And if Keiran knew what was good for him, he’d better sell back those shares to Russell and get the hell out of town. He’d see that it would happen. Gabrielle wouldn’t have to put up with—Oh God, Gabrielle wouldn’t be around.
She was leaving.
And, dammit, he was sitting here at this interminable meeting when all he wanted to do was go back to the apartment to see if she had truly left. Of course, there’d been no reason why she wouldn’t have left. He certainly hadn’t given her a reason to stay. It wasn’t as if he loved her or anything.
Like an onrushing wind, all at once he realized he did love her. No second-guessing. No thoughts of denial. Just sheer certainty that she filled his heart and made him complete. She’s the one he’d been secretly waiting for deep within his heart.
Love surged inside his chest as he jumped to his feet. He couldn’t wait a moment more. He had to talk to her before she left. This morning he’d almost had a heart attack when he’d come home and found her suitcase gone. He’d gone to her parents’ house, praying she was there, determined to make her stay. This time he would ask her not to go.
Striding around the conference table, he apologized to John Madsen citing an urgent family situation, handed over to his second in command, then left the room.
But as he rode down the elevator to the car park below the building, his gut twisted with panic. Five years ago she’d left without telling anyone. Would she do that again? She could even catch a plane to somewhere else and not Sydney. He might never see her again. God, he hoped he hadn’t left it too late.
His heart in his mouth, he stormed into the apartment ten minutes later. If she’d gone…
“Damien!” she exclaimed, coming out of the kitchen with a surprised look on her face.
He strode forward and drew her close. “Thank God,” he uttered, holding her as tight as he could, terrified of her leaving, never wanting to let her go again.
She pulled back and looked at him, a question in her eyes, asking what this was all about. “You didn’t have to come home yet.”
“Yes, I did.”
Delight flashed across her face then banked. “But I would have still been here tonight.”
“Gabrielle, you can’t leave. I—” He realized what she’d said. His brow rose, as did his hopes. “You would?”
Her eyes softened. “Yes, Damien, I would.”
He held his breath. “For how long?”
“For as long as you want me,” she said gently.
A lump welled in his throat. His hands tightened around her waist. “Darling, I’m never letting you out of my sight again. Never.”
A soft gasp escaped her. “Damien, what are you saying?”
His chest filled with love. “The first time I set eyes on you, you stole my heart. The second time, you stole my soul.”
“Are you saying…” She moistened her mouth, then started again. “Are you saying that you love me?”
“More than life itself,” he said in a grated whisper.
Tears swamped her blue eyes. “I never thought… Oh God, I love you, too. I wanted to tell you, but there was too much between us.”
A tear spilled down her cheek and he wiped it away with his finger. She looked vulnerable, and he wanted to make it better. There was only one way he knew how to do that. His mouth slowly descended to meet her lips.
He kissed her tenderly, fascinated by how soft her mouth felt. Soft and warm and all woman. Yet something was different. Something that made his throat convulse with sheer wonder. Love made the difference. It was right there, in the open. Neither of them could hide behind their fears any longer, not even if they had wanted to.
He broke off the kiss and stroked her hair. “Darling, I’m so sorry about our baby. You went through hell and I’ll understand if you don’t want more children.”
She shook her head ever so slightly. “I want to have your children, Damien. And with you by my side I’ll have the strength to look forward, not backward.” Her eyes filled with regret. “Can you forgive me for not telling you about the miscarriage?”
He put his finger against her lips. “Shh. There’s nothing to forgive. We’ll both always be sad at what we lost, but if we have each other, the pain can be shared.” He kissed her gently. “This is the way our lives are meant to be. We had to be apart so that we could find out we belonged together.”
Her eyes shimmered with tears. “I think you’re right.”
“I know I am.”
Her lips curved even as she blinked to clear her eyes of moisture. “Oh, I forgot who I was talking to for a minute, there.”
She was the sexiest woman he knew. And she deserved to be teased right back. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you forget ever again.” He swooped her up in his arms.
“Where are we going?”
He stopped to look down at the woman who had taken his empty heart and filled it to overflowing with love. “To our bedroom. I need to show you how much I love you.”
Her eyes sparkled so brightly they took his breath away. “What a good idea.”
He smiled at her. “I’m full of good ideas.”
She ran her fingers along his chin. “You know, this all sounds like a takeover, Mr. Trent.”
He kissed her. “No, a merger, Mrs. Trent.” Then with everything he ever wanted right there in his arms, he strode toward their bedroom.
Toward their future.
Epilogue
Six weeks later, Gabrielle and Damien renewed their wedding vows in a moving ceremony in the back garden of her parents’ mansion. As she walked down the makeshift aisle, her father looked so proud, her mother smiling through her tears. Eileen Phillips had come up from Sydney, along with her daughters, Kayla and Lara.
Damien’s “family” was represented by Brant and Kia, and Flynn and Danielle. Gabrielle had grown to love the other two women over the past few weeks, pleased they had welcomed her into their own private circle of friendship. But more than that she was thankful Brant and Flynn had been there for Damien all these years when he had needed someone to love him unconditionally.
As for the man himself…she looked ahead…and there he was in front of her.
Damien.
He was so handsome. So right for her. He made her feel beautiful and special and needed, and she knew he would make her feel like that for the rest of her life. Love did that to a person.