She wiped her face with her sleeve and finally looked at him. “You make it sound so pathetic. I only wanted us to be together. A family. We were all the same.”
“You had the same abilities maybe, but they could have been rotten to the core. That Milo chap clearly was. Whatever reason he thought he had for trying to kill you, it wasn’t a good one and you aren’t to blame. And you aren’t unlovable.”
He thought he’d made a very good speech and expected her to smile and dry her tears, maybe hug him. Instead, she yanked her hand away and cried harder. He sat there gaping at her, completely lost as to what he’d said wrong. Finally, she turned to him with big, anguished eyes and shook her head.
“I’m sorry for ruining everything with you and Maria,” she sobbed.
Now he knew she was being overly dramatic. “What have you got to be sorry about?” he demanded. “You were trying to help with the healing spell. I’m the one who accidentally hit her with whatever it is that came out of me.”
“Not that. Not the spells. I’m- I’m the one who told everyone you weren’t rich. I’m awful.” She gripped her skirts and twisted them so angrily he thought she might rip the heavy fabric. “I’m the one who’s rotten. It wasn’t a slip of the tongue. I was in a hateful mood and jealous and turned ugly. Maybe I’ve always been ugly and it only came out at that moment. But I’m truly sorry, Owen. Truly, truly sorry.”
She continued to cry while he stared at her, turning over her confession in his mind. Trying to make sense of it. If no one in London had found out the truth about his situation in life, everything would be different.
No, that wasn’t right. Not at all. Did he expect to keep Maria and her family and indeed the whole of society under a spell for the rest of their lives? It all would have gone to hell eventually, with or without Ariana’s cruel meddling. And it was cruel. A betrayal like none he’d ever experienced. But ultimately, he was the one at fault.
“I’m a bit angry right now,” he said honestly. Her shoulders rocked with fresh sobs and she nodded. “But I’m glad you’re alive. I’m glad we’re together again.” He paused and mulled his next words carefully, digging deep into his heart. “It was a bratty, despicable thing to do, but my hands weren’t clean either. You couldn’t have exposed my lies if I hadn’t lied in the first place.”
“You forgive me?” she asked, trying to catch her breath and stop the river of tears.
He sighed. “I always forgive you. For everything you’ve ever done and everything you’ll do—”
“I won’t,” she butted in. “I won’t be awful anymore, I promise.”
“Of course you will. But I don’t care.”
“It’s nice that you accept that I’m unlovable.”
He took her shoulders and shook her the tiniest bit, trying to convey his feelings in one stern look. “You’re not unlovable, Ri. Not to me. Say it again and I’ll make you sorry for it.”
She let out one last sob and leaned over, wiping her face on her skirts again. Her mother’s gown was going to be a sodden mess if she didn’t dry up soon. Thankfully, she tipped her face to the side and smiled tremulously up at him. “I love you too, Owen.”
He blushed and rolled his eyes. He supposed that nearly being murdered made one mushy and maudlin. She kept looking at him, all of a sudden very intense. There was something in her eyes he couldn’t read.
She reached up and put a hand on each side of his face, leaned in, and kissed him softly on the mouth. She lingered there for a moment as his mind went blank and his heart raced. She finally pulled away and gave him a questioning look.
“What in bloody hell was that?” he demanded. His lips tingled and his stomach felt like all the butterflies in the garden had taken up residence there.
Her face turned purple. “I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t say you had to be sorry. I was just taken aback.”
“Was it awful?”
“No, but why? What were you thinking?” He touched his lower lip, not wanting to erase the feeling that was left behind by her kiss, but wanting to keep it there. It hadn’t been awful at all. Far from it. After everything he’d been through the last few weeks he didn’t think he could be so shocked as he was right then.
She shrugged. “I wanted to see what it would be like. And I didn’t want the only person I ever kissed to be…” He didn’t think she could have turned a darker shade of embarrassment but she did. “Oh, forget I said that. No, don’t. I want you to know that I never— nothing untoward happened between Nick and I. I’m still—”
“Bloody hell,” he interrupted, unable to stop swearing at her actions and announcements. “Stop right there. I don’t care to know. In fact, I don’t care at all.”
“Oh. Well, then,” she said in a tiny voice, looking stricken.
He realized how it must have sounded, especially after what she’d just done. Was the kiss a confession of some kind? Or had it been as she said and she only wanted to erase that other man’s touch? He hated that thought with a burning fire.
“I only meant it doesn’t matter,” he explained. “Not that I don’t care.” The stricken look increased and he groaned. “I mean it doesn’t matter to me. You’re still you no matter what you’ve done or haven’t done or will do or won’t do. Didn’t we just discuss all this a few minutes ago?”
“Do you think you’d want to do it again?” she asked, making his head spin.
“You’re awfully forward since you’ve been living on your own in the future,” he said.
Before she could answer, Aunt
