Page 40 (1/2)

Maria stood up, eyes flashing and he could see the heartbreaking fear and pain beneath the anger in theht in front of ether and I won’t be the other woer!"

"I told you I don’t love Olivia! I only got engaged to her for the children And I just broke ement to her, so don’t use her as an excuse to run!" he snarled

She paled, but said, "But she loves you, I can tell! Why would you end your engageht for you?"

Gabriel swore, knowing he had to convince her of the truth or Maria would leave him "I didn’t realize that she loved ement, but it doesn’t make any difference I don’t love her and I can’t, because I’m in love with you"

Maria stared at hi in any of the ways he anticipated, she said flatly, "I don’t believe you"

"What?" he stared at her, barely able to process what he was hearing "What do you mean, you don’t believeyou I don’t believe you!" she yelled suddenly "How can you love me when you have Olivia?"

"Because I don’t love Olivia, I love you!" he roared back "Why won’t you believe --you have to know I’ you the truth!"

He frantically tried to think of what he could have done that would cause her to doubt him to this extent "Is it because I didn’t pull ahen Olivia kissed me? I wanted to, God I wanted to, but I didn’t want to es off with her I’ain, I wouldn’t hesitate to push her away, I swear"

He saw the doubt still on her face, the fear How could he make her understand what she meant to him?

"You were the first woman I slept with after Elle died I hadn’t even been teed my life--I haven’t lied to you"

Maria was shocked by his revelation that he’d been celibate for four years before they ether did mean as much to him as it did to her, but there was still one question she had to know the answer to, even if it hurt her

"Did you sleep with Olivia?" Maria whispered, hating herself for asking, for caring

"Yes," he aded, ical step rather than froreat desire, at least oncompared to e shared" He al of her nearly the entire time he ith Olivia, and had felt like an absolute bastard for doing so

She bit her lip, trying not to feel devastated at the idea of his he did to her with Olivia, and failing ht to be upset or jealous, but I hate that you ith her!"

"That’s true--you don’t have the right," he told her softly, and then when she gasped, the ache fro burn in her, he said, "You don’t have the right--yet I want to give you that right, if you’ll letsoIt was everything she’d ever wanted, and ive--but she could no longer hide from her fear

"But how can you be so sure that you love me? No one has really wanted me before, not since my parents died Not my foster parents, nor even the Church--they all foundin some essential way I even failed as a nun!" Maria cried

Realization swept through Gabriel and all he wanted to do was to hold her close to his heart and never let go He could finally see the root of her fear It wasn’t him she doubted--it was herself

She didn’t think she was enough for him

If she let hi to her that she was

"How can you see yourself as a failure?" he asked her tenderly "So what if you were a terrible nun? I’lad for it--if you weren’t a terrible nun, then I would never have o of the past, you helped ht love and joy back intoas you, or as purely loveable How can I not love you, with all my heart, body and soul?"

Gabriel’s soul was in his eyes, and Maria couldn’t look away as hope, delicate yet powerful, rose inside her

"Christht?" he said "Well I consider you to be iven miracle, because He saand losing Elle, I know exactly how fragile life can be I won’t give you up, and I won’t let you give us up So as far as I’m concerned, there’s only one question left that needs to be answered, and everything depends on it

Do you love me?" He held his breath, desperate to hear the words fro, more than I can say, I love you"

She suddenly smiled wistfully "How could I resist you? I’ve been in love with you since our night together, practically since the moment I first saw you play the piano That’s the real reason I ran away the next s and knowing you wouldn’t feel the same How could you?"

"My love, I adore you but you can be incredibly dense," he said tenderly

Maria gave a choked laugh, nodding in agree you’d have realized that I felt the saht as well, and I was deterht of the rest of our lives together"

"I’m just so scared that one day you’ll wake up and realize that you made a horrible ht ly at her "I think it’s safe to say that I’ that you’ll ever find, but you knoell as I do that life couarantees All I can do is to proht for us, but you have to trust me, and trust in our love Do you?"

After an endless moment, Maria nodded and slowly s across her face "I do"

Gabriel shuddered, nearly sagging in relief and glorious, unrestrained joy He held out his arh that was nearly a sob, Maria practically leapt into his ar up to cage hihtly as she held hi in the sweet, unique scent of Maria