Page 37 of Falling for Paris
“I love you,” he blurted, face earnest and beseeching. Rafael was always gorgeous, but at the moment, his expression of devotion took her breath away.
“Before you go, you should know,” he continued. “I’ve fallen for you, Victoria Espinoza. And as ridiculous as I might sound giving my heart to someone who’s about to leave, I’ll never regret loving you. Not for a minute and not for the rest of my life.”
Happiness overcame her. His confession blasted all reservations. Tori let herself feel everything.Everythingshe could hardly admit to herself through the last few weeks. All of her excitement and her concern; all of her admiration and her hopes. Most of all, she let those emotions concentrate to one undeniable truth: love. She loved this man with all her heart.
“It isn’t ridiculous,” she said with a smile so wide it strained her cheeks. “It isn’t ridiculous because I feel the same way. I love you too, Rafael.”
They kissed tenderly. After the heat of their passion, the slow sweep of his lips against hers was a soothing balm. She inhaled his aroma and sank into his heat.
In the last few weeks, she had experienced flashes of lust and excitement that took her breath away. But under all of that attraction was something else: a warm and all-encompassing sense of belonging. The more time they spent together, the easier it was to believe that being together was meant to be. It was a dangerous thought when she didn’t know the extent of his feelings. But now? Tori sank deep into the comfort of belonging to the only man she would ever want.
Even the small amount of help she offered to ease his pain when it attacked him—sitting with him and knowing they would get through it together—eventhatfelt like home. If she gave comfort, he gave something more. Something so essential to her happiness and sense of purpose, it was hard to find the right words. Till now.
Love. She was in love. As swift and unlikely as it was, Tori let herself feel all of it. The depth of her feelings and the unbelievable relief that he loved her too. Rafael loved her. Her heart was bursting and happiness scattered from the explosion. Happiness was in their connection, in everything they created in the kitchen, in the adventures they shared.
When they parted reluctantly, Rafael spoke. “Let’s make the most of your time before you leave. Maybe an overnight trip. Burgundy is about a three-hour drive and we wouldn’t have to rush back. Would you like that?”
There wasn’t much she wouldn’t agree to, at this point. “That would be amazing. Yes, let’s do it.”
They kissed again, holding each other while she let her hand roam over the rough terrain of his arm. Rafael stiffened beside her and almost pulled away, but then she entwined their fingers. He relaxed his tense muscles and kissed her knuckles affectionately. It felt like a victory.
Ironically, the injury that he thought would scare her away was what brought them together. It was a sign of his resilience and strength. Most of all, showing her his scars was tangible proof of his trust.
They held each other in bed. Tori relished his warmth and strength. Sleepy satisfaction transformed her bones to mush. As she settled even deeper in his arms, something snagged in the recesses of her brain. Like a pesky whisper before slumber silenced everything.
Let’s make the most of your time before you leave. Before you leave. Before you leave.
***
The words returned to her consciousness while she was packing an overnight bag.
As the final days of her vacation approached, there had been opportunities to talk about what would happen after she went back to the US. What had she hoped for? Certainly a conversation. Now that they declared their love for each other, surely, she could hope for more.
Rafael was wrapping up his toiletries when she turned to him. “So, after this overnight trip, I’ll probably go straight to Paris to catch my flight. We hadn’t talked about it, Rafael. What happens when I leave. How do you imagine us?”
“What do you mean?” he asked breezily before kissing her on the way out the door. He smelled like mint and aftershave.
Alarm short-circuited her system. Before he left the room, she reached out to graze his shoulder. “I mean, how do you imagine us? What happens when I leave? You’ve never brought it up. Don’t you think it’s important to talk about it?”
“Talk about what?” he asked, confused.
“Us.” Insecurity threatened to choke her vocal cords but she managed the word.
Looking even more confused, if that was possible, Rafael said, “You seemed perfectly happy to let the time pass without this conversation.”
She stayed calm but her breathing shallowed. “You’re right. I should have brought it up, too. So that’s what I’m doing. Bringing it up.”
His mouth opened but no sound came out. A flush of embarrassment heated her face. “You didn’t think about this at all, did you? About me?”
His chuckle was humorless. “Trust me when I say you are all I think about,mon ange.”
Her anxiety alleviated somewhat, enough for her to close the distance and put their bodies flush. She lay her head on his chest where his heart was beating hard and fast.
“Don’t you think now is a good time to talk about it? Not that I have any brilliant ideas or concrete expectations. Things happened so fast. But falling in love with you changes everything.” A nervous sound escaped in a whimper. “You weren’t just going to drop me off at the airport without a plan, right?”
He pulled back and held her forearms. She was in front of him but the connection was strained, like a rubber band that could either bounce back or snap in half.
“Of course not,” he mumbled. “Yes, we should talk but I thought we would figure things out after you leave, that’s all.”
