Now or never, she thought. If they were going to talk, it should be now, before his brother-of-the-bride duties took him away.
Swallowing hard, she walked down the aisle, pushing past the stragglers.
How different this was from the last time they’d stood under this gazebo, she thought. It was almost fitting. It was here she’d first gotten the idea to kiss him. Seemed like poetic justice that it would also be the last place they ever spoke.
“You look beautiful,” Darian said when she reached him.
“That’s my line,” she replied. “It was a lovely ceremony.”
“Sahra really came through.”
She nodded. “We picked the right place for the job.”
A moment of silence stretched, but unlike the many hours they’d worked side by side without speaking, this quiet was strained.
“I didn’t think you’d come,” he said.
“I wanted to see what we created.” She shrugged. “And I thought maybe we could end things better than we did.”
“I’m sorry.”
She blinked. Those weren’t the words she was expecting. Darian never liked to admit when he made a mistake.
“I should have told you about the job offer,” she replied. “It was cowardly to hide it.”
“Then why did you?”
She exhaled slowly. “I knew when you found out, everything would be over. I wasn’t ready for that.”
He shook his head. “I didn’t react well.”
“It’s a pain to replace an assistant,” she said. “I get that. It’s not the way I wanted to leave.”
“I’m going to hire Greg. Seems like a good fit.”
“Good. I liked him.”
Silence fell once more. Perhaps she should excuse herself. They were being civil. That might be the best they could hope for.
“Tell me now,” he said before she could phrase the words. “Why you planned to leave me.”
Her lips parted in surprise.
“King Enterprises,” he amended. “I thought you were happy.”
“I was,” she assured him. “I just wanted a different pace of life. It was the job I needed to change, Darian. Not you.”
“And you think your new career will let you have the life you desire. You’ll meet your steady man and live happily ever after.”
“I think this choice will help move me in the right direction, yes.” A smile tugged her lips. “It might be a while before I put myself back in the dating pool.”
He nodded, his eyes leaving hers for a moment. “Did you mean it?” he asked.
Her mouth went dry. “Mean what?”
The look he gave her said she knew very clearly what he was asking.
“Yes,” she said. If this was their last meeting, at least she could be honest. “I think I’ve loved you for a very long time. I locked it away because I didn’t want to jeopardize what we had.” A small laugh escaped her. What a ridiculous reason in hindsight. So much time wasted. “When I decided to leave King Enterprises, sleeping with you wasn’t a consolation prize or a cheap thrill. Knowing I was leaving freed me from being your perfect assistant.” She shrugged. “For the first time since you hired me, I could ask for what I wanted. And what I wanted was you.”
He reached out to catch her hand. “I ruined everything.”
She shook her head, focusing on their twined fingers. “I never blamed you for being who you are. You warned me not to let my emotions get involved. This is my fault.”
A harsh chuckle burst from him. “I was an idiot, Ali. Something I’ve been for longer than I care to admit.” His fingers tightened on hers. “Because of that I pushed you away.”
“You don’t do relationships. I get it. Really.”
“I didn’t do relationships,” he agreed. “Before I met you.”
She jerked her head up. “What?”
“Jenny helped me see that nothing about you was casual. From the beginning it was a doomed plan. How can you be casual with someone you’re in love with?”
Her breath caught in her throat. She stepped back automatically, but Darian’s hand tightened on hers, keeping her where she was.
“What did you say?”
His smile was infinitely gentle. “You heard me.”
“You don’t love people.”
“No,” he agreed. “Just you. It happened so slowly I didn’t even realize it. You wormed your way into my life, and I find I can’t exist without you by my side.”
“That’s nonsense. We’re two very different people, Darian. We want different things.”
“You want a family. A partner you can trust for the rest of your life.”