Chapter 144

• “I meant it the first time,” he finally broke the silence, lifting his eyes to meet mine. “I was a coward to ever deny or doubt my feelings for you. I was a coward for trying to stop it, for trying to ignore it, for pretending that it didn’t mean anything,” he sighed, raking a shaky hand through his hair.
• “But I’m not going to keep hiding how I feel about you. I love you Aria, and I have loved you for a long time,” he declared. Tears welled in my eyes and it was my turn to bury my face in his neck so he wouldn’t see them. I couldn’t bring myself to look in his face either. All of a sudden, I felt shy.
• “I have never said those words to any woman in my life,” he continued. My cheeks were flushed, excitement like I have never felt rocked my whole being. I’d hoped Slade will love me but I’d given up the possibility a long time ago and hearing him say the words I’d hoped to hear for a long time had me feeling overwhelmed. It wasn’t the first time, but he’d not mentioned it after that day.