Page 31 of When Love Changes Everything

"What can I do to make this right?" I ask, wishing I could rewind the clock and start over.

She lifts her gaze to mine. "Tell me why you didn't talk to me before you left?"

"I was ashamed," I admit. "I had an affair—with a married woman who, as fate would have it, turned out to be the wife of my future son-in-law. And if that wasn’t enough, for a time, I believed their son was mine."

I pause, my throat tightening, the memory as suffocating as it is vivid. "For the first time in my life, I looked in the mirror... and I hated the man staring back at me. I despised the fact that what I'd done was affecting my daughter's future. I couldn’t face you,hermosa. I couldn’t bear the thought of disappointing you too. So I left."

"If you had reached out before leaving, or even after," she begins, "I would have told you that the only one to blame was Marian. She was the one who was married at the time. She was the one who cheated."

"I also wasn't ready to face the fact that I'd fallen in love with you," I say, my voice unwavering, each word a vow I’m desperate to keep. "You're almost half my age. But it doesn't change the fact that I fell in love with you. I love you, Annalisa."

"Don't call me that," she murmurs, her defenses still raised.

"Please forgive me." I say, bracing myself for the rejection I fear will come.

"Okay," she nods. "I forgive you, but don't you dare hurt me again."

"I promise," I say, leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek.

"Say it," she says. "I need you to realize how important this is to me."

"I promise," I repeat. "I will never disappoint you again. I will never hurt you again."

She sighs and then smiles faintly, looking up at me. "Is this considered our first fight?" she asks.

"I wouldn't call it a fight," I say, matching her smile. "It was a heated discussion."

"You know what most couples do after a fight," she teases.

"What?" I ask, feigning ignorance.

Her smile deepens, a faint spark of trust returning to her gaze. "They have makeup se—"

I cut her off, my lips capturing hers in a kiss that is as tender as it is a silent confession of everything I feel for her. When I finally pull back, just enough to meet her gaze, my voice is steady. “Let’s set a date,hermosa. Let's get married.”

A radiant smile breaks across her face. “Are you serious?” she whispers, her words brushing against my lips before she leans in, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to them.

"I'm dead serious," I say, kissing her back.

"We just got engaged," she says with a laugh, stealing another kiss.

"I don’t want a long engagement," I murmur, my lips lingering on hers.

"I have to figure out what I’m going to do with the business," she whispers against my mouth.

"You were serious about moving to Mérida with me?" I ask, my lips grazing hers.

"I go where you go," she smiles, kissing me again.

"Hermosa," I murmur, my voice hushed as I press another kiss to her lips.

"Uh, hum?" she murmurs against my lips, her smile teasing.

"I want you to come to Mérida with me but only so I can tie up loose ends and move here permanently," I say, my words carrying the weight of my commitment.

"What?" she says, pulling back to look at me, confusion flickering in her eyes.

"I want to live here," I say, my gaze steady, determined. "I want to be close to Lily, to my grandchild—and most of all, I want to be here with you. This is where I belong. You have something extraordinary here, and you need to keep building it. Make your business a success so undeniable that your father will have no choice but to eat every bit of the humble pie he deserves."

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