Page 22 of Wait for You

She shook her head. “I would’ve found a way to make the shelters happen without him.”

A sigh filtered out of Mat. “I know you coulda, but it woulda meant losin’ your family. I know what it’s like not havin’ one, and I didn’t want to do that to you. I didn’t want you to have to choose.”

“So you took the choice away from me?” Her voice wobbled with unshed tears. “But I would’ve chosen you.” Imogen leaned in, eyes shining. “Mat, I would’ve chosenus.”

The past became a physical ache, hammering at his chest. He touched her cheek, capturing a tear that escaped. “I know,querida. But I wasn’t worth you losin’ your family over.”

“I thoughtyouwere my family.” Her quiet statement shook him like an earthquake.

Hearing her say that shifted something inside Mat. All those years of being shuffled through foster homes, never being good enough to stay, had wormed its way into his soul like a virus. It was stealthy, hurting him without him realizing it. Making him question his worth and what he deserved out of life. But hearing Imogen say those words helped him beat it. The hurt he’d harbored for feeling like he hadn’t been good enough rolled off him, no longer trapping him with its weight.

If he’d known she felt that way . . . would he have walked away five years ago?

He’d never wanted to cost Imogen her parents, but they could’ve talked it out. Worked through it. He hadn’t given them the chance. Maybe it had been plain old fear or the potential pain of rejection that really made him walk away.

The thought was an unsettling one he’d have to examine more later. Right now, the only thing he wanted was to kiss the woman he never stopped loving.

CHAPTER 8

Imogen

The tension that had been building with their conversation hit a combustion point. Mateo’s head lowered as Imogen’s lifted, their mouths meeting before she realized how much she wanted—needed—his kiss.

This place, this man, felt like home. Comfy and warm, not the cold palace she’d grown up in. The reminder brought back what he’d told her. It hurt that he’d given up on them, but at least now she knew why. She’d spent years waiting for him to come back, alternately wondering what she’d done or how she’d managed to misread his feelings for her. Now, she knew she hadn’t.

He did have feelings for me.

Knowing he’d cared bored a hole in the ice guarding her heart. She traced her palms up the soft flannel of his shirt before locking them behind his neck. His lips were soft but urgent, and everything she remembered.

His spicy orange scent filled her senses, wrapped around her heart, and squeezed. He looked, tasted, and smelled like her Mat, but she couldn’t forget the five years in between. Five years they could’ve shared instead of spending them aching and alone.

Though it was a struggle, she made herself break the kiss. She dropped her arms from his neck, but his palms came up to frame her face. Tears built in the back of her eyes. She wanted him with a need so strong it choked her.

Gripping his wrists, she tried to keep the strain from her voice. “Mat—” Just saying his name had the waterworks threatening to spill over. Desperate, she blinked them back. “I don’t thin—”

His thumbs caressed her cheeks. “I still love you, Imogen.”

She felt suddenly much too warm as if someone cranked the heat up a hundred degrees. “You . . . love me?” Her expression had to be comical, but she struggled to processthosewords coming out ofhismouth.

Mat in love with her?

She wondered if she was dreaming. Maybe she was still passed out and imagined all of this. Lord knew she’d been wishing for this moment for years.

“Yes. I was in love with you five years ago, and I . . .” His eyes closed as if he needed to gather strength before he opened them with a sigh. “I never stopped.”

She felt dizzy and lifted a hand to her head. “Esto esunsueño,no?”

Mat grinned and grabbed the hand she’d lifted. “You’re not dreamin’, Gen.”

Her legs refused to hold her up any longer. She would’ve fallen, but he caught her, lowering them to the sofa.

Saltwater leaked from her eyes, but she was powerless to stop it. “I feel like I’ve waited an eternity to hear you say those words.”

Mat wiped her tears away. Then he leaned in and kissed her gently on the forehead before drawing her into his chest. “Perdóname, mi amor. I shoulda told you years ago.”

Could she forgive him as he asked?

Little by little, the ice guarding her heart melted, but she worried what would happen when it was left unprotected. Her heart might forgive him, but her brain warned her to becautious. He’d loved her then and walked away. Would he do the same thing again?

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