Chapter 50
“I can’t believe you did that.” Roman rubbed his neck and shot Gabe a dirty look.
Gabe’s grin was utterly unrepentant. “It was Ashton’s idea.”
“Michelle tasked us with keeping you occupied,” Ashton said, effortlessly dispersing the blame. “And I told Gabe to use force,
if necessary.”
Roman’s mind raced as he pictured Ava having an emotionally confronting altercation with her family. “I can’t just hang back
while she’s in trouble.”
“You have to,” Ashton said severely. “Because this is what she needs. That woman is used to people leaving her. The best thing
you can do is be here when she’s ready for you.”
“You can’t fix this for her.” Gabe’s tone was more gentle than Roman would have expected. “No matter how much you want to.”
The guys were right. Roman would slay dragons for Ava, but she had to fight her own inner demons—and that meant having a long
overdue heart to heart with her relatives. Besides, he trusted that her cousins wouldn’t abandon her afterward, even if Ava
herself didn’t believe it.
All he could do was give her space, manage his own feelings so they didn’t spill over onto her, and be available when she needed him.
Even if sitting still made him want to gnash his teeth.
“I’m stepping down as CEO,” Roman said, needing to change the subject before he did something that made Gabe tackle him.
Ashton’s brows shot up. “You’re selling the company?”
“Hell no. It’s still mine. I’m just taking a backseat from the day-to-day operations.”
“I did wonder why you were so involved in the minutiae,” Gabe commented. “I’ve worked with some CEOs, and they always seemed
to have a lot more free time for golf and shit.”
“Should I take up golf?” Roman mused.
“Before you do, let me give you some different exercises for your lower back.”
“Golf?” Ashton snorted. “You’re kidding yourself if you think you’re not going to find some other project to throw yourself
into.”
“I want to have more time to spend with Ava, and my family.”
“Except Ava has a job, your sister will be in college, and your mother is moving out,” Ashton said pointedly. “So what are
you going to do all day?”
“Well, there’s Casa Donato,” Roman admitted. “I have a lot of ideas for expanding distribution.”
Ashton spread his hands. “Así es.”
“I also want you to be a celebrity spokesperson.”
Ashton looked thoughtful. “Will I get free rum?”
“Obviously.”
“I’m in.”
Roman sighed. “I also have to finish writing the book.”
Gabe perked up. “What book?”
Roman explained how he’d been contracted to write a combo business manual and memoir—and how he wasn’t making much progress.
Ashton rubbed his chin. “Gabe’s a bit of a writer himself.”
Roman raised his eyebrows. “Any chance you want to help me?”
“Sure. Send me what you got.”
Ashton glanced between the two of them. “I think we have some things other than las primas poderosas to discuss.”
Gabe glanced at his phone, then snapped to attention. “They’re done.”
As one, the three men turned to the door. Roman pushed into the ballroom first and immediately spotted Ava barreling toward
him. He sped up to meet her halfway and they crashed together. Her arms locked around his shoulders and his banded around
her waist. She was warm and smelled like sun and beach and orange blossoms. And despite the tight hold she had on him, there
was a distinct lack of tension in her body. Whatever had happened tonight, she’d finally set down a weight she’d been carrying
for as long as he’d known her.
He pulled back just enough to look at her face. “Good chat?”
Her eyes were red but she smiled. “I’m ready.”
His heart rate sped up. “For?”
“To respond to the things you said in the closet.”
“Ava, I didn’t mean to pressure—”
She touched her fingertips to his lips. He was barely aware of Jasmine and Michelle pulling Ashton and Gabe onto the dance
floor.
“Not just that part,” Ava said softly, her expression warm. “Although we’ll get to it.”
“Whatever you want, mi vida.”
She pressed her cheek to his. “Have I ever told you I love all the terms of endearment you use?”
“Not yet.”
Her mouth quirked. “Well, I do. Come on.”
She took his hand and pulled him out of the ballroom, across the main lobby, and through the front doors to the tiered stone
fountain that stood outside the resort. Roman had considered removing or replacing it, but it had stood in the center of the
main walkway since the resort had first opened, well before he’d bought it, and it was iconic to the look of the entrance.
And so the fountain had stayed.
Ava drew him over to sit on the ledge surrounding it. The front of the resort rested in the shade as the sun set, and the
water tinkled prettily, creating a buzz of white noise to afford them a semblance of privacy.
