Forever (Betrothed 7)

Guilt moved into his gaze. “I’ll always love you too. I wish we could have more, but I know what I did was wrong.”

“I hope you learn from those mistakes and can be better for the next person. Because you’re a handsome man with a lot to offer. You could have any woman you want.”

“You know you’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. The others…they’re just physical. I’m not sure I’ll ever feel this way about someone again.”

I’d thought the same thing until I’d walked into Damien’s office. “You will…someday.”

Damien reached our side of the stands, and when he came close to us, he was wearing a t-shirt with his shorts. His eyes moved back and forth as he watched our conversation. Instead of pushing his way through and grabbing me, he let us finish.

I glanced at him and turned back to Liam.

Liam noticed he was there. He sighed quietly to himself and looked at me one final time. “Take care, Anna.”

His goodbye was so heartfelt and genuine, it almost made me want to cry. It was peaceful, just a little painful, exactly what it should’ve been a long time ago. “You too…”

Before Liam departed, he turned to Damien and stared at him for a while, gathering his thoughts as he looked at his former opponent. Liam wasn’t the kind of man to lose, and accepting this defeat was probably harder than anyone could understand. But instead of lashing out, he extended his right hand.

Damien clearly hadn’t expected that because he was slightly taken aback. It took him a few seconds to reciprocate, the place his palm in Liam’s and give it a firm shake.

Liam pulled away and walked off.

Damien watched him go before he turned to me. I waited patiently for his demeanor to change, for him to look at me as the love of his life rather than as a trophy. He started to soften, started to turn into the man I knew. He released a painful sigh of relief as he came closer to me, his eyes growing more emotional the nearer he got. When he was in front of me, his hand slid into my hair, and he pulled my face to his to give me a soft kiss.

My arms wrapped around his neck, and I breathed a deep breath, blocking out the noise of the buzzer as the next fight began, the sounds of cheers and boos as men forgot about the fight that had just taken place. We’d been separated for weeks, and knowing this was finally the beginning of a real relationship was so beautiful. I breathed against his lips and felt my eyes water because I knew this was exactly where I was supposed to be, with the person I was supposed to be with.

I looked into his eyes and saw the expression that I was sure matched mine, so deep and so full of love that I felt safe. Damien would never hurt me, never betray me, and he would be everything I deserved. It’d been weeks since we’d talked, seen each other in the flesh, but no conversation was forthcoming. He only said one thing. “Let’s go home.”

Returning to his home felt so strange. I’d honestly feared I would never come back.

It’d only been a few weeks since the last time I was there, but it felt like forever, and the place also felt exactly the same. I moved to the couch and thought about everything that had happened. It was a lot to process.

Damien sat beside me and stared at my features as if he never wanted to stop, as if he wanted to look at me every day for the rest of his life. His fingers lightly caressed my hair, and he held me close like nothing else mattered.

I gently touched his discolored eyes, which were swollen and bruised. He had a few other injuries, but nothing serious. “Will you be okay?”

He grabbed my wrist and pulled my fingers away from his face. “I’ve been through worse. And it was totally worth it.”

It was the first time I’d smiled in so long.

“Are you okay? That’s what I’m more concerned about.”

“What do you mean? I’m sitting here with you. I’ve never been happier…”

He squeezed my fingers. “I know.” He locked our fingers together. “I’m just scared…of whatever you had to go through while you were there.”

Now, I understood exactly what he feared. Liam had said things to him in the ring, but I couldn’t make them out, probably things to get under Damien’s skin. “I was upset Liam held me against my will, so I was in my bedroom the whole time. I refused to come out. He tried to talk to me. I wasn’t interested. He brought me meals. That was it.”

“He didn’t…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the question.