heart apart when every time I reached out to you, you rejected me. Even after you sang ‘Juliet, Forgive Me,’ I’ve heard nothing from you until today. I just don’t want to be hurt anymore.”
This time it’s him who allows the tears to fall. He stares at me like I’ve just punched him in the gut and left him gasping for air. I’m glad he’s here to know just how pissed off I am. He deserves to see how much he’s hurt me.
He stares into my eyes as he says, “I know that I fucked up, okay? I knew it the moment I got on my bike and left that it would change everything between us, but damn it, it didn’t make me stop wanting you—needing to be with you. I’m sorry I hurt you, but you hurt me too, and I handled things all wrong by staying away.”
His eyes glisten as he closes the distance between us and touches my face. “Forgive me, please. I love you and I don’t want to live without you anymore. The taste of you still lingers on my lips, and no matter how much I tried to make myself forget about you, I couldn’t. We were made for each other. I know staying away for so long makes that hard to believe, but it’s the God’s honest truth. You’ve worked your way into my soul, and I’m afraid that you’ve etched yourself onto my heart permanently.”
My heart bangs in my chest as I close my eyes to allow my brain to absorb everything he’s just said. It feels so good to hear him admit that he wants me too—that he’s been hurting just like I have, but even with his sweet plea for forgiveness, I still have my doubts.
“How do I know when things get hard that you won’t run off again? My heart won’t survive going through this kind of break again,” I whisper.
“You’ll have to trust me,” he says. “I know that’s a lot to ask, but the only way that I can prove to you that I’m never going anywhere again is for you to let me back into your life. I will never leave your side again. I swear it.”
Strong fingers wrap around my waist as he pulls me into him. “Please, Iris. I’m begging you.”
My eyes lock on a set of russet ones. They are the same eyes I once stared into while the man I love held me in his arms. Tears run down my cheeks and I feel my resolve wavering. I know it’s a risk, but right now I can’t deny that I’m in love with this man.
“You’ve got a lot of making up to do,” I tell him with a small smile.
His eyes brighten, and he attempts to fight back a smile as he cups my face. “I’m willing to put in the work. You’re worth it.”
“I’m not going to make it easy, you know,” I threaten, causing him to laugh.
“I would be disappointed if you did.” This time his glorious grin comes at me in full force. “You were amazing tonight.”
I raise my brow. “You saw the show?”
He nods. “I wouldn’t have missed this for anything. You took my breath away when you sang. You were perfection.”
“Kiss her already!” someone walking by on the street shouts at us, reminding me that we aren’t alone in this tender reunion.
“I love you,” he whispers. “Forever.”
I bite my lip. “I love you too.”
Ace grins and then plants his lips on mine. Instantly I melt into him, enjoying the taste of his lips while we show the world a kiss that would rival any on-screen scene and begin the sequel to our own epic romance.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First off, I want to thank you, my dear readers, for giving this book a shot!
Emily Snow, Kelli Maine, and Kristen Proby (aka the Wicked Mafia), the past couple of years with you all have been amazing. Thank you for your love and support. Love you guys hard!
Jennifer Wolfel, I can never thank you enough for reading a million versions of this story and hashing out the bugs with me. Ace and Iris are so much stronger because of your love of this story and willingness to see it through to the end with me.
Toski Covey, thank you for being my first test subject on this story idea. Your input on this novel was amazing! It helped me to keep pushing forward.
Holly Malgieri, my assistant extraordinaire, thank you so much for everything you do for me and my books. Means a lot.
Jennifer Foor, thank you for being one of my most trusted friends and reminding me these books don’t write themselves.
Kelsie Leverich, thank you for being my procrastination partner in crime and being there to chat about books.
Jill Marsal, thank you for being an amazing agent and believing in me and my work.
Charlotte Hescher and Deb Taber, thank you for working your butts off on this manuscript and pushing me hard. It’s so much better after you two put your touches on it.
To my awesome Montlake editors, Maria Gomez and Hai-Yen Mura, thank you for taking a chance on me.
My beautiful ladies in Valentine’s Vixens Group, you all are the best. You guys always brighten my day and push me to be a better writer. Thank you!
To the romance blogging community, thank you for always supporting me and my books. I can’t tell you how much every share, tweet, post, and comment means to me. I read them all, and every time I feel giddy. THANK YOU for everything you do. Blogging is not an easy job, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you do for indie authors like me. You totally make our world go round.
Last, but always first in my life, my husband and son: thank you for putting up with me. I love you both more than words can express.