Evangeline’s knees were perilously close to giving out. Her hands were still firmly in the grasp of Drake’s, so she slid unsteadily to her knees in front of him. Alarm flared in his eyes and he was up immediately, sweeping her into his arms. He strode to the couch and set her down like she was the most precious thing in the world. Then he sat next to her, angled so they could face one another.
She felt light-headed and faint, her heart beating so fast that her surroundings were a blur. All she could see was Drake’s beautiful face ravaged with every single emotion she felt. Could she believe him? Could she trust him?
“Just tell me one thing, Angel,” he implored.
He waited a beat and then brushed his fingers over her cheek, and she was shocked to see it come back wet with yet more tears. She hadn’t realized tears were streaming freely down her face now.
“Do you still love me or have I killed any chance of you ever loving me again?” he asked painfully.
She bowed her head, tears splashing onto her tightly clenched hands on her lap. When the silence between them became prolonged, Drake’s tone grew more desperate and hopeless.
“Angel?”
His voice cracked and she peeked from underneath her lashes to see savage torment etched in every line and groove on his face, and he suddenly looked older than his thirty-six years.
“I’m afraid,” she admitted in a husky voice. “I’m afraid to love you, Drake. You have so much power over me. You have the power to make me the happiest I’ve ever been in my life, but you also have the power to destroy me. That scares me.”
“Oh, darling,” he said, every word spoken in an aching, grief-stricken tone. “Don’t you know? You have the same power over me. I’ve never been so miserable in my life as I have the last month and before you say it, I know it’s my fault. I know. But I’ve learned something important from you. You taught me that it’s okay to be vulnerable. That it’s okay to love and be loved. That being loved is the single most beautiful thing in the world. I can’t live without your love. I don’t want to. And I swear you will never live without mine.”
“You really love me?” she asked hesitantly, afraid to believe. Afraid to trust after so much hurt and pain.
“It breaks my heart that I’ve done this to you. That you doubt such a precious thing—that you are so very precious to me. But do I love you? I adore you. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life. You are the only person I’ve ever loved,” he amended. “I trust my brothers. I have an unbreakable bond with them. I’d give my life for them. But, Angel, you are my life. My entire world. My reason for getting up in the morning. My reason for living.”
He placed his hand on her flat belly, rubbing his thumb tenderly over her womb.
“You and our child,” he said huskily. “Please come home with me. You and our baby. Let me love you, cherish you, protect you both. Or if you can’t bear to live in the city, we’ll move here. I don’t care where we live as long as I have you.”
Her head reared back in shock, her eyes wide as she stared incredulously at him.
“You’d live here, close to my parents?”
His expression was utterly serious, his eyes grave as he nodded.
Her mouth went dry and she licked her lips. She was trembling. Reaction setting in. This wasn’t happening. It was all a dream. The result of wishful thinking and her dearest fantasy. She closed her eyes.
This isn’t real.
“Open your eyes, Angel. Look at me. See me. See my love for you. I assure you it’s very real. I’m real.”
She hadn’t realized she’d whispered her denial aloud.
“All you have to do is reach out and take what it is you want. It’s yours. I’m yours.”
Tentatively she reached out, her hand shaking so badly that it bobbed in midair. She slid her fingers over the stubble of his beard and lightly caressed his cheek in wonder. Could it be that simple? Did he truly love her and could they have the life together she’d so desperately wanted? The life she’d cried herself to sleep over for so many nights? A life she’d thought lost to her forever?
“Just say yes,” he whispered. “Kiss me and say yes.”
She stared at him for a long moment, her eyes searching his. All she saw was truth and sincerity. No secrets, lies or deception. It took every ounce of her courage. She gathered it tightly around her like a blanket and held on tight. It took several attempts but finally, she was able to say it.