Kayla started to nod, but then she caught sight of Sebastian several feet away, an enormous bouquet of pink, purple, and red tulips in his hands. Her hands went numb and the pen she’d been clutching fell to the floor. It had been three weeks now since he’d walked out on her, leaving her alone in his brother’s apartment after the worst night of her life. After he’d chosen his self-loathing over her. She pressed her trembling fingers to her lips, entirely unsure what to do.
But then he made the decision for her by stepping into the conference room and smiling at her. The lump of ice in the center of her chest started to melt and she took a cautious step toward him.
“Hi,” he said, and just the sound of his voice eased some of her uncertainty. “Can we talk?”
“Kayla, if you walk out that door, you’ll leave me no choice but to fire you.” Stammler’s face was red, his scowl so deep that his jowls shook. She glanced between him and Sebastian and then took another step toward him, holding her hand out to him. His fingers closed around hers and she walked out of the conference room, not caring what Stammler did at this point. This was even better than quitting because now they’d have to pay out her severance package.
Her fingers twined with his, she led Sebastian to her office—his old office—and closed the door.
“We may not have long before security comes to walk me out,” she said, leaning against her desk. Her heart was frantic in her chest, drumming so loudly she wondered if he could hear it.
“Yeah, it’s super fun when they do that,” he said, his eyes sparkling with humor and warmth. He moved toward her and handed her the flowers.
“Are you here to grovel?” she asked, lifting the bouquet and inhaling deeply, pulling the scent of spring into her lungs. The scent of new beginnings and fresh hope.
“Yes.” The single syllable hung in the air and she held her breath as hope filled her. This was what she’d been wishing for every night for weeks now. For Sebastian to come back and tell her that leaving her was the biggest mistake of his life.
“Okay. Grovel away.”
He sucked in a breath and came closer, slipping his arms around her waist. The tulips bunched between them, filling the air in her office with their scent. Her entire body hummed at the feeling of his hands on her, buzzing with reawakening.
“I’m so sorry, Kayla. I should never have walked out on you the way I did. I was so focused on keeping you safe, on preventing what had happened from ever happening again that I panicked. I wasn’t thinking clearly and…” He shook his head. “We both know that I’m a mess. After what happened to you, I hated myself. I hated what my past had brought to your door, and when I think about how close you came—” He broke off and cleared his throat. “I knew I didn’t deserve you. I didn’t deserve your forgiveness. I can’t change my past, and my past is what makes me unworthy of you.”
She narrowed her eyes at him as butterflies unfurled their wings in her stomach. “You thought I’d be better off without you. So you left me alone, heartbroken, after the most terrifying experience of my life.”
“I know. I know. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I’m here to ask for it anyway. Because Kayla, being with you gave me a glimpse of who I could be. What we could have. I almost lost you and that scared the fuck out of me, but I don’t want to choose fear or hating myself or any of that shit anymore. I want to choose you. Us. I love you, and if you give me another chance, I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life earning your forgiveness. Trying to be the man you deserve.”
She sucked in a shaky breath, trying to process everything he was saying. “I love you, Sebastian. And when you walked out on me, you broke my heart.” She set the flowers down on her desk and lifted her hand, cupping his cheek. “But you’re already worthy of forgiveness. You’re already worthy of love and happiness. You were always enough for me, just the way you are.”
“Kayla,” he said, his voice cracking around the edges. She pressed her fingers to his lips, shaking her head.
“I’m going to keep telling you that you’re worthy and deserving of every good thing until you believe me. You’re worth so much more than you tell yourself. I know that you’re not perfect, and I don’t expect you to be. You’re a man who’s fought through a lot of really hard shit. Who’s still fighting. Just because you make mistakes, just because you made bad decisions in your past, that doesn’t mean you aren’t good enough for me. Only I get to decide what I deserve. Only I get to decide what’s good enough for me. And I choose you, Bastian. I choose you.”
He let out a ragged breath and pressed his forehead to hers. “Even now, I don’t feel like I deserve this. Your forgiveness and your love and your kindness.”
“You are not your failures. You are not your mistakes. You’re a man capable of love and tenderness. You’re a man with hopes and dreams and goals. And yes, you’re a man with a past, but that past isn’t who you are. I see you, and I know you and I accept you exactly as you are. I choose you, Bastian, and I’m always going to choose you. Even when you don’t choose yourself.”
She leaned forward and kissed him, a soft, gentle kiss that tasted like forgiveness and hope. “And if you ever, ever walk out on me again when I need you, I’m going
