“I forgive you,” I whispered back. “And I understand why you did. But please, Dakota,alwaysbe honest with me, okay? Even when it’s not easy.”
“I will,” he vowed. “I swear, I won’t ever let you down again.” He pulled back, cupping my face in his hands, and stared into my eyes. “Because I meant what I said earlier.”
“About what?” I asked, my heart fluttering with anticipation.
He brushed his thumb against my cheek.
“I love you, Ottavia,” he said, a rawness in his voice.
The first time he’d said those words, I wasn’t sure if he’d meant it, or if he was trying to love-bomb me to win me back. This time, though, I had absolutely no doubt he’d meant it. I couldseehis love for me reflecting back at me in his big ol’ green eyes. His words filled my heart with a churning, and waves of warmth and happiness quickly filled the rest of me, the power of his love healing all my wounds.
“I love you too, Dakota,” I whispered.
He leaned in and we sealed our bond with a kiss, a kiss that held all the emotions we’d just experienced—the hurt, the doubt, the forgiveness, but most of all, thelovewe held for one another. We poured our hearts out to each other in a single meaningful moment.
We broke the kiss, but Dakota didn’t let me go; he squeezed me tight once more. I nuzzled my face against his strong chest, and we stayed wrapped in each other’s arms, knowing that our love was real, that it was worth fighting for.
Suddenly, a third party joined the action.
“D’aaaw!” Sienna cooed, wrapping her arms around the two of us. “I love you guys, too! You’re both so cute together!”
We laughed and welcomed her into our hug, sharing our love with Sienna.
“We love you too!” I said. “Thanks so much for letting me hide out here!”
“No prob! It was my pleasure,” my coworker said.
“We should probably get out of her hair, eh?” Dakota said.
Sienna shook her head. “I gotta go to work, but you’re both welcome to stay here as long as you need. Especially if O’s dad is following you guys around like some kind of psycho stalker.”
Dakota and I traded glances, silently communicating with our eyes. Sienna’s offer was tempting … but I wanted to gohomewith Dakota. And my home was his place.
“I think we should head back to your place,” I murmured.
“Agreed,” Dakota said.
“What about her dad, though?” Sienna asked. “Isn’t there a risk he’ll find you?”
Dakota shook his head. “I don’t care what Sal does. I’m not going to run and hide my love for the rest of my life.” He turned his eyes to me. “If we’re going to be together, Ottavia, I want tobe with you for real. I don’t want this to be something where we have to stay secret forever.”
I knew that meant I’d probably have to give up my trust fund, since Dad wouldn’t approve of us being together. But Dakota was willing to sacrifice his career, his future, just to be with me. Wasn’t I willing to do the same for him?
“I don’t want to hide, either,” I said, my heart brimming. “Marrying Leo just to get some peace of mind isn’t worth it. Yeah, I’ll be rich, but I won’teverbe happy.” I turned to Sienna. “So, yeah. I don’t care if my dad knows. Thanks for the offer, but I think we’ll head back to our place.”
“No prob,” Sienna said. “But before you go, can I ask you something real quick, Dak?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“How’d you know O was here with me? Just to clear the air. ’Cause when you first showed up, she thought I’d squealed, and I don’t want her thinking I gave her up.”
I piled on, demanding to know. “Yeah, good question! How’d you find me?!”
“Ah. That’s easy.” He grinned and held up his cell phone. “After forgetting where I’d parked the night before one-too-many times, I put AirTags on my cars. Once I got back to my place, I realized you’d taken the Mercedes, I opened the app to find the AirTag’s location. All I had to do from there was drive around the area until I spotted it.”
Sienna and I broke into a fit of giggles.
“Amazing,” she said.
