Page 94 of Hold You Close
The crowd around me murmurs and shifts. Something compels me to jump out of the line, leaving my small suitcase behind. I shove people aside and hurdle the yellow security ropes, not easy in heels and a skirt.
“There she is!” A younger voice, female.
I spin around, my jaw dropping open. Then I clasp my hands over my mouth. Running toward me is Ian, carrying Ruby, followed by Morgan and Christopher. The kids are in their pajamas, Ian is wearing sweatpants, flip-flops, and an old UNLV T-shirt—clothing I was sure he normally wouldn’t be caught dead in outside the house—and his hair is a total mess. He looks insane.
But I’ve never seen anything more beautiful than the sight of them rushing toward me, never heard anything as heartwarming as the sound of them calling my name, never known a feeling as deep and powerful as the love I feel for them as they reached me.
“London,” Ian chokes out, setting a smiling Ruby down and leaning forward, hands braced on his knees as he caught his breath. “Thank God.”
“What’s going on?” I shake my head, amazed and baffled. “What are you doing here?”
“He’s fighting for you!” Morgan claps her hands and jumps up and down. Even Christopher is wearing a grin.
“Hush.” Ian gently pushes his niece aside and takes my hands. “London. Don’t get on that plane. Don’t go.”
“I have to, Ian. I took the job like you told me to.” My eyes fill again. “Remember what you said? ‘There’s nothing here worth staying for.’”
“I lied.”
“What?” I shrink back a little and search his face, but it’s open and earnest.
“I lied to keep you from turning down the job for me. I didn’t want you to resent me for ruining your career, for holding you back.”
My heart is pounding. “But I told you I didn’t care about my career as much as I cared about you. About us. And you still told me to go.”
Ian squeezes my hands. His eyes are glossy with unshed tears. “I know. And I’m sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing by making it easy for you to leave, but I was wrong. And I don’t want to make the same mistake again.”
“Again?” Something prickles on the back of my neck. “What do you mean?”
Ian takes a breath. “The first time we were together, I hurt you on purpose so you’d use your scholarship and go to Northwestern. I couldn’t let you give up your education, your dream, just to stay with me. I wasn’t worth it.”
“You . . . you hurt me on purpose?” The truth sinks in hard and fast, a knife through the heart.
He nods miserably. “I did what I thought I had to do. But letting you go hurt me too, Lon. Believe me. I meant everything I said to you that night. Watching you walk away from me at Sabrina’s party was pure torture. But I had to.”
I’m beyond shocked. “All this time . . . Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“I tried, when you came back.” He shakes his head. “You wouldn’t listen to me.”
I bite my lip, wanting to defend myself but knowing he’s right. I made up my mind about him the moment I saw him at that party with another girl at his side. But if he’s telling the truth, and in my gut I feel like he is, then this could change everything. “So that was all an act? Then . . . and now?”
“Yes.” He moved closer and lowers his voice. “I never stopped loving you. Ever. Even when we fought, even when I pretended to hate you, even when I tried to forget you, you’ve always been the one.”
God, I want to believe him. But I’m scared. “Don’t say things you don’t mean. It’s not fair.”
He cradles my face in his hands and looks me right in the eye. “I mean every word I’m telling you, London. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone. You’ve made me happier than I’ve ever been before. Without you, I’ll be lonely and miserable for the rest of my life, hating myself for pushing you away, when all I really want to do is hold you close.” He crushes his lips to mine. “Stay with me. Stay with us. Where you belong.”
I don’t think. I don’t move. I don’t even breathe. All I can do is feel. And in my heart I know this is my dream—this man, this family, this life we’re building together. “Yes,” I whisper, and a second later his lips are on mine, his arms are wrapped around me, and I’m being lifted right off the floor. People in the crowd cheer and whistle and applaud, and the kids hug each other and then us. I’m still crying, but the tears are happy now, and Ian is holding on to me so tight, it’s as if he’ll never let go.
“I love you,” he keeps whispering in my ear. “I love you so much, and I’ll never let you go.”
Eventually, we open our arms to the kids, and even Christopher, red-faced and grumbling a little, lets us include him in one big embrace. I’m sure we look a little crazy and ridiculous, but I don’t care.
I’ll never forget this moment as long as I live—a happy ending to one chapter of my life, but a brand new start to another.
I can’t wait to see where love will lead us.
Twenty-Three
