“But making myself unhappy wasn’t the answer.”
“It’s not,” I agreed, shaking my head.
He held my gaze, and I could feel all the things he wanted to ask but was too scared to. I understood that fear. It matched my own.
“Ella, please tell me that the kiss last night didn’t mean anything. If you can just say those words to me again, I’ll be able to walk away. I’ll be able to move on.” His gaze intensified. “But if it did mean something, please put me out of my misery.”
The memory of his lips on mine washed over me. I wanted to forget how kissing him felt, but it was seared into my soul. It didn’t just mean something, it meant everything.
Tears brimmed my eyes once more. I was tired of fighting this. I was tired of trying to figure out my relationship with Asher. I wanted to jump in with two feet. I was going to be honest no matter what happened after this.
“It meant something to me,” I whispered as a tear slipped down my cheek.
Asher stared at me as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard me right. Not wanting him to second-guess what I’d said, I closed the space between us. I reached down and grabbed his hand before bringing it up to press it against my lips. I could feel him watching me.
“I’m in love with you,” I said as I lifted my gaze to meet his.
“What?” he asked, his voice deep and hoarse.
“I love you. As more than just a friend. Ilove,love you. I want to be with you.”
He straightened so that he was towering over me. He reached up and cupped my cheek. He held my gaze as he lifted his thumb and slowly dragged it across my lips. It sent shivers cascading across my skin.
“You love me?” he asked, searching my face.
“I love you.” My gaze turned shy as I held his. “Do you love me?”
He dipped down and brushed his lips against mine. His kiss was featherlight. I leaned into him, but he pulled back so he could study me once more.
“I’ve loved you for so long. I tried to stop. I wanted to do what you asked, but I couldn’t.”
A tear slid down my cheek, but he caught it with his thumb.
“Ella, I was ready to tell you that I was going to wait. That I would be here for you no matter what. I didn’t think that you’d ever say…” He closed his eyes and tipped his forehead to meet mine.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and rose up onto my tiptoes. My lips found his, and this time I kissed him with every ounce of feeling I had. I wanted to show him how he made me feel. I was so lucky to fall in love with my best friend.
Our lips moved in unison like this was a song we’d been waiting to sing. He wrapped his arm around my waist and lifted me up before turning and setting me down on the counter. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his shoulders as I drew him to me.
I felt so complete, pressed against him. He wrapped both arms around me. My entire body warmed from his touch. I parted my lips, and he met me with the same passion and desperation that I felt for him.
This was the man I loved. The man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. This was the man I wanted to marry. The man I wanted to father my children.
He was my person. My everything.
The desire to hear once more how he felt about me took over. I pulled away from the kiss, my ragged breathing matching his as we stared at each other. I lifted my hand up and ran my fingers across his chest before I pressed my hand to his heart.
“Tell me you love me again,” I whispered.
He leaned forward, his gaze never wavering from mine. He rested both hands on the counter on either side of me.
“I love you,” he whispered before he pressed his lips to the tip of my nose. “I love you,” he said again, this time kissing one cheek and then the other. “I love you,” he said, as he pressed a light kiss to my lips.
“I love you,” I murmured as his lips captured mine.
He paused before he pulled back to study me. “Promise?” he asked.
I nodded. “I promise.”
