Page 82 of The Lady and the Footballer
He might not be the most eloquent of men, but he knew his feelings and how to put them into words.
“I love you. With all my heart. I know that I have given you so many excuses for us not to be together, but the truth is, I’mnot sure that I can go on without you by my side. I thought I had figured out a plan to support us, my mother, and my sisters, but now that it seems I am wanted for theft, there might not be a way forward for us to be together. But I needed you to know how I felt. And that I would do anything within my power for us to be with one another – if you would have me and the life I have to offer.”
He had sobered now as the reality of the situation washed over him, that even though he had thought he had figured out a way to make it all work, none of it meant a thing now that Lord Montgomery had won.
“Oh, Colin, of course,” she said, a hitch in her voice as she attempted to keep it strong. “I love you more than I ever imagined was possible, and I want nothing more than to build a life together. After all that has happened since that first kiss, I wasn’t sure if the risk would be worth it to you. If… ifIwas worth it.”
“You are worth hundreds of arrests and thefts and being stuck in a mill overnight,” he said with a laugh. “I love you, Lily.”
He bent and took her lips with his. They had kissed before, yes, but this time was different. This time, all they felt for one another surged between them as she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close, as though she would never let him go.
He wished that were the case – that they could stay in one another’s arms when they fell asleep at night, that when they woke in the morning, her face would be the first he would see.
The urgency grew between them, building to a promise of so much more, but Colin forced himself to break away, setting her back away from him.
“If only we could do more, Lily, but this will have to be enough for tonight,” he said with a sigh, resting his forehead against hers, wishing this night had ended differently.
“And after tonight?” she asked. “What comes then?”
The sound of a carriage's wheels on the cobblestones reached them, and Colin knew that it was the Daughtry carriage returning.
“That,” he said as he kissed her forehead, “we will have to determine tomorrow. It was foolish to bring me here first. I should be seeing you home.”
“No, you cannot,” she said. “For you to return to Ellesmere would be folly. But I could stay here. What would it matter anymore?”
He leaned down and kissed her, his eyes shining at her. “You must be aware of how much I would love to have you stay with me. But we must think about the future. If there is any chance that we see one another again, it will be through doing this the proper way.”
“Must we?”
He released a low laugh. “Do not look at me like that, for then this might be a different story.”
She dropped her gaze. “Very well. Emmaline and her mother are still within. Find me tomorrow, please?”
“Of course,” he said, holding her close, squeezing her so tightly that the pain in his ribs made him gasp, but he was trying to fill her up with all the love he could give her, knowing that this might be the last time he could ever do so if the constable found him and he couldn’t defend himself.
“If I must leave you, then I will make this better,” she promised, her eyes filled with so much conviction that he desperately wanted to believe her. “There is only one thing that you must do.”
“Name it.”
“You must trust me. Do not run away. Do not deny me. Do not tell me that I would be better off without you or that I do notdeserve you. I just need a bit of time and a little more patience. Can you do that for me? Please?”
“I told you that I would do anything for you, Lily,” he said, looking deeply into her eyes. “And I am a man of my word. Just know that I will be here, no matter what you need. I will not leave you again.”
“Thank you,” she said, a tear finally slipping from below her eyelids. Her voice fell to a whisper. “No one has ever trusted me like you have. Ever.”
“And I’ll never stop,” he said, placing one last chaste yet meaningful kiss on her lips. “Goodnight, Lily.”
“Goodnight, Colin.”
Colin hobbled around the back bedroom in Tommy’s house. He knew he was putting his friend at risk, but he couldn’t return home–not at the moment, when there was likely a warrant out for his arrest.
It had pained him to continue on past his house last night, for he knew his mother and sisters would have questions and be overly worried, especially when he didn’t return home.
He had entered the back door at Tommy’s small rooms overtop of the blacksmith, surprising him. But Tommy was happy to host him and had even paid a quick visit to Colin’s mother to assure her that all was well – or as well as could be given the circumstances.
“What’s your plan here, Colin?” Tommy asked as he sat in front of the small fire, his legs crossed at the ankle as he rested his feet on a small wooden footrest. “First, you were concerned about not having a job to look after your family. Now, you cannoteven show your face around the city without possibly being arrested.”
“Now I wait.”
