broke it off.”
“Because you couldn’t refute why you proposed, and you certainly couldn’t say you loved me . . . and maybe I don’t believe you dumped me for the vitiligo and that’s just my own insecurities at play, but . . .” She glanced away, biting down on her bottom lip, and he saw the moment her bravery gave way to hurt. “You used me.”
This was it. Manny had to lay it all on the line.
“I did.”
She hadn’t expected him to admit it, because her gaze flew back to his, accusatory and resentful.
“Deep down I knew what I was doing, but I was so shit-scared of losing Izzy I jumped before contemplating what it would do to you, to us, if you found out. I should’ve trusted you. Maybe if I’d explained the situation, you might’ve gone along with a fake engagement to fool Izzy into fighting to recover. Instead, I hurt you in the worst possible way . . .”
He shook his head; it did little to clear it. “My grandmother is sorry, by the way, and she wants to apologize to you personally, but all that stuff she said to you yesterday? She wanted to test me.”
“Test you?”
“Apparently, she knew I was smitten when she saw me looking at you at Nishi and Arun’s wedding. Then I kept mentioning you, and we were together in New Zealand, and after we came home I had this look . . . she knew you were the one I’d set my heart on, but she wanted to see if I truly loved you.”
“You and your gran are nuts.” She made circles at her temple. “Off the charts, cray-cray nutjobs.”
This time he couldn’t stop a chuckle escaping. “You’re probably right, but she meant well. It’s just been the two of us for the last fifteen years, and she’s overprotective.”
Harper merely rolled her eyes.
“She was right about one thing though. You gave me your heart, and I didn’t do you the same courtesy. I knew I loved you, but I couldn’t admit it, particularly to myself, because I’m so caught up in self-preservation . . .”
He’d never told anyone the rest, but he had to flay himself open or risk losing her forever.
“My mom died because of me. I was a cocky med student, newly graduated, who thought I knew everything. I insisted she start exercising; she did and ended up having a heart attack right in front of me. I froze initially, and by the time I got my shit together and started CPR, it was too late. She died in my arms . . . from then on I’ve shut myself off from people. You’re right. I have superficial relationships and never get attached to any of my dates because with commitment comes the risk of loss, and I wasn’t prepared to take that chance.”
His voice had turned croaky with emotion, and he swallowed, twice, before continuing. “Until you. I can’t explain it, because it’s not logical, but you swept into my life, brandishing that damn whipped cream, and I haven’t been the same since.”
Tears filled her eyes, and he didn’t know whether to be wary or relieved, but he took another chance and crossed the kitchen to stand in front of her.
“I love you, Harper. I may not have said it before, but if you’ll give us another chance I’ll make sure I say it every single day. And we don’t have to be engaged. We can date for however long it takes until I can convince you I’m not some emotionally stunted idiot and I am good husband material.”
“How many times a day will you say it?” she deadpanned, but the glint of cheek in her tear-filled gaze told him he’d done it.
She believed him, believed in him, but he needed to hear her say it before he could fully celebrate.
“I love you. There, I’ve said it twice in under thirty seconds, and if we multiply that by the hours in a day, I can easily manage five thousand seven hundred and sixty ‘I love you’s’ in twenty-four hours.”
“Stop being such a show-off, smart-ass,” she said, the corners of her mouth curling into a smile.
“I assume your insults mean you love me back?”
“Idiot,” she muttered, before flinging herself at him, burying her face in his chest, and sniffling loudly.
Manny grinned like the idiot he was and held her tight, that familiar sense of peace, of rightness, washing over him. This was fate, destiny, or whatever other crap Izzy’s