Page 90 of A Sudden Romance

“I went to your office, and they told me you were home.”

Sabastian was here to see her. All the way from Pleasant View! Her stomach danced with nerves and butterflies. It wasn’t a big deal for anyone else to travel, but this was Sabastian who rarely left their small town. Never left unless he traveled with her family, but he was here alone.

***

ONE LOOK AT IRIS, AND Sabastian forgot how to swallow, nearly forgot how to breathe. Adrenaline flooded his bloodstream, leaving panic in its wake. Seeing her vulnerable as she lay in bed with rumpled hair, all but filled his eyes with blinding tears. He held her warm and soft hand, tightening his hold around it and never wanting to let her go.

He had her address from all the packages she sent home. As for her office, he didn’t see a need to explain how he knew where she worked or that she usually worked Saturdays. She opened her mouth, then closed it, and swallowed, clearly surprised by his visit.

She cleared her throat, and although the blinds were down, the light streaming through the blinds and the main room illuminated her eyes glistening with tears.

Emotion lodged in his throat. With his free hand, he wiped the tears rolling down her cheek.

“I don’t deserve you.” He’d missed her so much, and seeing her now confirmed his heart would never recover if she didn’t take him back. “I shouldn’t have let you go. Please give me another chance.”

“You...” She shuddered as she sucked in a breath. “You broke up with me.” Wincing, she touched her head with her other hand.

Right, she was sick. “What hurts, baby?”

“My... heart.”

She was wincing because of his presence perhaps. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

With her head propped on the pillow, a silence passed between them as she stared at him as if struggling to speak through tears. “I could’ve donated everything I have if that’s what it took for us to be together.”

He shook his head, then wiped his face, still keeping one hand wrapped around hers. She was willing to sacrifice her money if it made him happy? He knew better than to think Iris was driven by money. He shifted, the tile beneath the rug pressing on his knees.

“I was a fool. Please forgive me. Iris... oh, Iris...” He breathed out her name, swiping tendrils of her soft hair from her face. “I’ll be lost without you in my life.”

She untangled their hands, lifted her palm to his cheek, and glided her fingers over his beard, and his breath hitched.

“I love you, Sabastian.” Genuineness glowed in her brown eyes. He had no doubt she meant her words.

His chest swelled—he didn’t deserve her kindness after everything he’d done to take her for granted. Compelled to draw her closer, he stood, bent, and shoved the covers aside. Then he gathered her in his arms, and the moment she sat to throw her arms around him, he kissed her until they were both breathless.

“Sabastian.” She spoke through kisses, her minty breath so refreshing. He sat at the edge of the bed to face her, not caring that he was about to fall off. His shoe brushed against his knee. “Oops. I forgot to take my shoes off. I’m sorry.”

He started to reach for them, but she told him not to move. He did as asked—he’d do as she asked forever. Whatever it was. He cupped her face with his hand and leaned in to kiss her forehead, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair.

“You should know that I have...” She exhaled as if she was about to say something difficult. “I have more streams of income than my job.”

“Besides the island and yacht you own with your siblings?”

She nodded and tangled her fingers in his hair as if trying to hold him there, as if knowing her words could drive him away.

He blinked as she told him the five vacation homes she owned in The Hamptons, the commercial buildings and real estate investments in Massachusetts and other states. Stiffening, he started to draw away from her, but her grip on his hair held him fast, so he dipped his head, pressing their foreheads together as a resigned breath escaped his lungs. She was wealthier than he’d feared. “You have five vacation homes in one of America’s richest playgrounds?”

“We.” She drew back from him and arched her brow. “Assuming you’re planning to be a part of my life.”

He’d already made up his mind. He wouldn’t run away even now. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be than with you.”

“Eric and Logan run plenty of charities. We can donate—”

“No.” He kissed her to put an end to all the things she wanted to change to cater to him. “Money doesn’t define who you are. Your kindness and your perspective on life were just a few of the many reasons I fell in love with you.”

A sweet smile lifted the corners of her face, and he gathered both her soft hands in his. “From this day on, I want you in my life if you’ll let me.”

“I’ll need some time to finish the looming projects. Maybe then I can move to Pleasant View?” She looked serious as if she, too, had been thinking about them all along.

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