My lips parted, and tears formed at the corners of my eyes.
“What do you say, Olivia? Do you solemnly swear to be mine…forever?”
I nodded, breathless and overwhelmed by love—the love I had for him, the love he radiated back to me. “I do.”
He slipped the ring onto my finger and kissed me tenderly.
“I have one more surprise for you.”
I smiled against his lips. “You are full of them lately. I can’t wait.”
“This is the best one.”
He turned his head and narrowed his eyes, like he was looking for something in the distance. I followed his gaze, searching for the surprise that already had my heart beating fast.
Then, on the walking path, illuminated with light, I saw him.
But it couldn’t be him. In a split second, I convinced myself it was his French doppelg?nger. Until I glanced back at Will, who was smiling down at me.
“You didn’t think I was going to let you leave Paris with a broken heart, did you?”
“Will.” I brought my hand to my mouth. My whole body trembled with emotion.
Ian’s figure grew larger as he approached. I could see his face clearly, removing all doubt that it was truly him.
He was smiling, hands in his jean pockets, wearing a gray-brown sweater that did little to obscure the muscular chest beneath it. I pushed off the bench and went to him. Slowly at first. Then I couldn’t wait. I didn’t think about whether he still loved me or any of the things I’d wanted to say to him since he’d left. I just ran to him and threw myself into his arms.
He lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I clung to him, and he held me so tight I could scarcely breathe. We stayed that way for what seemed like forever. If it had been forever, I would have happily accepted an endless fate in his arms after our agonizing separation.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I whispered, nuzzling his neck. His scent filled me and brought me back to memories I had tried so hard to let go of. My chest was tight, but I couldn’t find the tears. I’d cried too many. I was too full of happiness right now to drown them with a drop of sadness.
When I pulled back, my breath caught. Every instinct told me to kiss him. I ached to feel his lips on me, to communicate without words that I still loved him desperately.
“Kiss me,” I whispered.
His gaze was dark, storming with emotion and drifting down to my mouth. But he didn’t kiss me. Instead, he loosened his grasp so I slid down the front of his body. My feet found the ground, but his arms around me held my weight.
My mouth was dry and my throat was tight as I considered the worst. What if he didn’t love me anymore? What if too much time had passed? He’d broken my heart, but I knew he’d been hurting too. Maybe it was too much to bear.
Didn’t matter. I had to tell him because I might not get another chance.
“Ian, I love you…so much.” My eyes brimmed with tears. “No matter what, I want you to know that. I wanted to tell you so many times—”
He hushed me and brought his hands to my face, keeping us connected, like we were tied together by some invisible force.
“I’ve never stopped loving you, Liv, and I’m never going to stop.” He swallowed, and his lips parted gently. “I know I’ve put you through hell. This has been the worst kind of agony for me. I only hope that one day you can forgive me.”
My heart twisted painfully in my chest. I squeezed my eyes closed, and a single tear flowed down my cheek and into his hand. Brushing it away, he brought his lips to mine with a kiss so soft and tender, I could only sigh into it.
“Take me back,” he whispered.
I opened my eyes, and in an instant, the weeks of missing him dissipated. The heartache was overrun with a love so powerful, it took my breath away. What was left was only us, here, together again. The fault line in my heart healed, because I knew now what I’d known all along. Ian belonged there beside Will, in my heart, in my future.
“I never let you go…”
Epilogue
WILL
I checked my watch again as the flight attendant came closer. She paused when I caught her attention.
“Can I get you anything, sir?”
“Another coffee would be great. And when are we due to land?”
“The pilot has us arriving a little ahead of schedule, so we should be landing in about an hour.”
“Perfect, thanks.”
“I’ll be right back with your coffee.”
I nodded with a smile, but I was still uneasy. With the time difference and the long flight, I hadn’t talked to Olivia or Ian in over a day. She was still two weeks from her due date, and all I could do was pray nothing happened while I was in the air.
Beside me, Jia stared out the window at the endless sea of clouds as we made our way back to New York from Hong Kong.
I tapped my foot, revved up from the coffee and nervous energy from being awake too long.
She glanced over at me. “Wired much?”
I laughed softly. “I’m anxious to get home, that’s all.”