He straightened up and grinned at her. “Morning. You look beautiful.”
Her mouth dropped open. She should’ve scared him with her crazy hair and no makeup and the baggy sweats she slept in when she needed extra comfort. “Are you kidding me? You cannot force your way back into my life just because you decide! I get to decide, do you hear me? I’m the commander of my ship! The queen of my castle!”
“Yes, you are. I don’t want to piss you off, sweetheart. I want to prove something to both of us. We need to start over fresh. I’ve never fallen in love before, so I freaked and screwed it up, but I’m not going to do that again. I intend to show you every day, from now on. I enjoy watching you close up the bar, and having terrible coffee with you in the morning, and admiring how you try to kick Xavier’s ass in the gym. All that time I couldn’t understand why I was so damn happy sitting in My Place, even when you’d just insult me. Now I know.” He beamed, and that charming male beauty reminded her of Gabriel, an angel so stunning, poor mortals were helpless beneath his smile. “Because as long as I’m with you, I’m happy. I get it now. I was a bit slow, and now I need to convince you I won’t make that terrible mistake again.” He cocked his head as if thinking through an inner schedule. “You’re stubborn. And prideful. So it may take weeks, maybe even months, but eventually you’re going to look for me and I will be there.”
Stunned, she listened to the words with a hope she needed to squash. She opened her mouth to say something terrible and awful and cruel. “What if it takes years?”
He rocked back on his heels. “That’s okay. You’re worth it.” His eyes glittered. “We’re worth it.”
She stuck her chin up in the air, refusing to get lost in his pretty words. “I don’t believe you. Now leave me alone so I can enjoy my coffee in peace.”
He handed her the envelope. “This is for you. I told Cal no grand gestures, but this was different. I wanted to do this.”
“You didn’t have to fix my front steps,” she grumbled.
“Yes, I did,” he said softly. “Because I want to take care of you.”
He left her on the porch, simmering with unresolved tension and rioting emotions. Damn him. Why couldn’t he just go away like a normal man? She ripped open the envelope and took out the piece of paper.
A certificate.
A star has been chosen and named in your honor . . .
Raven Bella Hawthorne
Ah, shit. He’d named a star after her. It was the most romantic gesture a man had ever made to her, but like the enemy of Moses, she hardened her heart and refused to get all weak and soft and girly.
Absolutely refused.
Raven didn’t know what to do.
She sat on the leather couch in her living room and tried to analyze the whirling array of emotions clutching her body. It had become more than a game now. Dalton had been seriously pursuing her for almost three months, with no signs of slowing down or getting frustrated. The open affection and love glowing from his ocean-blue eyes tempted her to give in and surrender. But the raw pain of his brutal rejection still ached.
He seemed different. More centered, as if he accepted his feelings with an ease he’d never shown before. There was no more fighting or pretending. He told her every day with actions and words what she meant to him, and that he didn’t want to let her go.
Was it enough? Was it time to take another leap and hope he caught her?
Raven reached for her cell, dialed the familiar number, and prayed she’d get an answer. The voice that came on the line was one she both trusted and admired.
“’Bout time you surfaced.” The sleepy feminine grumble reminded Raven of all the times she’d tried to rouse Izzy before noon, mostly so they could get into more mischief together.
“I’m in trouble.”
She heard the rustle of movement, then Izzy spoke again, serious. “Tell me everything.”
“It’s a guy.”
She gave a snort. “Duh. It’s always a guy. Dalton? I thought it was over.”
“I did, too.”
“Tell me everything,” she repeated.
Raven did. She spilled the whole story about the letter, Dalton’s never-ending crusade to win back her heart, and her own struggles to trust again. Izzy did what she did best. She listened.
When Raven fell silent, her spirit lightened. Nothing like unloading on your best friend for a quick therapy appointment.
“I’m so glad you learned about your dad, babe. Do you feel better?”
“God, yes. I feel like I can finally close the door on a question that kept haunting me. But now I don’t know if Dalton was meant to be mine for always, or just for a little while. Maybe we met to solve the mystery, but we’re not fated for long term?”
Izzy snorted again. “What have I always told you?”