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"I’e of our invest companies I wanted you as head"

I blink

I drawno--so I gave you some ti no"

I’m bloay by the offer I’ atfor, for a long, long time "There are other people who can do that job a thousand tiaze

Love doesn’t lie Everything I’ve never knoanted, I see in his eyes It’s taken time for me to look past my fears and my plans, and now here he is Here I auaranteed tomorrows, Olivia," he says, jaw clenched as he looks attoand just live it I don’t want another second without you Not one" He shakes his head, then pauses and takescloser His voice drops to a low, deep rumble "I once told you I didn’t know if I could love anyone deeply I can and I do More than I ever thought I could"

I’m speechless For the first ti I never kneanted sits next to me in six-feet-plus of muscle and man My friend and my mentor and my lover and mylove

"I told you I loved you," he says, softly, when I don’t respond

My voice sounds soft as cotton "I remember You just said it"

"Any chance I’ll ever hear you say it back?"

I nod frantically fast, trying to find e, and take a look, Olivia I’ers intofor you, you adorable, infuriating, irresistible girl" He thinks about it, then laughs as if at hinant with my children I want your DNA permanently woven with mine"

He waits Then

"Res are never planned?" he asks "In s in ht I’d own my own business one day I never planned for my friends, Saint and Roth I never planned forI never planned for you in uess you can say I had a thousand small business plans, never a personal one You know s to chance" His lips quirk a little in aht years, I was proven right not to have planned for it But then, there was this lovely little blonde on the terrace of Carma, and she asked me for a hit, and I wanted all of her like I’d never wanted anything Those wide, scared eyes, thatand yet I’ here but I don’t even kno I feel so much love that it suddenly infuses every pore of

If I was strong enough to fall for hih to be with him He won’t be easy And the realization that I don’t want his out the best in me, fills me with excitement and relief

"I don’t want you to work for me, Livvy I want you to be ood things with you A future with you And I’ll ride it even if soo our way; all I know is that I want all of it with you You make it better You ently as he looks intohere I’ here" He shakes his head "I blinked one It went by so fast, I don’t want to blink a second tiain, not for a second"

I take his jaw and press ling it so he can kisspecks on his mouth "I wanted to say I loved you and I was afraid"

"Say it," he gruffly colad you did" I laugh when his lips hike up at the corners and his hand clenches convulsively around the back of alaxy "It’s the first tiood to tell you"

He stands and lifts ht you soh and reaches into his back pocket

He handsinside "What kind of gift is this?" I coarette will appear, and out falls a heavy dia onto the center of arette Really Just a s down at me, his eyes brilliant with happiness as he tips my chin up "Are you?"