Page 59 of The Runaway Bride and the Billionaire

He stared at me in shock for a long moment. My breath stilled as I waited for him to respond. Was I truly ready to hear the truth? Could I handle knowing he’d loved another woman?

When Matteo finally spoke, his words were a soft whisper. “The ring is for you, Amelia.”

“What? When did you… ”

My words trailed off. I didn’t know how to respond to that.

Matteo sighed. “I bought the ring for you five years ago. I was going to propose to you that day in the park. The day you ended things with me, this ring was in my pocket.”

His words hit me like a freight train. I fell back onto the couch because my feet couldn’t hold me up anymore. Matteo was going to propose the day I broke up with him. I’d broken his heart while the ring he bought for me sat in his pocket. It sounded so awful.

I didn’t even realize when a single tear streamed down my face. My tears fell in quick succession and a sob racked my body. I looked up at Matteo again. He was kneeling by my side. He’d rushed over to me the moment I fell on the couch.

“I’m… I’m so sorry,” I said, my voice breaking as I cried. “Please f-forgive me.”

Matteo wiped my tears. “There’s nothing to forgive. I’m not angry with you. Maybe I was before but I’ve let all of that go. The past doesn’t matter to me anymore. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I tried to make my tears stop but they poured out relentlessly. It was as if I was crying all the tears I hadn’t cried in years. I cried for us. We’d lost so much time because I listened to my parentsand let go of the only man I’d ever loved. I cried for Matteo. I couldn’t imagine how painful it must have been to have your girlfriend dump you when you were about to propose to her.

Lastly, I cried for myself. I cried for the love I’d lost years ago and the version of myself who had been too weak to fight for that love. I wasn’t weak anymore. I planned to fight for this love forever. I would never let anything come between us again.

I looked up at Matteo and he wiped my tears before speaking. “I can change the ring if you’d like. I can get you something more remarkable and more fitting of your—”

“No!” I shouted, cutting him off abruptly. “Please don’t change it. This ring is perfect. I don’t want another one.”

I couldn’t imagine having any other ring on my finger. This was the one I wanted. The ring was a testament to how much he knew me and how much he loved me. The emerald gem was a match for my green eyes and the delicate gold band was beautiful. It truly was perfect.

I couldn’t believe he’d kept this ring for me all these years. That could only mean one thing. Matteo never stopped loving me. Even though we were apart, his heart was still with me and mine was with him.

“In that case,” Matteo said, his voice bringing me out of my thoughts. He reached for the ring box. “I was planning something a bit more—”

I cut him off again. I needed him to understand that just being with him was enough. I didn’t want anything more. “I don’t want more, Matteo. I just want you.”

He smiled at me. Then he opened the ring box. “Amelia Pierson, will you marry me?”

I didn’t even have to think about my answer. It burst out of me. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Matteo slipped the ring onto my finger. It was a perfect fit. He stood up and pulled me into his arms. We kissed and, in thatmoment, I felt complete. It felt like I’d finally found what I’d been missing all these years.

Being apart from him was like walking around with half a heart. Now my heart was complete. He made me whole again and I never wanted anything to separate us. I wouldn’t allow it.

I was going to spend the rest of my life loving this man. No matter what comes our way I promise to love him always and forever.

Look at me, already saying my vows, I thought with a smile.

I looked at the ring and then back at my fiancé. I couldn’t wait to be his wife and soon, I would be. Soon I would be Mrs. Hayes.

Mrs. Amelia Hayes.

It had a nice ring to it.

Amelia

Epilogue

Istared at myself in the mirror and watched as a tear slipped down my eye. Lisa immediately rushed to my side. She dabbed up the tear as carefully as she could. Thankfully it hadn’t ruined my makeup.

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