimples, and I press my face against her stomach. I missed her so much.
“That’s a big promise,” she says.
“I mean it.” My voice comes out muffled against her coat.
“You’re not ashamed of me?” she whispers, and I look up to see her biting her lip again, her eyes tearing up. I stand back up and cup her face.
“No, no, I was never. It’s… I won’t excuse it, but please know I was confused, but I was never ashamed of you.” She nods, it seems she’s accepting what I’m saying. “I love you, Rey. All of you. Everything about you.”
She laughs again and opens her coat.
“Even like this?”
It takes me a second to absorb what I’m looking at. The yellow playsuit, the green boots. It’s so familiar. Then she drops her coat and reveals her green cape and I can’t hold back my smile. It hurts my cheeks, I can’t smile wide enough.
“You dressed up as Phantom Lady for me?”
She remembered.
She twirls, and I catch a glimpse of the open back of her playsuit. I wrap my arms around her and feel the naked skin of her back, pressing her close to me. “Does it mean you forgive me?”
“Are you sure about us?” she asks, uncertainty in her voice, in her knitted brow. “Billionaires don’t date baristas who moonlight as amateur cosplayers, do they?”
“Sometimes they marry them,” I say, leaning my forehead against hers.
“Mark,” she whispers.
“Don’t worry, I’ll ask you properly one day.” I grin at her, seeing the light growing in her eyes. “I love you so much, Rey.”
“Then I forgive you,” she says, grinning, but I know there’s still hurt behind that smile and I’ll keep my promise to prove myself to her. Every day. “But you might have to grovel some more for my brother. He’s not impressed with you.”
“I will. And speaking of brothers…” I nod towards the house. “It’s James’ thirtieth and the whole family is here.”
“Oh, right, do you want to come see me later instead?” she asks, looking towards the house where laughter sounds from inside.
“What?”
“I mean, I can’t gatecrash your family get-together.”
“Bloody better,” I say, grasping her hand. “I’m not letting you go anywhere without me.”
“I can’t join your dinner party as Phantom Lady,” she says, laughing.
“We’re playing Becktionary, the playsuit will be an asset in the running part. Let’s go.”
