Tears swarmed her eyes as she laid a hand on his cheek. “That's a lot more beautiful than my story.”
He grinned and kissed her nose. “That's because you're more beautiful than I am.”
“No,” she disagreed. “It's because I'm a bumbling idiot who doesn't know how to interpret my emotions, let alone express them.”
“You were never a bumbling idiot, but you did have a hard time expressing yourself.”
“To say the least.”
“You're much better at it now.”
“To say the least.”
He laughed, which made her smile, and he took the opportunity to kiss her grin. “So,” he whispered, “now that you can express yourself, tell me – when did you realize you were in love with me?”
Her cheeks flushed, and he laughed again.
“You're laughing at me,” she accused.
“I think it's funny you still blush around me,” he confessed. “I like it, though, so don't try to change.”
“It's good you like it, because I can't change.”
“May I ask why you're blushing?”
She sighed and slid her fingers into his hair. “Because my story isn't very good. I didn't have any epiphanies while standing on a magical cliff.”
“I know you struggled with your feelings for me, Layla. You don't have to be ashamed of that.”
“I'm not ashamed. I just wish I had a beautiful story for you.”
“I see. But I’d rather live the beautiful story than hear it, and I was there every day. I'm still living it.”
“But...see, the thing is...” Her nose wrinkled as the rest of her sentence rushed out. “It was the one time you weren't there that made me realize I was in love with you.”
His eyebrows furrowed as his heart and arms squeezed. “Regrettably, I wasn't there on more than one occasion, so you'll have to be more specific.”
“There's only one, Quin. The one time I had to wake up in my bed without you next to me. That's when I knew. I've never felt so empty. It was horrible, and I knew then I’d never get over you. You were there to stay, whether I had you or not.”
“I'm sorry I wasn't there,” he whispered. “That was my fault, and I never should have let it happen.”
“Don’t apologize, Quin. You've more than made up for your absence that morning. Besides, you can figure in some time served since it took me a while to tell you I love you. That's another reason my story isn't pretty. Even after you'd said those beautiful words on our cliff, even though I already knew I was in love with you, I didn’t tell you. Not until I faced death did I regret my silence. When I thought my time was up, the thing I wanted most was the chance to tell you how I felt… how I feel.”
“But you were showing me long before that, and you do it with more beauty and grace than any story could portray.”
“I love you, Quin.”
“I know.”
“I know you know, but I have to make up for lost time.” She flashed a grin as her eyes twinkled. “I love you.”
He smiled and tightened his hug. “You don't have to make up for anything.”
“I do. I love you.”
He laughed and nuzzled her nose. “Are you going to start saying that at the end of all your sentences?”
“I could… I love you. Maybe I'll use it in place of a period… I love you. Every time you hear me say it, consider it a pause… I love you.”
He laughed again, reveling in her playful spirit. “I think that might get confusing if other people are trying to follow what you're saying.”
“Good point. Guess I'll have to get in as many as I can while we're alone.” She took a deep breath then let it out, saying I love you over and over again until she needed to draw another breath. Then she repeated the process.
He watched her vivacious determination, committing every detail of the carefree moment to memory, and when she paused to inhale again, he interrupted her game by tickling her ribs.
“Hey,” she squealed, wiggling and tilting her head.
He dove for her neck, his hands coming to a rest on her sides, and as his lips found her pulse, they both stilled, listening to each other breathe as their hearts beat in sync.
“I love you, Layla,” he whispered, and she tickled his scalp with a sweet sigh.
“I love you, too, Quin.”
Chapter 16
Around dinnertime, Layla and Quin left their blissful bubble and walked onto the lawn, finding everyone seated at the dinner table. The entire coven was there, except for Lann, who was keeping an eye on Agro’s camp. Weylin, Kegan and the five guests from out of town were also present, and everyone had just begun to eat.