Page 152 of The Perfect Mistake

Alec leans against the doorframe. He’s in a suit, his left hand in his pocket, and his eyes are locked on me.

“Hey,” he says. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

I wipe a hand over my forehead. “No, it’s okay. How did you know where to find me?”

“Katja.” He takes a few steps into the room and looks around. Raindrops cling to his hair, and I glance out the windows. I hadn’t even noticed it had started to pour outside. “This is the space you’re considering renting, to start the studio with your dancer friends?” he asks.

“Yes, but nothing is signed or decided yet.”

He nods and turns back to me. There’s a slim cardboard box in his right hand that I hadn’t noticed earlier, and we’re both quiet for a few long moments.

My heart races at the tension in the air.

Alec’s lips curve into a half smile. “We haven’t gotten a chance to talk properly. Not since Wednesday night.”

“No. Things have been busy.”

“I hope you enjoyed Thanksgiving with your family. Was Elena there?”

“Yeah, and the rest of my relatives. They were all horrified by our mugging story,” I say. “But my parents were very grateful after Elena told them about you.”

Alec nods, his face turning serious again. “I’ll call the police station again tomorrow. I want an update on the investigation.”

“Thank you.” I shift from one foot to another and glance back at the nondescript box at his side. “Is everything all right? Nothing has happened, with the kids, or—”

“No. I’m here to see you.” He closes the distance between us, and a furrow appears between his brows. It’s the expression I know so well. My hand aches to reach up and smooth it away. “I heard you got a job offer.”

I wrap my arms under my breasts. “Connie told you about Seattle?”

“She did,” he says. There’s a heavy seriousness in his eyes, an intensity that I’ve always longed for. Now it’s making me feel nervous. “If you want the job, I won’t stand in your way. But I can’t let you make that decision before telling you how I feel.”

My breath catches. “Oh?”

“I realized I’ve been looking at us the wrong way.”

“You have?” I whisper.

“Yes. Entirely wrong. I’ve been so caught up in the potential pitfalls, the ways we might not work, that I forgot to say the one thing that matters the most. The only thing that ever mattered.” He hands me the box, and I finally see what it is. It’s a Kindle. The latest model. “Open it. Turn it on.”

I slide the device out of the box with trembling hands. “What is this?”

“I wrote my own scene,” he murmurs. “My own fantasy. There’s a highlighted part, too.”

I press the button and watch as the screen flicks to life. There’s only one book in the library. It doesn’t have a cover, and when I select it, a page full of text appears. My eyes immediately find the highlighted part at the center. It’s only three words.

I love you.

“What?” I breathe.

Alec’s eyes are warmer than I’ve ever seen them, but just as serious. “I love you,” he says. “That’s what I forgot to mention the other night. What I should have said every night for weeks, because I’ve known it for just as long.”

“You love me,” I murmur.

His lips tug into a smile, and the skin around his eyes creases. “Yes, sweetheart. That’s why I’ve been turning myself inside out about everything. Your family. The age difference between us. The kids… None of it would have mattered if I didn’t feel this way. It shocks me, just how strongly I feel. It’s out of control, and I can’t make it stop, and even if I could… I wouldn’t want to.”

He puts a hand beneath my chin and tips my face up, our eyes lock. “You are the most beautiful, unexpected, kindest woman I’ve ever met, and I’m so glad you danced into my life. If you’re going to ruin me, then, Isa, I’ll let you. There’s no one else I want to hurt for.”

My mouth parts on a soft sigh. “I’m not planning on ruining you.”

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