Page 153 of The Winslow Brothers

“Just hear me out for five minutes, and then if you never want to see me again, I’ll leave you alone.”But please don’t make me leave you alone. I love you too much.

“I’m supposed to call a client that’s been riding my assistant’s ass for the past week to get in touch with me,” she answers, but also, she searches my eyes for a beat before adding, “So, you’re going to have to make this quick.”

She unlocks her apartment door and pointedly holds it open for me to step inside. Which I do, but after I set the bags down on her kitchen counter, I turn to her.

“I know this might be a big ask, but can you follow me somewhere?”

“Jude.”

“Please?” I beg.

“Where am I supposed to follow you to?”

“I have a feeling you’re really going to hate this answer…” I pause and cringe a little. “But I can’t tell you that until we get there.”

She sighs. “I don’t think—”

I cut her off by walking over and pulling her hands into mine. They come easily, like they want to be there, and she doesn’t pull away, which I take as a good sign.

“Just five minutes, Soph. And I promise it’s not anything crazy.”

She sighs again. Stares down at our interlocked hands, and just as she lets go of mine and my heart feels as if it drops out of my stomach, she says, “Fine. Lead the way.”

An inkling of hope. I’ll fucking take it.

Out of her apartment and into the elevator, she follows me, and I’m sure I glance over my shoulder a hundred times to make sure she doesn’t attempt to run.

But she doesn’t. She also doesn’t look at me at all, her eyes fixated on the ground and her arms crossed below her breasts, but she stays.

The elevator doors open directly onto the rooftop, and Sophie’s brow furrows as she steps out to find a hundred LED tealight candles—not a fire risk, thank fuck—covering every surface of the ground around us. Along with what have to be at least fifty large vases filled with flowers that guide an open pathway toward a perfect spot on the deck that showcases the city.

“Oh my God.” A hand goes to her mouth. “Did you do all this?”

“With some help, yes.”

Sure, I didn’t actually do the setup, but I was part of the planning process. Especially when it came to the flowers. I made sure exact replicas of bouquets I’d watched her quietly admire at the Venetian were made.

Her green eyes move to mine, and I swear it looks as if a few tears sit behind her lids.

I reach out with my hand, hoping she’ll at least let me lead her a little farther, and my heart starts pounding wildly inside my chest when she actually does, placing her small hand in mine again.

If I could just hold this woman’s hand for the rest of my life, I’d be happy.

I stop right at the end of the path of flowers and grasp both of her hands in mine. She looks up at me with eyes that clearly don’t know what to expect, and I know now is the time for me to man the fuck up.

And on a deep breath, I do.

“Do you remember on the plane to Vegas when you asked me if I had any regrets, and I said I had none?”

She nods.

“Well, I do, Sophie.” I begin to tell her everything I desperately need her to hear. “I have one giant regret, and it was the night you had to kick me out of your apartment because of the horrible things I said. The way I acted like I didn’t have feelings for you—and especially because I made you cry.” I admit the painful events out loud. “Seeing you cry and knowing I was the one responsible? That crushed me.Stillcrushes me. I never should’ve left that night. I should’ve stayed. I should’ve faced what I was feeling for you, and I should’ve told you the truth.”

One small tear slips down her cheeks, and there’s a part of me that wants to stop, fearful that I’m somehow hurting her all overagain, but there’s another part of me that needs her to hear the rest. Needs her to understand the truth.

I gently squeeze her hands and continue.

“You scared the hell out of me, babe. But it’s because you’re everything I want and need, and I’ve never felt like I needed anyone. But fuck,I need you. You make me a better man. You make me want all of the things I’ve always told myself I didn’t want. And you’ve stolen my heart,” I say while my eyes plead for her to really listen to these next words. “I’m in love with you, Sophie.I love you.With everything inside of me. And I know it took me far too fucking long to realize that, but see, I’ve never been in love before. So, I guess I’m hoping you’ll understand that it’s a bit of a learning curve for a man like me.”

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