“It sounds like you’ve given up on ever finding Mr. Right. Does that mean I don’t stand a chance?”
This time Sharleen laughed, and it felt good. A weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and now that Emilio knew the truth about her past she didn’t have to hide anymore. Knowing that he cared about her, in spite of her physical imperfections, meant everything to her.
“Have you ever been in love?” he asked.
The question caught her off guard, and several seconds passed before she regained her voice. “Yes, once, a long time ago, but I was young and foolish. It didn’t mean anything.”
“I’d like to hear about it.” His smile was full of sympathy and understanding. “What happened?”
Her heart ached when she remembered her sophomore year at Duke University. She wanted to change the subject, but knew there was no point trying to pull a fast one on Emilio. In the end, he’d persuade her to open up to him, so why bother? He radiated warmth and compassion, and Sharleen felt so at ease with him, so comfortable in his arms.
“I met Jarvis at the campus library, and we immediately hit it off. He was outgoing, from a great family and an old soul like me.”
Emilio leaned into her, tightened his hold around her waist.
“Five months later, we were talking about moving in together and eloping after graduate school. I was blissfully in love and anxious to become Mrs. Jarvis Bell.”
“How nice,” he grunted and clenched his teeth. “Your ex sounds like quite the charmer.”
He was, and if I hadn’t been so gullible and naive I wouldn’t have fallen for his lies. Silencing her inner critic, she swallowed the lump at the back of her throat and willed herself not to cry. “Jarvis showed up unexpectedly at my dorm a few days before winter break, and I answered the door in a tank top and shorts. He looked mortified when he saw my scars and made up an excuse for why he had to leave.”
“Thank God you found out the truth about him before it was too late.”
Sharleen nodded, knew Emilio was right, but the memories of that day, and her ex-boyfriend’s bitter rejection, still stung. “I was supposed to spend the holidays with Jarvis and his family in Maine, but he canceled my airline ticket the next day.” Her voice cracked with emotion, so she faked an everything-is-okay smile for Emilio’s benefit. “He said his parents changed their minds about meeting me and suggested we take a break for a while. Jarvis stopped calling and avoided me like the plague for the rest of the year.”
“Baby, don’t cry. He didn’t deserve you, and you’re better off without him.”
Sharleen gave him a bewildered look. Touching her cheeks, she was shocked to discover they were wet. She wiped her face with the sleeve of her cardigan. “Unfortunately, Jarvis wasn’t the only guy repulsed by my scars, and after being rejected repeatedly, I gave up on ever finding love. It doesn’t exist, and I feel stupid for wasting my time searching for—”
Emilio put a finger to her lips and shook his head. “Don’t talk like that. I think you’re desirable and sexy and that will never change.” He winked and added, “Not even when we’re old and gray!”
Old and gray? You want a future with me? Seriously? Her head was spinning fast, out of control, and she couldn’t stop shaking. Sharleen wanted to dance around the room to the song playing in her heart, but she told herself to relax. Despite her excitement, she sat silently, perfectly still, searching her heart for the courage to tell Emilio her other secret, the one no one knew but Jocelyn. She parted her lips and the truth fell out. “I’m a virgin.”
An amused expression covered his face. “So am I.”
“I’ve been on a lot of dates, but I’ve never met anyone I wanted to be intimate with. And I was too afraid they’d run for the hills after they saw my scars.”
“You’re serious.” His eyes doubled in size, and his jaw dropped. “How is that possible? I see the way other guys look at you. They drool all over themselves!”
They do? Sharleen couldn’t put her feelings into words, didn’t even try.
“I’m speechless. I don’t know what to say...” Emilio’s cell phone rang, but he ignored it. When it started up again seconds later, he took it out of his pocket, turned it off and chucked it on the sofa love seat. “That’s better. Now, where were we?”
“I don’t mind if you answer your phone.”
“I know, but I don’t feel like talking to my sister.”
“It could be important,” she argued.
“Nothing is more important to me than being with you. This is our time alone together, and I don’t want anyone to interrupt us.”