Several muttered insults filtered around the room, but Rafael continued on, undaunted.
“When it became clear that she would attach stipulations to the sale of the land, I conspired to seduce my way into her heart. Basically I was willing to do whatever necessary to convince her I’d do as she asked without having to commit her conditions onto paper.”
Bryony would have bolted to her feet, but Mamaw gripped her arm with surprising strength.
“Sit. You need to listen to this, Bryony. Let him finish.”
Rafael held up his hands to quiet the angry murmurs of the crowd. Then his gaze found Bryony’s again. She slowly slid back into her seat, caught by the intensity in his stare.
“I’m not proud of what I did. But it was part and parcel of the kind of man I was. I left here, never intending to return until it was time for groundbreaking. But my plane crashed. It took weeks to recover and I lost all memory of the time I was here. I’m so grateful for that accident. It changed my life.”
The room went completely silent on the heels of his last statement. Everyone seemed to lean forward in anticipation of what he’d say next.
“I came back here with Bryony to try to regain my memory. What I did was fall in love with this island and with Bryony. For real this time. She’s told me on multiple occasions that I don’t have to always stay the person I was, that I can change and be whoever I want to be. She’s right. I don’t want to be the person I was any longer. I want to be someone I can be proud of, someone she can be proud of. I want to be the man Bryony Morgan loves.”
Tears crowded Bryony’s eyes and her fingers curled into tight little fists in her lap. Mamaw reached over to take one of her hands and rubbed it reassuringly.
“I’m giving Bryony back the land I bought from her. It’s hers to do as she likes. If she wishes, she can make it a gift and deed it to the town. Turn it into a park. Make it a private sanctuary. I don’t care. Because all I want is her. And our child.”
He stopped speaking and seemed to be battling to keep his composure. His fingers curled around the edges of the podium, but she could see that they still shook.
Then he walked around the podium, down the single step that elevated the stage. He came to a stop in front of her and then dropped to one knee. He reached for her hand and gently pried her fingers open and then he laced them with his, something he’d done a hundred times before.
“I love you, Bryony. Forgive me. Marry me. Say you’ll make me a better man than I was. I’ll spend the rest of my life being that man for you and our children.”
A sob exploded from her throat at the same moment she launched herself from her seat and threw her arms around him. She buried her face in his neck and sobbed huge, noisy sobs.
He gripped her tight, holding one hand to the back of her head. He shook against her, almost as if he were dangerously close to breaking down himself.
He kissed her ear, her temple, her forehead, the top of her head. Then he pulled back, framing her face in his hands before peppering the rest of it with kisses.
Around them there were sighs and exclamations, even a smattering of applause, but Bryony tuned them all out as she held on to the one thing she needed most in this world.
Rafael.
“Give me your answer, please, baby,” he murmured in her ear. “Don’t torture me any longer. Tell me I haven’t lost you for good. I can be the man you want, Bryony. Just give me the chance.”
She kissed him and stroked her hands over his face, feeling the stubble on his jaw and drinking in the haggardness of his appearance. He looked as bad as she’d felt over the past week.
“You already are the man I want, Rafael. I love you. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He shot to his feet and lifted her up, twirling her round and round with a whoop. “She said yes!”
The crowd burst into cheers. Mamaw sniffed indelicately and when Silas handed her a handkerchief, she blew her nose loudly and then sniffed some more.
Slowly he allowed her to slide down his body until her feet touched the floor, but he kept his arms tight around her as if he didn’t want to let her go even for a moment.
“I’m sorry, Bryony,” he said sincerely. “I’m sorry I lied to you, that I hurt you. If I could go back and change it all I would.”
“I’m glad you can’t,” she said. “As I sat here and listened to everything you said, I realized that if things hadn’t happened exactly as they had, you wouldn’t be here now. What’s important is that you love me now. Today. And tomorrow.”
“I’ll love you through lots of tomorrows,” he vowed.
Bryony glanced around as the townspeople began filtering out of the building. Mamaw and Silas had discreetly made their exit, leaving Bryony and Rafael alone at the front of the room.
“What are we going to do, Rafe? What are you going to do? I came to New York because I was going to tell you that you should go ahead with the resort deal. But if you don’t go through with it, what will it mean for your business?”
Rafael sighed. “Ryan, Devon and Cam support me. You support me. That’s all I need. When I left, they were trying to work out a way to salvage the deal. I’m guessing they’ll look for an alternative location. I really don’t care. I told them I wasn’t going to lose you and my child over money. You and our baby mean more to me than anything else in the world. I mean that.”
“After the spectacle you just made of yourself, I believe you,” she teased.
“I’m tired,” he admitted. “And so are you. Why don’t we go back to your cottage, climb into bed and get some rest. I can’t think of anything better than having you back in my arms.”
She leaned into his embrace, wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes as the sweetness of the moment floated gently through her veins.
Then she tilted her head back and smiled up at him, feeling the weight and grief wash away. For the first time in days, the thick blanket of sadness lifted, leaving her feeling light and gloriously happy.
She took his hand and tugged him down the aisle to the doorway leading to the outside. As they stepped out, sunlight poured over them, washing the darkness away.
For a brief moment, she paused and tipped her face into the sun, allowing the warmth to brush over her cheeks.
She looked up at Rafael, who was staring intently at her. His love was there for the entire world to see, shining in his eyes with brightness that rivaled the sun.
It was a look she’d never grow tired of in a hundred years and beyond.
“Let’s go home,” she said.
Rafael smiled, took her hand and pulled her toward the waiting car.