Page 10 of Five Mistletoe Moments
Her anguish made him hold her tighter. “I don’t plan to break your heart. I want to protect it. If you’ll let me.”
She held his gaze for the longest time before nodding.
“I’ll try to do a better job at communicating.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Dwight swung her up in his arms, turned and sat on the lounger with her in his lap. He didn’t talk, just held her cradled against his heart.
Several minutes passed before she asked, “Did someone break your heart, too?”
“Yes, but not in the way you think.”
Mia sat up and frowned. “What do you mean? It’s not like there’s a nice way to do it.”
He closed his eyes briefly to gather his thoughts. At some point, he figured he’d have to share what happened. “Her name was Elena. She and I were close friends. We grew up together and always hung out together, whether with other friends or just us two. Somewhere along the line, my feelings started to change from friendship to something else, but I didn’t tell her.”
“Because you didn’t want to ruin the friendship,” she said perceptively.
“Exactly. My brother told me I should because he thought she might’ve felt the same, but I waited until I was sure it wasn’t a passing infatuation.” Dwight’s chest tightened. “It wasn’t. I’d made up my mind to tell her. We had dinner plans and she said she had something to tell me, too. She’d been feeling sick for a few months but would never go to the doctor. I finally convinced her to make the appointment. She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia.” He would never forget that night. They left the restaurant before ordering, drove to a park, sat in the car and cried together. It had been the first time he remembered crying in his adult life. The second time was when they lowered her body into the ground. A touch on his face drew him out of his thoughts.
“Oh, Dwight. I’m so sorry.”
“So was I. After that, it never seemed to be the right time with all the treatments and setbacks. I stayed by her side and in less than two years, she was gone,” he finished, his voice cracking. “She never knew how much I loved her. So, yes my heart was broken…broken from what would never be. Yesterday was the fourth anniversary of her death. It took me a long time to come to grips with losing her and for a while, I didn’t think I’d ever want to put my heart on the line again. Suffering the loss of your parents, I’m sure you can understand.”
“I do, and it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through.” Mia placed a soft kiss on his lips. “I believe she knew.”
“You and I both know that life doesn’t offer any guarantees.” Dwight palmed her face. “I promised myself that if I found someone else, I wouldn’t wait. That I would make her mine. I know you believe this thing between us is moving fast, and maybe it is, but I know what I want…whoI want. I want you, Mia. I wantus. Trust me with your heart, baby. I promise to take good care of it.”
“What about your heart? Will you trust me with it?”
“I already do.”
She gasped softly, her eyes searching his. “What are you saying?”
He smiled faintly. “I’ve fallen in love with you. You are my fate, my destiny.”
“Kismet?”
“Kismet. And I’m going to do everything in my power to prove to you this is the real thing and make you fall right with me.”
“I…I think I’m getting there.”
“Good.” And by the time they left, she’d be all the way there.
* * *
The confrontation with Jermaine, coupled with the conversation with Dwight left Mia mentally drained. She excused herself and went to lay down. Before she got comfortable, she sent a text to Alana, letting her know what happened with Jermaine. She didn’t have to wait long for her friend’s response:I can’t believe his dumb ass followed you to another country over a stupid auction. I’m glad Dwight was there. Oh, and Marcel said if he shows his face in the bar again, it’ll be the last thing he does.Mia chuckled and shook her head. As the middle child, Marcel managed the bar’s security team. He was former military, a former amateur boxer and an all-around badass. And she was glad to have him as a surrogate big brother. Tossing her phone on the bed, she stretched out and closed her eyes.
She tossed and turned for what seemed like forever, and couldn’t shut her mind off thinking about what Dwight had shared. To love your best friend from afar while watching her slowly die had to be heartbreaking. If that had happened with her parents, Mia didn’t know how she would’ve made it. With it being close to the anniversary of Elena’s death, it made Mia wonder whether that had been the reason for the sadness she’d seen in his eyes at the bar. The reason she felt compelled to find a way to talk to him. Had he been right…that their meeting was fate, destiny?
Flipping over she let out a sigh. She couldn’t believe he confessed to being in love with her. From the day they’d met, Dwight had displayed a tenderness and sense of caring toward her that seemed to be an ingrained part of him and she dared any woman to remain unmoved. Truthfully, she’d fallen in love with him, too, but she was still afraid to put her heart completely on the line. Could she trust what she felt this time? The question played over in her head until she drifted off.
Mia felt something on her face and swatted it away. In the recesses of her mind, she thought she heard male laughter. The touch came again.
“Wake up, sleepyhead.”
She bolted upright.