“In an ideal world, I’d take more time to think about what I want to say.” She grasped his hands in hers, her face earnest,
even as her cheeks flushed. “I’d have a color-coded list in my planner, to make sure I say everything in the right order and
don’t leave anything out.”
“It’s not too late to make a spreadsheet,” he teased gently, but she shook her head.
“I don’t want to waste any more time.” She gave him a small smile. “And anyway, I have a mental list with three bullet points.”
“Only three?”
“The last one has a lot of points under it.”
“Let’s start with the first,” he said gently.
Her expression turned serious, her full mouth tightening at the corners. Before he could give in to the urge to kiss her until
she softened, she said, “Roman, I’m sorry.”
Shit, this was it. She’d brought him out here to let him down easy.
He took a moment to get his voice under control. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for, mi amor.”
“But I do.” Her tone was brittle, and her eyes took on a glassy sheen. “I’m so sorry for hiding you, and for treating you
like you were something to hide. It was only ever because of my own fears and not because of you or anything you did. Please
know that.”
He exhaled slowly. His chest cavity felt like it was full of shattered glass. “I know, Ava. I know.”
“I love you, Roman.”
Suddenly, all he could see was her face. The serious slant of her brows, the sweet curve of her lips, and her eyes—yes, that
was love shining in them, even as tears glittered on her lower lashes.
She was still talking, unaware of the spell her words had cast upon him. “I want to be with you,” she said earnestly. “And
I don’t care who knows it.”
“You—” Relief made him dizzy. And then he couldn’t keep away from her for another second. He tugged her closer, sliding his
arms around her, and her fingers gripped the front of his shirt.
“I’m so sorry—”
“Shh.” He rubbed her back in slow, gentle strokes. “I understand.”
“I know you do.” She tilted her head to look at him. “You understand me . I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to convey how big of a gift that is.”
His breath hitched. “See what happens when you let me give you gifts?”
She laughed, and her fingers flexed on his chest, right over his heart. “From the very beginning, you’ve given me the biggest
gift of all.”
His lips twisted into a suggestive smirk, and she gave a surprised giggle. “Okay, yes, but I didn’t mean that .”
He couldn’t resist teasing her. “If not that , then what?”
“Your time , Roman. You’re the man who has everything, except for free time. But from the moment we met, you gave the gift of your time
whenever I asked. And I know it wasn’t easy. I know you had important things to do. Whenever I reached out, I expected you
to say no, that you were too busy, thus proving what I believed about myself, that no one would ever put me first.” She swallowed
hard and took a deep breath. “But you never said no. You have always, always been here when I need you.”
He lifted a hand to cup her cheek, his thumb stroking over her soft skin. “And I always will. For as much and as long as I’m
able, I’ll be here.”
“I... actually believe that.” She leaned into his touch. “You said that when we’re together, you feel like you’re truly
living.”
He nodded. “You’ve given me a gift too, Ava.”
She liked that, he saw. Her lips curved, and she pressed a kiss to his palm. “You deserve to rest,” she said. “You’ve worked
so hard, for so long. It’s time to rest, Roman. Or to play. Whatever you want.”
“Only if I get to do it with you,” he said.
“Who else is going to make sure you don’t revert back to your workaholic tendencies?”
“I might have discussed some potential business ventures with Ashton and Gabe.”
Her laugh was indulgent. “This is why you need me to keep an eye on you.”
“I can’t think of anyone better.” He leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled away.
“I’m not done with my list yet,” she said playfully.
“Where are we on the bullet points?”
“The last one.”
“The one with multiple parts?”
She nodded, gazing into his eyes, and what he saw there made his breath catch. “This is where I tell you all the things I
love about you.”
“Oh yeah?” He couldn’t stop the goofy grin from spreading across his face. “What’s the first item on that list?”
“Your eyes.” She brushed a fingertip under his left one. “These dreamy, trustworthy eyes. They were one of the first things
I noticed about you.”
“Were they?” He’d been teased as a kid for having “pretty” eyes, but they’d landed him a job on TV and the trust of this woman,
so he couldn’t complain. “What else did you notice?”
“Your smile.” Her own lips pulled into a grin as she stroked her fingers over his mouth. “It’s so genuine and friendly.”
“So in summary, you like my face,” he said.
“I love your face,” she corrected. “But that’s not all.”
“No?”
“I also love your confidence.”
He let out a soft chuckle. “Some would call it ego.”
She shook her head. “Ego is unearned, or else delusional. You believe in yourself, and it’s an extremely sexy quality.”
