Page 61 of A Deception of Massive Proportion

She gazed up at him. All of him. It suddenly hit her that he was standing before her without his mask on. Was he feeling self-conscious about his scars? She didn’t want him to feel this way. She reached up and gently touched the side of his face. “Yes,” she whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks.

She let her fingers graze over his perfect skin, then slowly, she reached his scars. They were part of him, and to her, they were beautiful. She gently touched them, hoping to tell him she accepted him. Every part of him. She loved him, unconditionally.

“Please don’t cry,” he said softly as he brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek, catching a teardrop. “I can’t stand it.”

“I’m just so sorry. For everything.” Her heart broke every time she thought of how painful it had to be for him to know her betrayal. She couldn’t bear it.

“I know.” He pulled her to him, and she snuggled into him. “I just don’t want you to feel sorry anymore. I love you, Riley.”

A sob broke out, and she buried her face into his chest. He loved her? Even after what she did? How could he still love her? “Can you ever forgive me?”

He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “I forgive you. For everything.” He lowered until his lips brushed against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.

When he finally pulled back, she touched the side of his face and looked into his eyes. “Thank you. For having enough faith in me to look past my worst mistakes.”

He smiled. “And thank you, for loving me.” After a couple of more kisses, he gave her a quizzical look. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

“When did you find out? What was it that told you who was under the mask?”

She paused, her gaze traveling to his shoulder. “I saw your scars, after the reporter ripped your shirt. But I had suspicions before then. You had Jalen’s phone. And who would fly off the island and leave his dog with someone else?”

Jalen laughed. “I never even thought about Sir Barks giving it away.”

“Can I ask you something?” she said, tentatively.

“Go ahead.”

“Do they hurt? Your scars?”

“Sometimes.”

She bit her lower lip. “How much of your skin…” She couldn’t finish the question.

Jalen understood and pulled back from her. “My shoulder, and down part of my back. I’ve had several skin grafts over the years, which has left my skin looking pretty bad. I don’t go swimming. It scares the children.”

Tears welled again in her eyes, and she cupped his face. “I’m so sorry.”

He stared down at her, his gaze intense. “Do you want to…see them?”

She nodded. “Only if you’re not uncomfortable.”

He slowly unbuttoned his shirt. “Not with you.”

She waited until he’d finished unbuttoning before she carefully slid his shirt over his shoulder, exposing the scarred skin. She ran her fingers lightly over the marks, her tears brimming. “Do you really use special skin cream?” she asked, touching his back where the patches of skin from the grafts could be seen.

“Yes. I am sorry about that, by the way. I knew you wouldn’t find it on the island.”

She placed a soft kiss on his skin. Then she turned him back around and brought his shirt up over his shoulders. “Let’s not say we’re sorry anymore.” She leaned forward and kissed his lips. “Let’s just start fresh from here.”

He smiled at her, his thumbs grazing over her cheeks, wiping at her tears. “I like the sound of that.”

She wrapped her arms around him and snuggled into his chest. Somehow, she’d become the luckiest woman in the world, to have found a man like Jalen. Her heart burst with happiness at the thought. She’d come to the island to unmask him. She hadn’t realized she would complete her mission and fall in love with him in the process.

Epilogue

One Year Later

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