“Of course not,” I said earnestly. “To be completely honest, I did also use some of it to pay off all my outstanding bills, which was why I didn’t insist that you take it back that day that you sent me the check. While we were on the phone, I saw the pile of bills waiting to be paid and I still planned on paying you back as soon as I could, but I also thought that things were over between us so I figured it would be some time before I saw you again, which would buy me time to make the money so I could return it by then.”
Eyes intent on mine, he finally let his fingers curl around my hands. “Let me make one thing perfectly clear. I didn’t expect to be paid back. Again, the money is yours. You earned it and I wasn’t upset that day because you wanted and needed it. I was upset because I thought it had only been about the money to you. Meanwhile, I was about to tell you that I was in love with you, so you can imagine the hurt and disappointment when I realized you didn’t feel the same way.”
“I do feel the same way, though.” I smiled through the tears swimming in my eyes. “God, I’ve felt the same way almost since the very beginning. I just didn’t know how or when to tell you, but it was always right there, right at the tip of my tongue to tell you that I loved you.”
“You love me?” he asked quietly, a hint of a grin beginning to appear on his lips. “Okay, well, I guess I knew that now, since you told thousands of people out there, and millions watching online, but I guess I just needed to hear it one on one.”
“I love you,” I said, injecting every ounce of confidence I had in my feelings into my voice. “I love you so much that it feels like I never stopped. I’ve loved you since I was a teenager and I will keep loving you until I’m a geriatric. I wish the money hadn’t come between us and I wish I’d had the courage to tell you how I felt earlier. I guess I’m just hoping now that I’m not too late.”
“You’re not too late,” he said, tugging at my hands until I was pressed right up against him. Then he wrapped his arms around my waist and lowered his head to run his nose along the length of mine. “I love you, too, Serenity. Always have. Always will. You’re it for me, but you’re also keeping that money.”
“Let’s agree to disagree,” I murmured as I tilted my head up so our lips were only a fraction of an inch apart.
“Seriously,” he said. “I just won three million in that tournament. And I could only do that because of you singing that song to me. If anything, I made money on our deal.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Are we all good? Do you believe me when I tell you that it was never all about the money to me and that I love you with every beat of my heart? That I would’ve loved you even if you were a pauper and I feel like the biggest idiot in the world for ever having let you go?”
“Since I feel the same way, I do believe you. We’re all good,” he said against my mouth before sealing his over it.
He crushed me to him, kissing me until there was no doubt in my mind that he really did believe me. It felt like there was nothing left between us and that he’d fallen for me again just as surely and deeply as I had for him and that neither of us would ever let anything come between us again.
As I looped my arms around his neck and kissed him back with just as much meaning, it occurred me that I’d known this trip would change my life but that I never could’ve known how much. I’d thought it would be just about the experiences and that I’d get to see things I’d always wanted to see with him, but I’d also known that I was at risk of falling in love with him all over again.
I just never could’ve imagined that I would grow to love him more than ever before, or that he’d end up feeling the same way. We’d both gotten in way too deep, but luckily, we were both certified divers now. We could handle it, and we were doing just that. As long as we stuck to the buddy system and stayed together, there were no waters too deep for us to navigate. Together. Hopefully, forever this time around.
CHAPTER49
BART
Serenity kissed me passionately, fervently claiming me just as surely as I was doing to her. With her arms locked around my neck and her mouth fused to mine, I ran my hands into her hair and held her to me as I walked us over to the sofa.
It wasn’t big enough to get comfortable on lying down, but I needed her more than I’d ever needed her before, and judging by the way she was moaning and squirming in my arms, she felt the same way.What is it about sayingI love youthat triggers this kind of almost visceral reaction?
I didn’t know, but Tanner and Jeremiah had spoken about it before, and it was definitely true. Turning us around when my knees hit the sofa, I sat and pulled her down on top of me. She came willingly, peeling her shirt off over her head and only stopping her kisses in the beat it took for the fabric to pass between us.
I closed my fist around the material at the back of my neck, pulling off my shirt at the same time before I reached around her back to unhook her bra. Since she was still in her skirt from the performance, my pants were the last real obstacle between us, and she seemed to realize it at the same time I did.
Reaching between us, she unbuckled my belt and loosened my jeans while I lifted my ass and pushed them down with my underwear once she was done. Just before I kicked them all off, I slid my wallet out of my back pocket and took a condom out.
Our frenzied kissing slowed then, and she waited for me to put it on before she sank down on me, her lips back on mine the entire time we made love. They stayed on mine after, too, lingering there until she pulled back to whisper against my lips. “I love you, Bart Philips, and I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you.”
Serenity smiled and I could see it in her eyes that she was just as thrilled by this as I was. After all those torturous weeks apart, we’d finally found our way back together and I’d be damned if it didn’t stay that way.
“I love you, too, Serenity Ramirez. We’ve wasted so much time that we could’ve been together if we’d just gotten it together earlier, but it doesn’t matter anymore because we’re back, baby. Just the way it always should’ve been.”
Groaning when it occurred to me what that meant, I suddenly realized who had been out there when she’d sung her song—and that he’d heard what she’d said before she had. “We’re going to have to go find Shawn. I promised him nothing was going to happen between us, but I’m pretty sure that he knows now something did.”
Smacking my shoulder playfully, she lifted herself up on her knees and crawled off my lap, curling into my side instead. “You can’t talk about my brother while you’re still inside me, but this is better. Although we should probably get dressed before we keep talking about him.”
I chuckled. “You’re right. It’s just… he came to see me that night before we went to Iceland. He was worried about us spending so much time together again and he threatened to hurt me if I hurt you.”
She blinked up at me before her eyes widened. “Really? You never told me about that. I’m going to have to have a talk to him about his overprotectiveness.”
“No, you’re not.” I pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. “God knows, I’m going to need help protecting you now that you’re on your way to being famous. Besides, he got over us being together once. He’ll do it again. He just wants you to be happy, baby. As long as I can convince him that I love you more than life itself, he’ll be okay.”
“Yeah,” she mused, resting her head on my shoulder as she twined our fingers together again. “I’m glad he didn’t make good on his threat. I think he knew something went wrong after we got back early.”
“You didn’t tell him anything?” I asked, glancing down at her.