Page 70 of The Billionaire Benefactor

Before he could analyze it, Roman followed his gut and pulled Jenny to him, wrapping her up in his arms. He held her close while she cried, not saying anything at all. Closing his eyes, he tried to pull back time and remember holding her before, focusing on the scent of her and the feel of her petite frame wrapped up in his arms. Her sobbing slowed and she clutched at his arms, pressing her cheek to his neck. Without thinking, he kissed the side of her head. It just felt right. But he froze, wondering if it was too much. He could feel her tense in his arms.

“I’m sorry. Was that—”

“You did this before, too,” she said. “I was crying and you held me. Then you kissed the side of my head.”

This felt like a confirmation of why he had come. He didn’t remember and maybe he never would. What he knew now, after meeting her, was that it didn’t matter. He felt drawn toward her in ways he hadn’t felt toward any other woman.

“Can I ask you a question?” she said.

“Anything.”

“What was the bet with Blake?”

Roman didn’t hesitate. “I had to ask him that too. He bet me that I was in love with you. I wouldn’t admit it, not to him. Only in the letter.”

Her arms squeezed more tightly and for a moment or two, the only sound was their breathing. Was it too much for her? This was so strange, to have all this history that was present for her and missing for him. Yet he could feel the echoes of it in his body. Being with her, he could feel the truth in the letters. He did love her. Maybe that would sound crazy to her or to anyone else. But he was sure of it.

The big question was how did she feel?

As he spoke, he stroked her hair, feeling her sigh into his chest. “Jenny, you don’t have to answer now if you don’t want to. But after reading the letters, I had to come. Not just because I hoped it would jog my memory. I felt sure that if I spent time with you again, I couldn’t help falling for you again the way I already did. I wanted to ask you if we could try again, whether I remember or not. I know it’s weird, but when I read those letters, it was like me telling myself that I needed to be with you. I felt like they were for me as much as they were for you. I never loved anyone before, but Blake thought that I loved you. In the letter, I agreed. Being here with you now—”

He paused. This whole day felt reckless. But he had to say this. He had to know. “I know it may sound crazy, but even though I don’t remember, I recognize you. I can feel it in your touch and when I hear you say my name. I know that what I wrote in those letters is true. I did love you. I…do. I don’t need the memories to know this. It’s been clear to me just from being with you.”

She was crying again and he could feel the tears on his arm. He kissed her hair again, more slowly.

“I don’t want to make you cry,” he said softly.

“If you don’t cry, do you really care?” she said. He turned the words over in his mind for a moment.

“Jenny, do you care enough to give this—give me—give us—another shot? I know it wouldn’t be like a fairytale or even like—”

“Yes.”

He heard the word, but it took his brain almost ten seconds to process it. “You—yes?”

She pulled back enough so that she could look at his face. Even when she’d been crying, she was beautiful.

“I made a mistake when I sent you away before. I didn’t know how to tell you, but going to the game and seeing you get injured made me realize how I felt. I thought that I…loved you. I wanted to tell you. I was scared, too. It wasn’t just about what you did. That gave me an excuse to run away from my fears. But then you didn’t remember me. I wasn’t sure what to do. I was hoping you would come back. I wanted your memories to come back, but I thought if just you came back, even if you didn’t remember, that would be enough for me.”

Hesitating a little, Jenny touched his face. He leaned into her touch, which grew surer as she traced a line from his eyebrow down his cheek to his jaw. Her eyes softened and the look in them had him struggling to keep himself in check. He took her hand and held it in his.

“Jenny, I want to do what I said in the letters and take things slowly. I want to do this right.”

She smiled and when she looked down at his lips, his heart almost stopped. “Is there really a right? If you want to take things slowly, we can. Some of my hesitations from before are gone. It’s been months now since Hank died. He cheated on me and left me long before that. If people don’t know or understand, that’s on them. My kids have missed you and ask about you a lot. I’ve had plenty of time to think about the hard things we may face, just because of our past and your fame and this injury. I don’t care about any of it. The thought that I had lost my chance with you crushed me. I’ll go any speed you want, but don’t feel like you need to hold back or move slowly because of me.”

His eyes fell to her lips. “You don’t think it’s weird because I don’t really know you?”

“You may not remember, but you do know me. We aren’t strangers. Just two people getting a fresh start.”

Roman’s eyes moved from Jenny’s lips to her eyes and back down again. “Would it be moving too fast if I kissed you?”

“I’ve been hoping for a kiss from you for months now. I might even say you’re moving too slowly.” Her mouth curved up in a smile and Roman could not look away.

He leaned closer. Letting go of Jenny’s hand, he placed his palm against the back of her neck, his fingers threading through her hair. She closed her eyes, but he kept his open long enough for his lips to find hers.

He closed them then. For a moment, neither moved and Roman let the intensity of this gentle, chaste kiss register with his body. A tiny sliver of disappointment tried to work its way into his heart. A part of him had hoped that a kiss might unlock the memories.

The memories don’t matter. What I have is right now.

As though that thought unleashed what held him back, Roman pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was still soft, but fueled with a passion stemming from all the painful things they had suffered through. Jenny responded to his every move, her hands reaching behind his neck, pulling him closer.

He lost himself in the kiss. They spoke without words, their lips asking and answering and promising and reassuring. Roman knew in that moment without any doubt that he loved her. Not because of physical desire, but what lay beneath it. Whatever subconscious part of his brain knew Jenny came alive in the kiss. It did not give him clear memories, but only the sure feeling that she was the only one he wanted, now or ever.

Pulling back, Roman was breathless. He pressed his forehead to hers, their quick breaths mingling together. “Jenny,” he said. It was all he could say, though he wanted to say more.

“I know, Roman,” she said. “Me too.”

---