Tears swam in her eyes as the video ended. After all these years, not only he’d finally mentioned her in a speech—and so beautifully—but he publically expressed his love for her in front of millions. Confirmed bachelor Tommy Sparks had told the world he was in love…with her.
When she glanced up, he stepped forward and said, “I know they are just words and I have to prove myself, but I swear to you, I will spend the rest of my life making up for this. You will never doubt again that I want you by my side. No one will ever question what you are to me. All I want is to come home.” He took her face between his hands, pressed his forehead to hers, and whispered, “Can I, Julie?” He closed his eyes momentarily before opening them again, and she was shocked at the moisture that glistened in his gaze. “Can I please come home to you?”
He loved her. Truly, deeply loved her. She saw it in his gaze. Felt it in the tremble of his hands against her skin. Yes, he’d screwed up, had hurt her. But she was certain the man before her now would never leave her standing alone again, because he knew the emptiness of being without her.
And he would do everything he’d vowed to never feel it again.
She nodded, a shaky “Yes” stuttering from her mouth.
The tension released from his body as he pulled her into his arms, muttering, “Thank God.”
Then he kissed her, a frantic kiss that spoke of the level of fear he’d had about losing her forever. She clung to him, the emotions and desperation she’d experienced for days nearly overwhelming her.
He lifted her into his arms and kicked the door shut. She thrust her fingers through his damp hair, not caring that the moisture from his shirt was seeping into hers. All that mattered was that she wanted to spend her life wrapped in his arms, wrapped in the certainty that he was truly hers.
He broke the kiss. “Where to?”
“Our room.”
He smiled that heart-stopping smile he saved for her alone. “Man, I love that.”
She brushed his hair back. “I love you.”
It was the first time she’d said the three words to him without a “but” following, the first time she’d allowed all the feelings she’d kept hidden for years to free themselves in her eyes and heart.
Seriousness stole over his face. “Say it again.”
She cupped his face in her hands. “You’re my best friend, my past, my present, and now my future. I love you, Tommy ‘Lightning’ Sparks.”
Blinking rapidly, he cleared his throat. “I won’t screw up again, Julie. You have my word.”
She pursed her lips. “Oh, you’ll screw up. It just better be more of the feeding your dinner to the dogs variety from now on.”
He chuckled, hugging her closely as he walked into their room. She couldn’t believe it had only been weeks since she’d given Tommy a place to live, never imagining that his home catching fire would finally lead to a lifetime of happiness for both of them.
After he laid her on the bed, she took the baseball cap from his hand and gazed at it. “It really meant that much to you?”
“The first time you gave it to me, I went home and cried like a fucking baby. It was my first real present, Julie. I kept all your gifts, but that hat was always the most special one.”
Tears blurred her vision and she cupped his cheek. “I never knew that. That’s why you ran back inside to try and save it.”
He kissed her palm. “No. I was trying to save the past. The only times in my childhood I knew happiness was with you. But I don’t need to look back at the past anymore. We have a future to build now.”
Love expanding her heart, she tugged the hat on the head of her best friend and lover. “Oh, we don’t have to completely shut out the past.” She looped her arms around his neck and tugged him down. “I love you, Green Knight.”
Unshed tears brightened his green eyes and he took a moment before he spoke. “I love you, too, Lady J,” he said, his voice deep and rough. “From this day forth, I dedicate my life to protecting you.”
And he did.