Page 125 of Fallen Stars

He nods. “There’s one more thing.”

Lifting a hand to his jaw, I stroke his soft, fuller cheek and follow the action with my eyes. “What’s that?”

He takes a deep breath and waits until my gaze meets his. A little more of that shimmer has returned to his addictive blues. Oh, how I’ve missed that sparkle.

“I love you,” he whispers.

My eyes widen a beat before my vision blurs. Joy and thrill and love expand in my chest. My heart throbs and weeps and bursts with euphoria. As I open my mouth to say those three little yet enormous words back, I stumble. Swallowing past the emotion, I part my lips and try again.

“I love you so fucking much, moje srce. Until my last breath.”

He drops his forehead to rest on mine. “Moj zauvjek.”

Mine forever.

Then he takes me by surprise, erases the breath between us and presses his lips to mine. Every cell in my body sparks to life and melts simultaneously. The kiss is chaste, gentle, his lips softly caressing mine. But fuck… it is everything.

Badly as I want to deepen the kiss, I resist the urge. There is something to be said about subtle, sweet kisses. It is a promise and a tease and slow worship. It speaks from the heart and soul.

I love every kiss Levi has given me, but right now, after he said he loves me for the first time in too many months, this kiss is my favorite.

Too soon, he breaks the kiss and inhales a shaky breath. “Thank you.”

My brows tug together. “Why are you thanking me?”

Soft, stilted laughter leaves his lips. “I’m a fucking mess, Ollie.” He reaches up and cups my cheek. “And you’re still here.”

“Where else would I be?”

“Anywhere.” He shrugs. “But you stayed.”

“I stayed.”

“I love you, Ollie.” His thumb strokes my cheek. “I’ve wanted to say that for weeks, but it wouldn’t come out.”

Fisting his shirt, I haul him into my chest. “I won’t lie; hearing the words makes it more real. But Levi”—I rest my hand over his on my cheek—“I’ve always known how you felt, even when neither of us said it.”

His eyes glaze over. “Really?”

“Yeah.” I nod. “As for the other thing”—I inhale deeply, count to three, and exhale—“yes.”

Confusion mars his brow. “Yes?”

Slowly, I eliminate the space between our mouths and kiss him chastely. “Let’s find a place of our own.”

October 30th

After all the chaos, after all the ups and downs, life feels less heavy and uncertain. For the first time in months, L told me he loves me. When I told him I knew, itwasn’t a lie. It’s nice to hear the words. It’s nice to feel different versions of his affection. But he is part of me and I am part of him. His pain is my pain. His love is my love. His soul is my soul. There isn’t a damn thing on earth that will change this. Forever my love. Forever moje srce.

EPILOGUE

LEVI

Seven Months Later

I takea deep breath and tighten my hold on Oliver’s hand. In return, he gives me subtle reassurances with small strokes of his thumb along the length of mine.

Those gentle caresses are my favorite.

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