“The thing is, what became clear to me was that I wasn’t giving her up for you. I broke up with her because I didn’t love her in the right way she should be loved. Regardless of whether or not you had come into my life, Catherine and I shouldn’t be getting married. She just deserves better, more.” It was obvious that he cared deeply for Catherine and that he had done a lot of thinking about the true reasons behind his actions. I appreciated his thoughtful explanation.
“I needed to separate what was happening between Catherine and me from how I felt about you. I knew that if you didn’t want me back, which was entirely possible, given the way I behaved, it was still the right thing for Catherine and me to break up.”
He caressed my face with his hands, looking at me with almost blinding intensity, so strong that I felt like I was looking at the sun. “What I do know for sure is that I want to be with you. It hurt so badly not to be with you. I knew that if you were ever going to consider forgiving me, then I needed to be completely available to you and completely confident that my history with Catherine wouldn’t be an issue for us.”
I was both breathless and speechless by his honest confession, moved by the conviction and sincerity in his voice. I kissed him softly, tenderly. “Thank you for telling me all of that. I took your silence this week as your decision that you had gone back to her.” I remembered the pain I had felt at the thought of having lost him. “It tore me apart,” I whispered sadly.
“I was afraid of that. I’m sorry I went dark this week. I’m so sorry, Julia, for having been dishonest with you. I just needed the time to figure all of it out. As a courtesy to Catherine, I took a few days to think about it. But it was a no brainer, Julia. I’ve completely fallen for you. I have never felt for anyone what I feel for you. You’re it for me, Julia. I know it as sure as I know the sun will come up every morning and set at the end of each day.”
I climbed on top of him and kissed him passionately. “For the record, I love you, too,” I whispered.
We made love again; this time we explored each other slowly and gently, taking our time, reveling in the security and warmth of our heartfelt admissions.
“Three times in seven hours. Not bad for an older man,” I teased him.
“I’m a little surprised myself,” he said with a self-deprecating grin. “I can’t help it. You’re just so damn sexy. Not to mention insatiable,” he mumbled as he nibbled on my hip.
I looked over at the clock and it read 9:30. I was supposed to be at my parent’s house by eleven for brunch. “So, what’s your plan for today?” I asked a little breathily, squirming under his wriggling tongue, which was now moving down my calf and towards my toes. I giggled as he started nipping at my toes with his teeth.
He paused momentarily with the toe kissing to murmur, “Need to get my boat prepped.” He suddenly looked up in surprise. “Do you have any plans for next weekend?”
“Um … no, not yet,” I said shyly. “What do you have in mind? Something with a boat?”
“I have a meeting with a real estate agent up at the San Juan Islands on Friday. I was planning on going up on Thursday and staying over the weekend. Would you like to come with me?” he asked, his eyes hopeful.
I smiled at the thought of a long weekend getaway with Ryan and nodded enthusiastically. “Okay.”
“Good.” He nodded simply, looking pleased with himself. He scooted himself back up so he was now facing me with half his body over me. “So, what’s your plan for today?”
“My parents are hosting a post-wedding brunch at their house,” I said. “Anna and Ethan will be opening their wedding gifts. I’d ask you to come, but I think it might be a little boring for you. You’ve probably had enough of my family for a while.” I gave him a wry grin.
“Nothing with you would be boring. But like I said, I’ve got some maintenance to do on the boat before our trip; I have a mechanic coming to look at it. What are you doing tonight?” he asked expectantly.
“Spending it with you,” I said with a smile, then immediately regretted my response, thinking it may have been too presumptuous.
Ryan didn’t seem fazed. “I’ll cook you dinner at my place, if that works with you?”
“And he cooks too …”
I arrived at Ryan’s house a little after six o’clock. I was still with my family when he texted me his address. Anna, aka The Nosiest Person on Earth, made me do a search on Zillow to see what his house was worth. The estimate was $1.6 million. Well, I guess that’s what executive salaries will get you these days. It didn’t appear to be huge, but I bet it had a knockout view. Surprisingly, he lived right underneath the overpass I usually ran over during my workouts. Who knew that the possible love of my life was only forty feet away?