That gave him a weird, warm feeling in his chest. “Go on.”
“I love the way you listen and pay attention. The fierce way you protect the people you love. The way you see me. I can be messy around you without worrying that you’ll love me any less. I trust you with my whole being, in a way I’ve
never trusted anyone, not even myself. You ask me what I want and genuinely care about the answer. You make me feel treasured.
You’re considerate of my feelings, and you understand that I need time and space to think. You’re emotionally open, and you
make it safe for me to feel all my emotions around you.” Her voice grew stronger, nearly gutting him with the depth of her
regard. “You take responsibility for your actions, and you receive feedback like an adult. You apologize . And you never, ever withdraw or withhold yourself from me. You’re shaking your head, and maybe these are small things to
you, but to me, Roman? They’re everything .”
“Ava, that’s...” Even for someone who had a pretty high opinion of himself, the thoroughness of her observations made his
cheeks heat.
A delighted smile lit her face. “Are you blushing?”
“I think I am.” He definitely was.
She took his hands again. “When I went to the bar that night, I was looking for something different. Something new. I decided
to trust the Universe... and it led me to you.”
“I’m really glad you ordered that shitty drink,” he murmured, and she laughed.
“God, me too.” She stroked his knuckles with her thumb. “Do you remember what you said that night? On the roof?”
“I said a lot of things. Which part?”
“You made a toast. I remember, because I wrote it down.”
“Of course you did.” His lips curved. “What did I say?”
“You made a toast to me, and to imperfection, dreaming, and welcoming whatever comes next—”
“With or without a plan,” he finished, remembering.
She shifted closer to him. “At the time, it seemed like the future I wanted was no longer available to me. I was scared to
dream. Scared to want . And then you showed up. And suddenly... wanting was easy.”
He twined one of her curls around his index finger, needing to touch her, needing the connection. “And dreaming?”
“I don’t need to,” she said simply. “You are more than I ever could’ve dreamed of, more than I would have dared to wish for.
You’ve always urged me to tell you what I want. Roman, what I want is you .”
His throat went tight as he whispered, “I want you, too, Ava. You’re all I want. It’s why I’m stepping down as CEO. I can’t
stand the thought of you alone in our home, waiting for me to come back from a business trip or a long day at the office.
I want to be there with you.”
“I love your home,” she confessed.
“Then why haven’t you moved in with me already?”
Her chuckle was breathless. “Because until now, I’ve told myself I can’t have what I love.”
“You can,” he said simply. “Me, my home, anything I have—it’s yours, Ava.” Then his tone turned serious. “I know you’ve been
hurt before. And while I can’t predict the future, what I can promise is that I’ll always be open with you and tell you how
I’m feeling, so we can deal with it together.”
“That’s enough for me,” she said, her eyes shining. “I promise to do the same.”
“And planning for the future?” he asked.
“All I know is that I plan to be with you. Wherever this life takes us.” She smiled. “Love is worth the risk. You’re worth it.”
“And so are you.” He cleared his throat. “Now, can we discuss the other thing I said in that closet?”
Her face flushed, but she nodded.
“I didn’t mean to bring it up that way,” he began. “I was... well, I was upset by what we overheard, and pissed off that
I couldn’t stand up for you the way I wanted. But I meant it, Ava. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to
marry you.”
Her beautiful hazel eyes locked on him. He saw a little bit of fear lurking there, but he also saw... well, he hoped he saw acceptance.
He lowered his voice and stroked her fingers. “Consider this me giving you time to get used to the idea. We’ll go at your
pace, but if, at some point, you do decide you want to get married again, I’m ready.”
“What if I’m never ready?” The words came out hushed, and she blinked rapidly.
“I’ll love you anyway.” He raised their joined hands and kissed her knuckles. “Do you believe me?”
A tear spilled down her cheek, but her smile was radiant. “Yes. I believe you.”
It was all he needed to hear. He finally brought his mouth to hers, pouring everything he felt into the kiss, knowing it would
take an infinite number of kisses to fully convey how much he loved her. She melted into him, stroking her tongue against
his and making tiny sounds in her throat.
His spirit soared. He didn’t care that they were outside and it was a hundred degrees. He didn’t care that the lobby staff was probably watching through the front windows. Ava loved him and he loved her. Everything else? They’d figure it out together.
After what seemed like a second or a lifetime, he pulled back, breathless. “Now can I buy you gifts?”
Her full-throated laugh was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard.