Two days later
Leo pressed the buzzer to Roxy’s London apartment; if she wasn’t in, he’d camp outside the door until she returned.
‘Hello.’
‘Roxy. It’s me.’ There was a pause. ‘Please let me in. Or come outside to talk to me. One conversation. I promise.’
Relief touched him as she buzzed him in. Minutes later he followed her into her lounge. She turned, arms folded, trepidation in her green eyes. ‘Why are you here, Leo?’
‘Because four years ago I didn’t fight for you; my pride was hurt and I thought you didn’t believe in me, just like my parents didn’t. But this time it’s different. Because you’ve helped me heal the breach with my parents, because we’ve shared so much more.’ So that this time he understood why Roxy had rejected him, why it was so hard for her to trust him. ‘But I do love you, Roxy.’ He took a deep breath. ‘I know words won’t work, so I’ve made you something.’
Carefully he placed a small cardboard box on the table, waited as she opened it.
‘I baked biscuits,’ he explained. ‘A selection.’ He pointed as he spoke. ‘Sweet ones, plain ones, crumbly ones, bitter ones, lemon ones. Some are made with dark chocolate and some with white. They are all different, but they all have one common ingredient. They were all made with love. And I know there will be times in life where things are dark and others where they are light and fluffy, but I believe our love will get us through the difficult times. I love you, Roxy. With all my heart, whether you can have children or not. Whatever you face, I want to face with you. By your side.’ He stopped, tried a smile. ‘OK. You say something now.’
Roxy stared at him, this gorgeous, loving, kind man, and she could see nothing but love in his stance. No pity. He wasn’t offering her a magic fix, an unconditional happy-ever-after. He wanted to face the future together, travel the bumps, experience the good times and the bad. He was offering her true love. And she knew now how hard it was for him to show feelings, to risk rejection, and yet here he was.
Her heart filled with love, her breath caught and she flew across the room and hurled herself into his arms. ‘I love you, Leo. With all my heart. I want to be by your side for the rest of our lives. I know there will be hard times and I wish I could give you a family, but I accept you love me regardless. And perhaps together we’ll find a way.’
He nodded. ‘Perhaps there’s a treatment. If not, we could adopt or foster—do it right, never make promises we can’t keep, provide a happy, loving home for children who need a family like you once did.’
‘But whatever we decide…’
‘We’ll do it together.’
And as he pulled her close, Roxy knew they would be together forever.
*
If you enjoyed this story, look out for the Casseveti Inheritance by Nina Milne:
Italian Escape with the CEO
Whisked Away by the Italian Tycoon
And Book 3
Coming soon!
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