A Fool's Gold Wedding - Susan Mallery Page 0,35

let you shine the rest of the time. I have no idea what you’re thinking, but if you can find it in yourself to give me another chance, I will do my best to not let you down. I’d like to keep seeing you. On weekends, and when you’re on your winter and summer breaks. We could talk on the phone and over the computer.” He looked away, then back at her. “If it’s not too much, I was thinking I would look into a surgical practice here. There’s a trauma center and I have experience.”

She blinked. “You’d do that for me?”

“Of course. You’re amazing and I don’t want to lose you. Unless I already have.”

His mouth twisted, then he cleared his throat. “That’s all I have. Just my apology and who I am. I guess it’s not very much.” He turned away, then glanced back at her. “You will be a part of me always. I am better for having known you. I wish you could say the same about me, but you can’t. I apologize for that, as well.”

He started to walk away.

Abby thought about what her mom had told her and how hard the last two days had been. She didn’t know if it was love, but she was sure it was more than she’d ever felt before. Yes, Joaquin had screwed up in a really awful way and she was mad at him, but maybe the fact that he got that, that he was sorry, meant something.

She didn’t want to wake up in ten years and think she’d made a horrible mistake.

“Wait,” she said.

Joaquin spun back to face her. The hope in his eyes blinded her. “Abby?”

“You hurt me so much. I trusted you and you betrayed me.”

“I did. I have no excuse. I was wrong.”

She drew in a breath. “Chances are I’m going to screw up, too. Not that badly, but some. People make mistakes. It’s not the messing up, it’s what you do afterward that speaks to character.”

He waited.

She smiled. “It was a good speech. Thank you for telling me about Montana. I’ll let her know she doesn’t need to keep working on her plan.” She paused. “This is where you ask if it’s okay to kiss me.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.”

Joaquin reached for her, pulling her close. His mouth claimed her in a kiss that offered her all he was. She wrapped her arms around him and gave herself up to him. Her broken heart began to mend as she realized that this was where she belonged.

He drew back. “I love you,” he whispered, gazing into her eyes. “I know it’s too soon, so I’m not going to say it again for at least two months, but I want you to know that you are all I’ve ever wanted. Only you, Abby. For—”

She pressed her fingers against his mouth. “Stop. You are headed in a direction that we’re not ready for. Let’s be honest—neither of us has been wildly successful at romantic relationships. We both have our reasons. I’m still pretty young and you’re freakishly smart, so we’re going to figure it out together. But if you propose right now, you’ll send me screaming into the night.”

One corner of his mouth turned up. “Point taken.”

“Good. We’ll do the L thing, like you said. In two months. And you can think about proposing in a year.”

“I will note my calendar.”

She put her hands on his chest and leaned in. “But just this one time, until then...” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I love you, too.”

He’d just pulled her into his arms again when she heard someone approaching. She turned and saw her uncle Simon walking toward them.

He looked between them, then settled his gaze on Abby. “Montana is still working on her plan, but it seems that won’t be necessary.”

Abby grinned. “Probably not.” She took Joaquin’s hand in hers and faced her uncle. “So here’s the thing. He was very wrong. Incredibly wrong. The wrongest of wrong. He knows that now and he’s apologized. He didn’t try to weasel out of it. He accepted responsibility. And I really like him and we’re going to keep seeing each other. So you have to be nice to him.”

“I see.” Simon’s gaze was sharp. “Anything else?”

“Yes. He might try to get a job with the trauma center. Don’t blackball him or whatever it is you could do.”

Simon looked at Joaquin. “Are you going to let Abby speak for you?”

“In this case, sir, it seems like the intelligent thing