She ran her finger down his cheek, soaking in the feel of his scruff, the warmth of his skin beneath the outer cold. He was such a good man. And she was such a freaking mess.
“Do you understand the point behind this whole long-winded story?” he asked.
“Well, now I understand how and why you seem to understand me so well.”
He smiled at that, his grin sexy to her, even if they were involved in a deep and serious conversation.
“That’s only part of what I wanted you to take from it.” He grasped her wrist in his, lowering it to his lap and holding on. “I also wanted you to understand that you don’t have to be alone. You can let me in because I’ve been where you are.” He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek with his free hand. “I won’t let you get hurt.”
She shivered, suddenly cold inside and out, and he immediately shrugged out of his jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders.
She pulled the sides closer, inhaling the masculine scent that made her feel deceptively safe. “That’s just it, Max. You can’t protect me from life.”
“I can damn well try.” And if all he needed was determination, she knew he’d accomplish his goal.
“If you’d come to me when I was younger and told me your feelings, I would have done anything to be with you.” She sniffed, her nose stuffy, her eyes filling with tears. “But once you got engaged, it was like another death to me. I’d clung to this dream, that you and I could be together, but you didn’t want me, you wanted someone else. And I fled to California to get away from the pain… and from you.”
She glanced at him through damp eyes to find his face stricken with both shock and pain.
“I didn’t know.”
She nodded. “How could you? We were two people who had deep feelings without acknowledging them. The timing was always wrong. Back then for you, and now for me. Just because you’re ready doesn’t mean I am.”
He pulled her tight against him, and she cuddled into his warmth.
“I’m not giving up on you,” he said gruffly.
“It’s not fair to keep you going like this when I’m not sure I can give you what you need,” she whispered.
He stroked her hair, long soothing passes of comfort. “You will. I have enough faith for both of us.”
Chapter Nine
In the weeks that followed, Lucy put her all into trying to enjoy her life with Max and not live in fear. He’d opened his heart to her, and everything in her wanted to do the same. His life hadn’t been as easy as she’d assumed, and she hurt for the little boy who’d latched on to her family because his own had been lacking.
Knowing he understood loss like she did and built protective defenses similar to hers allowed her to relate to him on a different level than she had before. But most of all, realizing how invested he always had been, her heart was lighter. For now it was the best she could do. That and be open to believing in the future, and over the last six weeks, she’d done just that.
Tonight she planned to surprise him by showing up at the restaurant and taking him out for dinner to celebrate the opening, which was planned for next week. She arrived at Savage in Soho, where she felt like she’d lived while the furnishings had been delivered and installed.
Using her key, she walked through the front doors, struck, as always, by the changes from the dimly lit, gutted place she’d seen the first time. The dining area seated one hundred and twenty people in a bright room conveying the ambience of Barcelona. With wooden floors and expansive windows, ivy spread through a trellis on the walls, and suspended lighting from the ceiling, the inside evoked the feeling of the outdoors. Diners had their choice of pub-type or dining-height tables and chairs. Lucy was both proud and excited for the opening and potential success of the restaurant Max had created.
And though Sebastian was still having problems with his ex, he’d buckled down and worked on the menu, treating Max and Lucy to a sampling one night, and Lucy had left feeling certain they had a winner on their hands.
It looked like workers had left for the day and nobody was around.
“Max?” she called.
“Back here,” he said, stepping out from the double kitchen doors. He wore a pair of jeans and a grey Henley, looking tired and yet utterly delectable at the same time.
She strode right up to him, rose onto her toes, and placed a kiss on his lips.
“What’s that for?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with delight.
She was happy she could put that look there. “I thought I’d steal you away and take you for dinner. Looks like it’s quiet anyway.”
He nodded. “We finished up the hiring interviews, and Sebastian and I were going through the final choices. He got called away, so I was just wrapping up here.”
“Great! Then my timing is perfect. Are you hungry?”